Victoria Mbangwa
A former law student of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Mr. Olufemi Okenla, has donated a total of N500 million to establish and equip a state-of-the-art entrepreneurship centre at his alma mater, urging students to embrace innovation over job-seeking.
The Olufemi Okenla Entrepreneurship Centre, inaugurated on Wednesday at OOU’s Ago Iwoye campus, is more than a modern structure it represents a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future.
The N350 million facility, with an additional N150 million earmarked for equipment, operations, and seed funding, aims to foster entrepreneurship among students and challenge the traditional mindset of waiting for white-collar jobs.
At the commissioning, the Minister of Education, Dr. Moruf Alausa represented by Lagos State Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Mr. Tolani Sule called on Nigerian tertiary institutions to move beyond the production of job seekers to cultivating creators of jobs and wealth.
“Today’s event is not just about the opening of a facility; it is about the opening of minds a gateway to new thinking, new ventures, and new opportunities,” he said. “The generosity and foresight of the Olufemi Okenla Foundation (O.O.F.) in establishing this centre exemplifies the type of partnership we must continue to nurture where private commitment meets public aspiration for the greater good.”
Okenla, a successful lawyer and businessman from the OOU Class of 1987, said the dream of giving back to the university was born during his undergraduate years when he combined his studies with selling bread on campus.
In addition to the physical structure, Okenla pledged N50 million for equipment and another N100 million to fund operations for the next phase. He also committed N20 million as seed capital for the first four promising businesses incubated by the centre. To build capacity, 20 students will receive full sponsorship for entrepreneurship training.
The Vice Chancellor of OOU, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, described the donation as transformational and praised Okenla for collaborating with the university to strengthen its mission of producing not just employable graduates, but job creators, he also urged other graduates to emulate Okenla’s example.
Chairman of the OOU Governing Council, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ashiru, echoed the sentiment, calling the facility a “game-changer” in the university’s efforts to produce globally competitive and entrepreneurial graduates.
Keynote speaker Prof. Olusegun Sogbesan, Director General of Onitsha Business School, challenged Nigerian youths and educators to embrace entrepreneurship regardless of academic discipline.
The centre was commissioned by renowned cleric Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo, and attended by top dignitaries including Senators Wasiu Eshinlokun Sanni and Lekan Mustapha, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru of the Odu’a Group, and other stakeholders.
