By Onwa Ekor
As the maiden graduation ceremony of 1500 graduands of Entrepreneurship Development Center ( EDC) and Retiree Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI) holds in Calabar, the Cross River governor, Prince Bassey Otu, has announced a-One billion naira facility for small business owners.
The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State government, Prof Anthony Owan Enoh, at the event, organized by the Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA) through the Enterpreneurship Development Center (EDC) in Calabar, said it was better to empower somebody to be on himself than to depend on government for every achievement.
His words: “Today’s occasion is a fulfillment of my dream to transform Cross River to a state that will no longer be dependent on government for livelihood otherwise called a civil service state, to a state where every man and woman will think out of the box and know that our degrees and education are merely an exposure and what actually makes out what it should be is our belief to be entrepreneurs.”
He added that, “a one billion naira facility has already been prepared by the State government to disburse to you,” maintaining that, “as a state we should actually believe in ourselves and in our potential.”
Otu who remarked that his administration holds entrepreneurship so dearly, averred that it was to this end that he established the first University of Entrepreneurship in Nigeria where young men and women schooling there would not think of first or second class, but graduate to become entrepreneurs, providing labour and opportunities for people to come and work with them.
To the retirees, the governor advised, “after 35 years of service, you can now be told that you can achieve better instead of believing that after retirement comes death, rather, after retirement comes life, hope, self belief that what you could not do while working, you can do now better.”
According to him, “you now have the time, energy, enablement and support from government that you can now achieve what it ought to be because in Cross River, retirement is not longer an announcement of when to die but an announcement of where you should live and live more and more.”
Special Adviser to the President, Office of the Vice President, Dr. Tope Fasua, applauded the Cross River governor for bringing in energy into the governance of the State as vividly seen in the relaunch of the EDC, training of 2500 participants in basic and advance entrepreneurship across the 18 local government areas, vocational training for 2000 people, launching of 7000 businesses through NG-Cares program, as well as the training of 100 creatives, five business clinics and facilitation of Bank of Industry loans for about 1000 businesses, among others.
MEDA DG, Great Ogban, who applauded the governor for his passion for MSMEs development in the state recalled that Otu had promised not to relent until he makes one entrepreneur per home, a process the MEDA DG said, “we are running with it.”
On how soon the funds would be disbursed to the beneficiaries, Ogban explained “the processes commence immediately, the criteria for access to finance as structured by MEDA is that you must have your certificate as it is a testament that you have done your viable business plan, so as you present it, you pick up your loan forms immediately.”
MEDA Board Chairman, Essessien Edem, pointed out that the key skills initiative and development of ideas which are essential skills for entrepreneurship development enabling individuals to create businesses and drive innovation have been learnt by the graduands.
Earlier, Centre Manager of Cross River EDC, Lawrence Ekpezu, appealed to financial institutions and development partners to look beyond balance sheets and see the future in the graduands.
“Entrepreneurship is not just about profit, it is about people, it is about building resilient communities, reducing unemployment, nurturing homegrown innovations and creating a thriving ecosystem that makes Cross River a hub of enterprise in Nigeria,” Ekpezu said.
