By Our Correspondent
Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, says the governments, private sectors and consumers are in the best position to turn Nigeria’s economy around.
Aiyedatiwa made the assertion at the second special annual lecture of Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr)’s Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies on Thursday in Lagos.
TheNewsZenith reports that Deputy Governor, Olayide Adelami, represented Aiyedatiwa at the lecture hosted by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) in Lagos.
The theme of the lecture is “Navigating The Present Stormy Nigeria Economy: The New Enterprise Nigeria As The Anchorage”.
Aiyedatiwa said that consumers need re-orientation through government institutions to change the way entrepreneurship is seen.
“In Ondo State, entrepreneurship runs in our blood. That is why constitutes the majority of cocoa enterprises in Nigeria.
“We established Africa’s Silicon Valley, known as entrepreneurship village. This is a groundbreaking innovation, education, creative, technology and business eco-friendly estate.
“Between 2020 and 2024, more than 20,000 people have benefited through startup kits, funding, training, workshops, conferences and networking among others.
“Our vision is to have a valuable and stable economy in the state which helps the country,” TheNewsZenith quotes Aiyedatiwa as saying.
Prof. Sunday Adebisi, Professor of Entrepreneurship Hub and Strategic Management at UNILAG delivered the lecture.
He noted that insecurity, regional instability, food crisis and weak infrastructures were part of the challenges causing storms in the Nigerian economy.
Adebisi said that the government should create jobs aggressively through enterprise, start-ups and investment to drive innovations.
“The main solution for Nigeria to combat all these storms is a purposeful and intentional focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.
“These must be dedicated to value creations in all facets of Nigerian life.
“In Nigeria, small businesses play a vital role in driving the economy,” Adebisi said.
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He pointed at a financial institution, Flutterwave, as an example of a successful small business start-up in Nigeria.
According to him, Flutterwave has 1,032 employees, who will be feeding more than another 10,000 people by the interpolation of dependency in Africa.
in her remarks, the UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, spoke on the purpose of the lecture.
Ogunsola said it serves as a platform for the generation of ideas, fostering collaborations and inspiring actionable solutions to the challenges and opportunities within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
According to the VC, UNILAG is championing this initiative in alignment with “our strategic goals of promoting interdisciplinary research and creating industry-academic partnerships”.
The lecture, she added is also promoting town-gown relationships.
“It will equip our students with the skills needed to thrive in a dynamic global economy. It will also produce leaders that shape the future.
“Our workforce has the potential to be productive and I am using this opportunity to call on all Nigerians to invest in education, entrepreneurship and research.
“No one can love our country more than us. We need new thinking to solve global problems and take on the problems of the future,” she said.
The first female Chairperson of First Bank, Dr Ibikun Awosika, spoke in alignment with the Gov. Aiyedatiwa.
Awosika said the government, private sectors and individuals, have the responsibility to build the nation’s businesses and economy.
She said that it is only the government at all levels that could change Nigeria’s economy.
“The government, at all levels, must adopt and implement all possible solutions recommended here today.
“We need the political will of the politicians to make decisions on solutions being presented today,” Awosika said.
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