“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door” – Milton Berle
“Entrepreneurship is the process of identifying and starting a new business venture, sourcing and organizing the required resources, while taking both the risks and rewards associated with the venture. Entrepreneurship may result in new organizations or revitalize mature organizations in response to a perceived business opportunity” – Chartered institute of Economics and Corporate governance.
An entrepreneur is seen as one who organizes and manages a business undertaking, assumes the risk for the sake of profit, an entrepreneur sees an opportunity, makes a plan, starts the business and manages the business. He receives the profits. A new business started by an entrepreneur is referred to as a startup company. In recent years, the term has been extended to include social and political forms of entrepreneurial activities.
Nigeria like most developing nations of the world is faced with countless problems and callous realities which include scarcity, unemployment, kidnapping, conflicts and diseases. These situations pose great challenges to the existence of youth in Nigeria. This problem is said to be traceable to the level of corruption and other illegal activities carried out by those at the top.
A greater proportion of the nation’s population is made up of youths under 30. Therefore, it can be asserted that Nigeria has a youth economy. All cannot be gainfully employed by the government but all should be empowered and counseled by relevant government and private institutions to reduce the high rate of menace in the society. Governments and big private bodies must thus encourage entrepreneurship.
There are several ways of promoting entrepreneurship among Nigerian youths and this would help in tackling the series of problem being encountered by this vulnerable group in the society. These will require that the youths be empowered with creative problem solving skills. The training of graduates, literate and ill-educated, who can function effectively in the society for the betterment of themselves and the society at large.
Another way that entrepreneurship and creativity could be encouraged or is by teaching or nurturing on entrepreneurial skill at an early age. Thus tertiary institutions offering entrepreneurial courses should be strengthened while programs can be organized to educate Nigerians both literate and illiterate about the relevance of entrepreneurship to the individual and the community.
In, reshaping Nigerian youths for the abolition of unemployment and the use of entrepreneurship, there would be need to transform them into self-sufficient, ambitious and skillful members of the society, who take advantage of relevant legal opportunities in the society.
Individuals who go for non degree training in skills acquisition with entrepreneurial background are also not left out. All must have a high level of creativity and innovation and the ability to think about the future and relate these ideas to business.
Finally, with the spirit of oneness, inter faith and inter tribal existence and the desire for collective survival and the discarding of the idea of survival of the fittest, there will be a steady growth of development, mutual support and adequate networking among the Nigeria youths.
Gidado Yushau Shuaib Mass Communication Department Baze University, Abuja gidadoshuaib@yahoo.com
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