Department of Entrepreneurship

History

The founding fathers of JABU through divine guidance and uncommon wisdom established the Department of Entrepreneurship at inception in 2006. This first-of-its-kind degree aims to attend to the peculiar needs of the teaming Nigerian undergraduates. The underlying philosophy of the Entrepreneurship programme at JABU aims to develop creative minds among students as well as prepare them for leadership responsibilities with industries, government and NGOs. To this end, the students and staff of the department have visited various technical and practical entrepreneurial establishments such as the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Industrial Development Centre (IDC), Technology Incubation Centre (Lagos), Cocoa Processing Industries to mention a few. These visits have been instrumental in furnishing students with hands-on practical skills acquisition experiences. Some of the students have registered their business names, while some have registered with the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN).

A good number will also soon be registered with the Institute of Entrepreneurs (IOE). Likewise, numerous bodies, organisations and universities have visited the department to learn from the heights the department has achieved in the process of offering both practical and theoretical entrepreneurship education. No doubt, it remains the pacesetter of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria.

The department has a very rich synopsis comprising contents that are imperative for the growth and development of contemporary entrepreneurs. Some of the exceptional courses offered are Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Practical Skills Acquisition, Role Modeling and Mentoring, Feasibility Studies and Business Plan. Elective courses which offer opportunities for entrepreneurship skill acquisition from the Colleges of Agriculture and Natural Sciences or Environmental Sciences are required as part of the graduation requirement. The students are also given solid training in related disciplines such as Accounting, Business Administration, Law, Economics, and Agriculture which will make them relevant in academics, as well as identifying business opportunities.

The specific objectives of the BSc in Entrepreneurship degree programme are:

• To impart to the students, basic knowledge of the concepts, theories, principles and practice of entrepreneurship.
• To teach students the application of techniques of entrepreneurship, thereby equipping them to make worthwhile contributions to the accomplishment of organisational objectives and achievement of increases in productivity and social welfare.
• To develop leadership attributes and interpersonal relationships required for setting up and working in industrial, commercial, educational, public and other organisations through vocational training which will enable them to set up businesses of their own.
• To contribute to the knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship through research and, development of the intellectual capacity of students, by attaching them to reputable firms and professionally qualified entrepreneurs.
• To inculcate in the students, the spirit of hard work, re-orientation of their value system, and help them learn and to relate to the real-world situation.

The department has a unique culture of developing an entrepreneurial mindset to correct the ravaging unemployment pandemic in our dear country. To achieve this, all efforts within and outside the department are geared towards training a new pool of creative entrepreneurs capable of innovating, upgrading, creating and nurturing sustainable small businesses. For instance, JABU has a Centre for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Skills Acquisition that offers practical skills acquisition training to all students in the university. Practical skills such as tie and dye, bakery and pastries, fashion design, screen printing, shoe making, soap making, hairdressing, barbing, hat, bead making, and paint making. The centre also establishes linkage with industries and the community. JABU also has a teaching and research farm that is used to train students in agro-allied enterprises such as food processing, yam and cassava flour, poultry production, pig production, vegetable, pepper, crop, maize, yam, cassava, plantain production. After their programme, students would have acquired practical skills in various enterprises in which they can engage and so become employers of labour rather than being jobless.

Our graduates are well-established independent business owners, as well as exceptional employees both in the private and public sectors. Indeed, the products of the department are worthy ambassadors of this first entrepreneurial university in Nigeria. The Department has grown in all ramifications. With regards to students’ enrolment, there are presently about eighty-five students in the department. The department is endowed with seasoned staff and it is presently headed by Dr S.O. Onimole, a human resource development expert with many years of training, management and industrial experience.