The Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Prof. Oyedunni Arulogun, has urged Nigerian youths to embrace entrepreneurship and value creation as practical solutions to unemployment and drivers of sustainable national development.
Prof. Arulogun stated this on Monday while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the university’s 2026 Sustainability Project and Entrepreneurship Festival and Exhibition held at the institution.
She said Nigeria’s greatest asset remained its youthful population, stressing that young people possess enormous talents and potential that could be harnessed to transform the country’s economy.
According to her, the university’s entrepreneurship initiative is designed to build resilience in students and empower them to contribute meaningfully to national development without seeking opportunities abroad.
She explained, “What informed this initiative is that we need to begin to think differently. Our greatest asset as a country is our young people. They have enormous potential and talents that can be used to drive sustainable development.
“What we are doing today is our contribution to nation-building, to help young people discover their potential, build resilience and understand that they can succeed and make Nigeria great without leaving the shores of the country.”
The vice-chancellor, however, cautioned against reducing entrepreneurship to vocational training, describing it instead as a mindset centred on solving problems and creating value.
She explained that possessing technical skills alone was no longer sufficient, arguing that success depended on the ability to meet people’s needs through innovation and quality service.
“One of the greatest mistakes people make is to equate entrepreneurship with vocational training. They are different. Entrepreneurship is about a change of mindset.
“It is not about whether I know how to make beads, wigs or sew clothes. The real question is, what value am I adding? People do not pay for certificates or skills alone; they pay for value.
“There are many tailors with big shops who have no customers, while some professionals are highly sought after because of the value they provide. It is all about identifying needs and filling the gaps,” she said.
Arulogun disclosed that graduating students would receive entrepreneurship certification in addition to their academic degrees, saying the initiative would better prepare them for self-employment and wealth creation.
She urged students to see entrepreneurship beyond a compulsory academic requirement and embrace it as their personal contribution to Nigeria’s development.
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Director of the General Studies Directorate, Dr Lydia Chineyemba, said the exhibition reflected the institution’s commitment to functional education by equipping students with practical skills alongside academic knowledge.
She noted that the theme of this year’s exhibition, Developing Innovative Solutions and Practical Skills for Nigeria’s Sustainable Economy, underscored the need for graduates who could identify societal challenges, utilise available resources responsibly and create sustainable businesses.
According to her, the exhibition featured student projects in Adire production, agriculture, artificial intelligence literacy, vibe coding and web application development, carpentry, catering, fashion design, photography, cinematography, wig artistry and other vocational fields.
“The projects displayed today show that our students can contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s sustainable economy through the practical skills they have acquired.
“This exhibition represents more than the completion of a course requirement. It marks the beginning of new possibilities. Some of these projects may grow into viable businesses that create income and employment,” she said.
Also speaking, the Coordinator of the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Development Studies, Dr Obaloluwa Oyewo, described entrepreneurship as a way of thinking rather than merely starting a business.
He said the university’s sustainability project aimed to move students beyond classroom theories by exposing them to practical business development and innovation.
“When we hear entrepreneurship, many people think only of buying and selling. But entrepreneurship is a way of thinking. It is about identifying problems where others see inconvenience and transforming ideas into value.
“Problems are not problems; they are the fuel for entrepreneurship. Waste can become wealth, environmental challenges can become sustainable businesses, innovation can create employment, and ideas can grow into industries,” he said.
Oyewo described the exhibition as “a marketplace of ideas” where students were expected to present, defend and refine their innovations before judges and visitors.
Addressing the participating students, he encouraged them not to abandon their projects after the exhibition but to refine their products, register their businesses, seek mentors, apply for grants and participate in entrepreneurship competitions.
