Taiwo Oluwadare, Ibadan
Youths in the country have been implored to be innovative and creative in promoting entrepreneurial skills and national development and therefore eschew illegal activities that can inhibit desirable development.
Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Adeniyi Olowofela gave this charge, on Tuesday, during a workshop organised by the Faculty of Engineering of The Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa ,titled ‘Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship for national development’.
According to Prof. Olowofela, all the technological innovations especially the ones from Asian countries were discovered through reverse engineering, while noting that Nigerian youths could achieve similar feat through accessing libraries or use of the internet to get directory on these technological innovations instead of diverting the energy on illicit businesses online.
The Commissioner further said, “Youths that engage in illicit use of internet (Yahoo Yahoo) don’t need it. There are profitable businesses they can use internet for.
“Take for an example, Alibaba of China, who came up with innovation of standing as intermediary between sellers and buyers online and he is making fortune today.
“We must start engaging ourselves in innovative thinking to promote entrepreneurship and engender economic development.
“What we are saying is that knowledge has been existing while innovative ideas abound on internet but the question is; how do we put this knowledge into use?
“For example, policeman standing on highway passing vehicles is waste of time when there are traffic indicators available and manufactured by our polytechnics.
“The police rather need to be in their respective offices to engage themselves in better works and if, as a country, we can’t improve beyond this level, it is very disheartening”, Prof. Olowofela stated.
Corroborating him, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. Iyiola Eyitayo, said innovation is the introduction of something new or new ideas or methods but entrepreneurship is the art of translating creativity and innovation into money making ventures.
He added that the discussions at the conference would generate a far reaching and globally acceptable submission which would definitely lead to national development.