The former Kwara State Governor, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was one of the distinguished scholars given awards for promoting entrepreneurship by the Kwara State University as part of its 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week Celebration.

Dr. Saraki was awarded the Distinguished Nigeria Social Entrepreneur (DNSE) Award, at the closing ceremony of the KWASU Entrepreneurship Week Celebration.

A student of the College of Pure and Applied Science came first in the 2011 creativity and innovation (CRAIN) competition.  The winner Toyosi Kanyinsola Asarapo, who received a new Dell laptop, invented bricks that can be used in building construction made of water, nylon and sand as raw material.

The second prize of an ipad went to a 300 level College of Humanities Management and Social Sciences student – Ijeoma Genivive Umeoku, who came up with a business proposal for turning the Owu water falls in Kwara State into a tourist attraction. The third prize in that category went to David Akara from the same College who won a Blackberry phone for his innovative submission.

Hamid Kunle Kareem of the Economics Department was awarded the Distinguished Entrepreneur (DSE) 2011 award, for his outstanding entrepreneurial drive.           Mr. Kareem after his first year at KWASU, conceived the idea of an entertainment magazine called “JIBEZ ELITE”.  He went ahead to actualize this business idea by registering an entertainment company through which the magazine became a reality.  Presently he has 15 students from within and outside KWASU on his payroll.

The Kwara State University Entrepreneurship Week which had “uncovering the hidden potential of our youth” as its theme also featured awards in other categories.

Prince Dr. Samuel Adedoyin received the Distinguished Nigeria Entrepreneur (DNE) Award, while LUBCON Limited was honoured with the Distinguished Nigeria Entrepreneur Award.

Also, at the ceremony, Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, Colonel Tunde Ishola, and Mrs. Omolola Olobayo received the Distinguished Fellow Entrepreneurs (DFE) Awards.  Others who were honoured with awards in the same category are Chief Mrs. Jumoke Harb and Mr. Orlando Ojo.

Speaking at the ceremony the Vice Chancellor of the Kwara State University, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah, described entrepreneurship as the solution to the socio-economic problems of the country.  According to him, all students in tertiary institutions should be equipped to create wealth for the country.  This is why KWASU is making an effort to ensure that its graduates are trained in employment generation, and are not adding to the problems of unemployed youth.

The Director of the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Dr. Muritala Awodun, said the University’s Centre for Entrepreneurship is collaborating with the State Ministry of Education to introduce entrepreneurship studies to students in primary and secondary schools in the State.  He expressed appreciation to all those who contributed in one way of the other to the success of the 2011 Global Entrepreneurship Week at KWASU, adding that the Kwara State University is the only State and publicly funded University that is recognized by the Kuffman Foundation in Nigeria at present.

Responding on behalf of the awardees, the representative of the former Kwara State Governor Dr. Bukola Saraki, represented by Dr. Yunus AbdulRahaman, noted that the State University was created with the aim of producing graduates who will not only be global citizens but job creators.