Adamu, Kachikwu, Momoh advocate entrepreneurial training for students

As part of measures to reduce unemployment, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, has advocated entrepreneurial training for students in tertiary institutions.

He made the call at Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi in Etsako West Local Council Area of Edo State, during its 24th convocation.The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu and the former Minister of Information, Tony Momoh, also supported the call.

According to them, the introduction of entrepreneurial and technical courses in these institutions of learning would produce job creators rather than job seekers.Adamu said schoolsí curricula must be reviewed to include more of technical and entrepreneurial courses, because the country is blessed with mineral resources and fertile land.

The minister was represented by the Director of Physical Planning and Development, in the National Board for Technical Education, Ekpenyong Ekpenyong.While commending the polytechnic for sustaining peace and sanity, he urged the various institutions of learning to embark on more research that would turn around the fortune of the country.

The minister of state for petroleum, who was represented by Prof. Sunny Uboa, said the poor management and embezzlement of public funds by past the administration plunged the country into hardship.“I have seen a lot of money taken away by the past administration and because of this, the present administration is trying hard to revive the economy, he said.

Momoh also blamed the past administration for failing to save for the future and charged the graduating students to cultivate a saving culture to avoid the mistakes of the past.He said: “What we should have done to empower you when you were growing up, we did not do, hence today, you are deprived. Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Musa YaríAdua left some money in the treasury, which Jonathan inherited.

Unfortunately, by the time he left office, the people and not ex-President Goodluck Jonathan had eaten up, the money.

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, represented by his deputy, Phillip Shaibu said the government understood the importance of technical education as the bed rock of any developed country.

The governor added that this importance made the administration to be investing more to revamp the moribund technical colleges in the state.The Acting Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Momodu Sanusi Jimah, presented a total of 18, 010 graduating students for the award of post Higher National Diploma and Higher National Diploma (HND). He said 431 students graduated with distinction, 3,246 with Upper Credit, and 9,197 with Lower Credit while 5,135 graduated with pass.