LASU holds entrepreneurship, skills acquisition expo

Lagos State University (LASU) says it will continue to encourage and provide focused training to students in skills acquisition and entrepreneurship for job creation.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olarenwaju Fagbohun, made this assertion at the two-day ENT 302 Entrepreneurship Exhibition and Fair organised by LASU Centre For Entrepreneurial Studies on Tuesday in Lagos.

Fagbohun said that the university had trained students on 79 different entrepreneurship skills so they could be self-employed after graduation.

He said that the institution started the entrepreneurship courses three years ago by keying into the federal and state agenda initiatives on entrepreneurship skills in schools.

“We started as a Centre for Entrepreneurship but today we have turned that centre to Directorates of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship because a whole lot goes into it.

“The entrepreneurship fair we are having this year is much bigger than last year, for this year we have moved forward by using technology to play a lot of major roles.

“At the exhibition stands today, we have more than 79 different skills and activities that our students are showcasing which will be scored by their lecturers.

“Next year, entrepreneurship exhibitions and fair theme will be titled “Mr Governor, Sanwo-Olu Tradefair Exhibition”, Fagbohun said.

He said that the fair was supported by Lagos State Ministry of Finance as part of the entrepreneurship project.

“I am really impressed with the skills the students displayed today which means some of the them will participate at the National Exhibition and Global Exhibition which they will be richly rewarded,” he said.

He said that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved M250 million to support entrepreneurship initiatives in schools.

“The Chairman of the initiative is Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice-Chacellor ,University of Lagos and our own director of skill acquisition is also a member of the team,” Fagbohun said.

Also speaking, Prof. Martin Anetekhai, Director, LASU Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, said that the main purpose of the entrepreneurship courses was for students to be self-employed and self-reliant after graduation.

Anetekhai said that the skills displayed by the students, which included bead making, cake making, fisheries, event decorations, furniture making e.t.c, would be scored by their lecturers.

“We are training the students from the scratch on any skills till they understand and able to make use of it even before they graduate.

“Non-students of LASU can also enrol for the entrepreneurial studies which some of them are graduating today on different skills such as security, bread making and fish farming.

“I want the students and the incoming ones to focus and be determined on learning their area of interest without any distraction,” he said.