Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State says the state government has been able to successfully support over 25,000 youths in various areas of entrepreneurship since 2020.
The governor disclosed this while delivering an address at the 2nd Special Annual Lecture of Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) Professional Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies, held at the University of Lagos in Akoka, Lagos on Thursday.
Represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, the governor addressed a diverse audience of academicians, students and industry players on the success of his administration in job creation and entrepreneurship.
He said: “We deliberately established the Ondo State Enterprise Agency (ONDEA) to invest in our people to create value and support economic growth in the state. I must say the result was phenomenal »
Basking in the euphoria of the excellent turnout at the just concluded Global Entrepreneurship Festival (GEF) in Ondo State, the governor reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to promote youth entrepreneurship and support new businesses in the state.
According to him, “Our state has just hosted the world’s largest entrepreneurship festival where over 20,000 participants and some prominent global investors gathered in Akure to pursue business opportunities. in the state in particular and in Nigeria as a whole”
Reacting to some points raised by the speaker during the event, the governor stressed that only a productive economy will catalyze the development of the country and that his administration is at the highest level of form in that regard.
He noted that the current Federal Government of Nigeria led by President Bola Tinubu inherited the economy and is gradually emerging from it with the Hope Renewed programme.
In his thought-provoking lecture titled “Towards the Current and Turbulent Nigerian Economy: New Nigerian Business”, the inaugural holder of the Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurship Studies, Professor Sunday Adebisi recounted Nigeria’s economic and political journey since 1960, comparing former presidents to “captains” and their respective administrations to “ships”.
Identifying the problems over the years, Adebisi offered fourteen practical solutions to move Nigeria forward, including appropriate infrastructure projects, a 25-year food security plan and integration of the activities of all ministries in sync with Nigerian needs.
Part of the solutions also include pushing for debt rescheduling, digitization of all Bureau De-Change (BDC) transactions in Nigeria, aggressive job creation, combating inflation and managing the removal of oil subsidies, among others.
He Congratulates Governor Aiyedatiwa and his deputy on the unprecedented victory recorded in the November 16 Ondo State gubernatorial election where the All Progressives Congress (APC) won all 18 local government areas in the state.
Welcoming guests and participants to the conference, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, praised the founder, Chief Mike Adenuga, saying the professor “reflects the values and contributions of an icon of entrepreneurship”.
Chairman of the event, Dr Ibukun Awosika called on all stakeholders including government and the private sector to synergize and take entrepreneurship seriously.
“Entrepreneurship causes us to innovate and look at issues that challenge us as a people, our systems and our communities and to seek for how to create solutions that are scalable. This will ultimately take us far as a nation” Awosika remarked.
