The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has called on Nigeria’s universities to serve as incubators of innovation, industry, and sustainable enterprise, stressing that this objective aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Dr. Alausa spoke on Wednesday during a colloquium and the commissioning of the Olufemi Okenla Entrepreneur Centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), a facility donated by the Olufemi Okenla Foundation.
Represented at the event by the Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule, Dr. Alausa praised the theme of the gathering—“The Role of Tertiary Institutions in Promoting Entrepreneurship in Nigeria”—as particularly fitting for a nation facing persistent youth unemployment. “We can no longer afford to produce graduates who seek jobs alone; we must now produce job creators, innovators, and problem-solvers,” he declared. He urged educators and stakeholders to ensure that young Nigerians receive not only academic knowledge but also the tools required to translate that knowledge into economic value.
Dr. Alausa commended the Olufemi Okenla Foundation for its “visionary investment” and lauded OOU for hosting an initiative that, he said, would further the Ministry of Education’s commitment to youth empowerment. “As we commission this Centre today and engage in rich intellectual exchange through the colloquium, let us renew our commitment to empowering our youths—not just with knowledge, but with the tools to transform that knowledge into value,” he added.
The facility’s benefactor, Otunba Olufemi Okenla, recounted his own journey as a pioneer student of the then Ogun State University (now OOU), and explained his motivation to “give back” by establishing a dedicated entrepreneurship centre. He revealed that the Centre, which cost ₦350 million to construct, would initially be funded with an additional ₦100 million to ensure its operations until it becomes self-sustaining. By September, the Centre plans to admit its first cohort of students, of whom ten will receive full scholarships from the Foundation. Another ten scholarships have been pledged to members of the Kingsway International Christian Centre (KICC). Otunba Okenla also announced that four exceptional graduates would receive ₦20 million each in seed capital to launch their ventures.
In his welcoming remarks, Professor Ayodeji Agboola, Vice-Chancellor of OOU, said that upon assuming office he had prioritized entrepreneurship by establishing a threefold strategy: ensuring graduates are employable, fostering alumni as employers of labour, and enabling graduates to pursue further education. Professor Agboola congratulated Otunba Okenla and challenged other alumni to emulate his philanthropic example.
During the keynote address, Professor Olusegun Sogbesan, Director-General of Onitsha Business School, called for a “redefinition of the purpose of higher education in Nigeria.” He argued that entrepreneurial training must be integrated into every academic discipline, requiring each student to undertake a live business project and graduate with both a formal qualification and a practical business mindset. “If we continue to graduate students who can only write exams but cannot write proposals; if we continue to produce degrees that do not produce value; if we continue to teach our youths to wait for jobs instead of creating enterprises, then we are complicit in engineering their frustration and Nigeria’s stagnation,” Professor Sogbesan warned.
The Olufemi Okenla Entrepreneur Centre was officially dedicated by Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, Senior Pastor of the Kingsway International Christian Centre. In marking the occasion, Pastor Ashimolowo expressed confidence that the Centre would play a pivotal role in nurturing the next generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs.
