The Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr.
Ifeanyi Okowa, on Saturday challenged graduates of tertiary institutions in the
country to pursue entrepreneurship rather thand not rely solely in pursuit of
white collar job.
He pointed out that entrepreneurship was the
key to unlocking the doors of prosperity and personal fulfillment.
According to Okowa, the reality of
today’s turbulent economy is that even the best graduates are likely to be
without a job for relatively long periods of time after graduation; the
solution to this problem lies in job creation through entrepreneurship.
``This is why, as a government, we have made
entrepreneurship training the pivot of our educational policy and job creation
programmes.
“In this new world characterised by dazzling
speed and rapid change, graduates who excel are those whose best skill is
thinking outside the box; be prepared to learn new things and acquire new
skills.
``As I always say, graduation does not mean
the end of learning; it just means you are now responsible for your own
learning; so, invest time, energy and resources to acquire skills that will put
you on the path of profitable entrepreneurship.
“Avail yourself of the wealth of online education
available free of charge; in an economy on a growth curve, opportunities abound
for new ideas and businesses.
``Pay attention to the needs of the society
and find creative means to address those needs; money gravitates towards those
who solve problems for others,” he said.
The governor congratulated the graduands and
management of the institution, and recalled that ``on assumption of office in
2015, I announced that I would only attend the convocation of any university or
polytechnic if the certificates and transcripts of the graduates were ready for
immediate collection.
``It gives me great pleasure that the
certificates and transcripts of graduates from the 2013/2014 through to the
2018/2019 academic sessions are ready.for distribution after this ceremony.
He announced the grant of N50 million for the
development of entrepreneurship units of the institution.
Okowa also announced the appointment of one of
the graduands, Francis Osedume, as a Special Assistant to him, for the
leadership role he played as one of the leaders of the studentsof the
institution.
Earlier, Chairman of the Governing Council of
the school, Dr Festus Okubor, had listed its achievements and thanked the
governor for his administration's support for the growth of education in the
state.
In her speech, Rector of the
Polytechnic, Prof. Stella Chiemeke, said that 9, 359 Ordinary National
Diplomas and 11, 574 Higher National Diplomas were conferred on graduands.
She added that 241 distinctions were recorded
in the rersults, of which 96 were in OND and 145 in HND.
PRESS UNIT
GOVERNMENT HOUSE, ASABA
OCTOBER 12, 2019
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