Mary Nnah
The Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel and former Governor of Abia State and Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, will be the dramatis personae at the inauguration of first indigenous Enterprise Centre powered by Southern Atlantic Polytechnic, Uyo, today.
The founder of the polytechnic and General Overseer of Royal House of Faith, Pastor Bassey James, disclosed this at media chat ahead of the inauguration today.
Pastor James, who is also the Chancellor of the polytechnic, explained that the Enterprise Centre was primarily established to combine what he described as abundant local technology and state-of-the-art technologies from industrialised economies with a view to building capacity and spark off industrial revolution in South-south, South-east and Nigeria in general.
According to Pastor James, the inauguration would also offer an avenue to celebrate home grown business gurus, who eventually made it to the level renowned world class billionaires and entrepreneurs.
He said: “We are also looking at the calibre of people we are bringing. For instance, former Governor of Abia State and Senator-elect, Dr. Orji Uzo Kalu, is a multi-billionaire businessman who became rich when he was less than 20 years.
“I have worked with him since 1989. I studied him like a book and I discovered the ingenuity in him and we said this kind of person should come and talk to the youths on how he was able to build his business empire from nothing to this greatness.
“And he has agreed to come; to speak on the business revolution, possibilities, focus and entrepreneurship spirit which he has. He is coming to put fire in our bones and hearts to drive the young men and women from the South-South, South-East and from outside who are already coming to the programme, to the destination of success.”
He disclosed further that Femi Adesina, Special assistant on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, will come to do justice to the issue if building relationships between the government and the people.
He said also that the Executive Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, was the Chief Host. “Coming from the banking sector to become governor of Akwa-Ibom State, with a lot of experience in business and finance, he will also give a lot of encouragement to the youths.”
Pastor James, also, commended the Akwa-Ibom State governor for spear-heading industrial revolution, building industries and empowering youths across the state.
He added: “We are also bringing professors’ across the world. Professors Okoro, a man who is an authority in Engineering Management Science, will be looking at the combinations of locally manufactured equipment, local engineering and fabrication, local Enterprise Development and the equipment that is needed to develop transport network and bringing it together from the point of an academician to the point of physical development.”
The Pastor, who disclosed that he grew up on the street and began to running his own business at the tender age of 19, said that he would also make his experience on practical business to the younger generation of Nigerians through the Enterprise Center.
According to the cleric, “Professors across the world are already building partnership around him, especially on our Business School and Entrepreneurship Development Center.”
“And they are saying we know you, we have confidence in you, we want to come and see how we can add value to you having known and seen what you have done to develop a unique polytechnic education for sake of building capacity for your people.”
Pastor James challenged other well-meaning Nigerians to invest in the development of the Nigerians adding that no nation can develop beyond the quality of her citizens.
“As a pastor, I have discovered that whatever that you have today, if you don’t put back to the street and contribute to the development of your community or add value to the people you have not got anything. I challenges every rich man every young man that is doing well to look for what to do.”
He added: “Before September when we commence the academic session fully on the Polytechnic side, we should be able to build Enterprise, in three months, I will create jobs, I will give people direction, in six months we should be able to stand our feet on the ground and say this is what we have achieved and this is where we are going.
