Entrepreneurship Skill Key To Nation Building – FCT Minister

By: Freda Aideyan

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, has called on critical stakeholders to collaborate with the Administration to build entrepreneurship skills at the Secondary Schools level.

The Minister, who stated this during a courtesy visit by a team from the FCT-SEB Nigerian/Brunel Open Innovation Impact Center also identified entrepreneurial skills as key in developing the youths in the FCT.

Nyesom Wike, who was represented by the Minister of State FCT, Dr. Mariya Mahmoud, noted that this would help in nation building.

He said, “youth entrepreneurship is a key to reducing unemployment rates and provide sustained livelihood opportunities which is one of Mr. President’s Renewed Hope Agenda”.

According to him,”We are talking about entrepreneurship, and then this is where we are talking about the ‘Catch Them Young’. The youths are the largest population, and then they need the support. The earlier we do it, the better.”

“Most of our pupils, or our children, are blessed with different talents that if we don’t explore, we will not be able to get good out of them,” he added.

“I consider this courtesy visit very important because our partners are ready to collaborate with us. I think this is an opportunity that we will not relent or hesitate to really do all that is necessary for us to achieve the goal”, he stressed.

Earlier, the team lead and Dean Brunel Business School, Prof. Ashley Brangaza, stated that the delegation came to Abuja to evaluate the level of entrepreneurship skills among Secondary School students with a view to supporting the FCT Administration to develop the youths.

His words: “It seems to me that if we don’t give you the opportunities to actually develop their skills, develop their talent, a huge section of society that is going to waste.”

“And we cannot in this world today waste the talent of our youths. Through our activities at HIVE, we would like to find ways of supporting those entrepreneurs to scale up,” he reiterated.

“The talent is here. It is the time to kind of seize that talent, marshal the resources, and then give people, give the youth the opportunity to make use of their talents”, he said.

Those present at the event include the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola, Secretary in charge of Education Secretariat, Dr. Danlami Hayyo, Director of Finance and Administration (Education Secretariat) Mr. Leramoh Abdulrazaq, Director FCT Secondary Education Board, Dr. Mohammed Sani Ladan among other.