Professor Chinedum Babalola, Vice-Chancellor, Chrisland University, Ogun State, has stressed the need for institutions to impact the youths positively with quality education, good moral ethics and relevant entrepreneurship skills for national growth and development.
Babalola spoke at the 2021 Summit for youths organised by Shining Stars Initiative International, a non-profit making organization, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The VC noted that lack of access to quality engagements and education accounted for the prevalence of violence by the disgruntled youths in the land.
She also stated that “Another set of youths are those that are educated but are unemployed. They too sometimes get restive because after going to school they don’t have a job.
“That is why the curriculum is shifting more toward entrepreneurship. Everyone can practice entrepreneurship; skill acquisition whether they go to school or not. But, if you go to school, you will be better prepared to play in the global space.
“What we should do right now is to design a curriculum that will look at morals, ethics and religion which we had thrown away and that is why we are where we are. We need to begin to appeal to the conscience of the young ones right from nursery and primary levels letting them know that crime and killings are bad in addition to their entrepreneurship skills.
“Entrepreneurship is nothing with the spate of insecurity. We need to ensure that youths who venture into entrepreneurship are secured. Not that they will be asked to go back to farm, CBN gives them loan but they are unable to stay in their farms due to insecurity and so they are unable to repay the loan. Insecurity is also born out of bad leadership.
“Educational empowerment is very important, but that empowerment should go with moral and ethics and entrepreneurship skills acquisition innovation.”
The don, who charged the youths to dream big, saying, “If anyone says school is a scam let them try ignorance.”
Also, Opeyemi Sanwoolu, the Europe Sector Food Safety Leader at PepsiCo, urged the youths to keep improving themselves and be careful in making choices.
He enjoined them to see opportunities in every challenge that they are faced with, stressing that while they eschew mediocrity, they should strive for excellence in whatever they do.
The Convener of SSII, Mrs Omokehinde Deji-Akinpelu urged the participants to believe in themselves and know that they can excel and rise above the status-quo, no matter the odds against them.
Deji-Akinpelu, an engineer, added that “They must not allow anything to stop them; not their background or even their past mistakes. Youths must have a dream and take full responsibility for its actualization. They need to be humble to keep learning and get mentored.”
