The Vice-Chancellor, Kwara State University, Malete, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na'Allah, has urged tertiary institutions to equip their students with business development trainings or entrepreneurial skills.

According to him, early entrepreneurship development in students will help them create wealth. He added that if students were hardworking and enterprising, they could substantially contribute to Nigeria's socio-economic and industrial development and stop depending on others for sustenance.

He stated that it would also aid them to be job creators instead of relying on elusive paid employments.

He spoke in an interview with our correspondent in Ilorin on Saturday during the 'Start up Kwara' organised by KWASU.

"'Start up Kwara' is an opportunity for young people in KWASU and others who are not in KWASU. They came together in three days and worked on the start-up business that they put together and they ended up having different businesses that we are convinced will take them not only internationally but will enable them to create wealth for themselves.

"If the goals of other institutions are geared towards helping Nigeria develop; if their goals are to ensure that Nigeria is competitive in the comity of nations; if their goals are to secure the future of young people, they must do what we are doing at KWASU. They must think about empowering people to go into business," he said.

Na'Allah stated that KWASU was effectively equipping its students with entrepreneurial skills for self reliance, regardless of their courses of study.

He advised lecturers and non-academic staff of tertiary institutions to invest their earnings wisely, adding that the return on their investments could supplement their salaries.

"We see a lot of strikes constantly in Nigeria. Part of why lecturers complain is that they do not have much money. That is because they are not enterprising. If they are enterprising, they can invest the money they have. If you go to other parts of the world, lecturers invest and they have so much money coming from business because they are using their salaries to invest. In Nigeria, they just take their salaries, finish it before the end of the month and begin to cry for money," Na'Allah said.

The General Manager, Manufacturing, Lubcon Limited, Mr. Emanuel Abiona, called on corporate organisations to support entrepreneurship training in students. He added that it was very important to allow students to imbibe the culture of entrepreneurship.

The Special Adviser on Youth, Commerce and Culture to the Cabinet Office of the British Prime Minister, Mr. Ketan Makwana, urged the Federal Government to effectively implement policies that would advance business and entrepreneurial education in tertiary institutions in the country.