By Umar Bayo Abdulwahab
Ilorin
The Kwara state Government said it has injected about N2 billion into small and medium scale enterprises and micro credit schemes. The state governor, Alh Abdulfatah Ahmed disclosed this yesterday while speaking at the 24th convocation of Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin. Ahmed said the gesture is to promote entrepreneurship and agriculture in the state. Represented by the Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr Amina Ahmed, the governor added: “Let me at this point state that it is important that more institutions begin to include entrepreneurship courses in their curriculum so that at the end their studies, new graduates will have the confidence to start up their own businesses and be employers of labour and not job seekers.
“I am glad that the Kwara state Polytechnic is keeping up with the times as the institution has made entrepreneurship studies mandatory. I am certain this will go a long in preparing students of the polytechnic for the future .
Earlier, Rector of the Polytechnic, Alhaji Mas’ud Elelu denied an alleged increment in the school fees being charged by the institution. Elelu said “most times students displayed immaturity and
impatience in their approach to issues; a recent instance is the immaturity displayed by some miscreants, who are never students of our institution, on the false allegation of school fees increase. When in actual fact, there was increase at all.”
Making case for technical education, the rector emphasized that: “It is pertinent to stress at this juncture, that in this 21st century; nonation can have a strong economy and experience sustainable development without a skilled workforce. Nigeria needs to revitalize and galvanize its technical schools.
“We therefore call on the Federal and State governments to review their policy on technical education by breathing more life to technical schools. Individuals who have the technical hands-on are more needed now to provide the necessary “basic raw materials” for positive engagement of Polytechnics products.
“The Technical Colleges can easily plug into the Polytechnic system than their counterparts from Secondary or Grammar Schools. If our dream to invent, innovate, fabricate tools and equipment which would ease our operations is to be realized therefore, we need more of Technical Colleges now than ever before.
