Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), has reaffirmed its dedication to producing job-creating graduates rather than job-seekers, as the institution hosted its fourth Faculty of Administration Staff Seminar Series on Wednesday. The event, which drew participation from academic faculty, administrative personnel, and students spanning multiple disciplines, served as a platform for reexamining the role of entrepreneurship in driving innovation, generating social impact, and advancing national progress.
The seminar was formally commissioned by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sa’adatu Liman, who lauded the Faculty of Administration for orchestrating the intellectual gathering. She assured attendees that NSUK would persist in creating spaces that foster intellectual curiosity and facilitate meaningful discourse on issues of national importance. According to her, the university’s core mandate extends beyond conventional degree awarding to equipping students with practical entrepreneurial competencies that render them self-reliant and economically productive.
“The university remains fully committed to training graduates with entrepreneurship skills who are competent, self-sufficient, and capable of contributing to Nigeria’s economic development,” Professor Liman affirmed.
The highlight of the seminar was a thought-provoking paper delivered by Professor Abdulsalam Jibrin, a distinguished scholar of Entrepreneurship Studies at the university. In his presentation, Professor Jibrin took aim at the conventional, narrow interpretation of entrepreneurship that equates it solely with business formation. He argued that such a limited perspective fails to capture the broader transformative potential of entrepreneurial thinking.
Instead, he proposed that entrepreneurship should be understood as a powerful catalyst for innovation, critical inquiry, social transformation, and the cultivation of human capital. To articulate this expanded vision, Professor Jibrin introduced what he termed the ‘Re-imagined Entrepreneurship Framework’—an integrative model that situates entrepreneurship within the larger context of responsible innovation and sustainable development.
Professor Jibrin explained that the urgent need to rethink entrepreneurship stems from three critical factors: the dominance of economic reductionism in current discourse, the erosion of ethical foundations in business practice, and the pressing demand for a multidimensional approach that addresses complex societal challenges. He urged participants to embrace ethical leadership and creative problem-solving as essential attributes of the modern entrepreneur.
In a direct appeal to the younger generation in attendance, Professor Jibrin encouraged Nigerian youth to shed their fear of failure and embrace calculated risk-taking as an inherent part of the entrepreneurial journey. He emphasized that true innovation often requires venturing beyond comfort zones and challenging established norms.
The seminar provided a dynamic forum for exchange between staff and students, generating robust discussions on how entrepreneurship education can be reimagined to produce graduates who are not only employable but also capable of creating employment opportunities for others. The event underscored NSUK’s commitment to aligning its academic programs with the broader national agenda of economic diversification and youth empowerment.
