Description
During this brief illustration interpret engineering students need business management skills bamiro.
MORINGA DEMYSTIFIED AT FUTA LECTURE
ENGINEERING STUDENTS NEED BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS -Bamiro
There is an urgent need to expose undergraduate students in the field of Engineering to business
management and principles of entrepreneurship. This call was made by a former Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro. Professor Bamiro who was the Guest Speaker at the 9th
Annual Lecture of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology [SEET] of the Federal University
of Technology, Akure spoke on the topic ”Technopreneurship: Towards Meeting the Challenges for
Engineers in a Globalized Knowledge-Driven Economy”. The renowned mechanical engineer observed
that engineering students do not usually have much exposure to business issues because most of the
traditional courses in the discipline focus on the engineering fundamentals with the tendency to leave
business related courses to students in the Social Sciences.
According to Bamiro, rarely do engineers in big corporations emerge as Managing Directors or Chief
Executive Officers no matter their level of Professional Competencies because they are contented with
operating within the confines of production management with the best achievement of becoming
Engineering or Production Manager while their colleagues in the Social Sciences with a broader picture
and training in business management become the Chief Executive Officer.
Bamiro thus called for a paradigm shift so as to give business orientation to engineering students. He
said, “In my over 35 years of teaching engineering at the University of Ibadan, the nearest course to
business in our curricula for engineering programmes has been Engineering Management. But things
have started to change because Entrepreneurship has been introduced for each programme as one of
the foundation courses. The designed courses in entrepreneurship are to equip students with the skills
required to establish business or make them add value to existing systems, if employed in
organizations.”
Speaking further he said the main objective is to introduce students to concepts and opportunities
available in entrepreneurship and innovation to make them understand the basic concept of enterprise,
entrepreneur, cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship and build the capacity to develop business plan to
start a business instead of seeking unavailable jobs.
Also, the Guest Lecturer observed that there is a need to review what higher institutions teach to meet
the demand of the industry. He said “The demand of industry and the economy has changed so much
that there is an apparent disconnect between the Universities and industry. This must be continually
addressed by the key action involved in the engineering education and training, namely the Nigerian
Society of Engineers [NSE], the Council for the Regulation of Engineering [COREN] and the National
Universities Commission [NUC]. What is required is to embed employability skills and attributes into the
curriculum.”
Defining the concept Technoprenueurship, Bamiro said “It is the innovative application of scientific and
technical knowledge by one or several persons to start and operate a business and assume financial risks
to achieve their vision and goals.” To, therefore become a Technopreneur, he advocated the need for a
more focused and deeper exposure of people to technology and business so as to impart a set of skills
that will increase the possibility of setting up of new business ventures based on exploiting technology-
driven market opportunities. Such opportunities include proprietary technological innovations based on
scientific research and development.
He also called on engineering students who want to become entrepreneurs to see opportunities around
them, turn the opportunities into business ideas, create value and mobilize resources. According to him,
an entrepreneur sees opportunities in a situation while others do not. He encouraged budding
entrepreneurs to train and motivate people to deliver the business idea to new customers, put in place
marketing strategies and be organized in operation. Bamiro cited a few examples of Nigerians who
started small, but are today big entrepreneurs.
Concluding his lecture, Bamiro said above the usual fundamentals of engineering education and training,
students should be given the skill to evaluate the viability of a new venture, produce and present a
business plan for a new or growing venture and analyze a new venture from the perspective of an
investor. He called on FUTA and other training institution to take the lead in nurturing technopreneurs
in the Nigerian University system. “Such technopreneurs will help build the Nigerian economy above a
job seeking to a job creating one” he said. Professor Bamiro was represented by Dr A.O Adegoke,
member Public- Private Partnership Committee, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University
of Ibadan.
In his address, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, represented by Professor Adedayo Fasakin,
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, said “The University administration recognizes the pivotal role of
engineering in the well-being and relevance of a University of Technology. It is on this note that we are
poised to provide all the necessary support and empowerment to make our engineering programmes
the best in Nigeria and top-rated globally.”
Delivering a welcome address, Dean, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Professor
Michael Olanrewaju Alatise, said the topic of the lecture is apt and timely as it will address the challenge
of massive unemployment, serious and threatening poverty in the midst of plenty and insecurity that
the Country is facing.
Appreciating the contribution of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology [SEET] to
national development, Alatise said “It is worthy of note that the School has developed some tools and
devices that can serve as springboards to launch us into industrial development which we all yearn for at
this period.” He also made known the effort the School is making to have a major breakthrough on
Renewable Energy to tackle power issue in the nation and called on staff and students in Engineering to
dream and live entrepreneurship anywhere they go to proffer solution to the global unemployment.
At the occasion a book titled “Essentials of Geotechnical Engineering” edited by Professor S. A. Ola of
the Department of Civil Engineering FUTA, was launched.
The Chief Launcher, Chief Afe Babalola, founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti [ABUAD],
represented by the Provost, College of Social and Management Sciences, ABUAD, Dr. Alawiye Adams
said the book is a compendium of issues bothering on engineering and entrepreneurship that will aid
the knowledge of whoever reads it.
Book reviewer, Professor Okunade E. A. also commended the effort of the Editor, Professor Ola and
recommended the book to all.
The two events drew former and serving Vice-Chancellors of Universities around FUTA. The duo of
former Vice-Chancellors of FUTA, Professors Peter Adeniyi and Adebisi Balogun who started the annual
lecture series were present. Other dignitaries at the event included top government functionaries and
engineering students.
doc_380419941.pdf
During this brief illustration interpret engineering students need business management skills bamiro.
MORINGA DEMYSTIFIED AT FUTA LECTURE
ENGINEERING STUDENTS NEED BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS -Bamiro
There is an urgent need to expose undergraduate students in the field of Engineering to business
management and principles of entrepreneurship. This call was made by a former Vice-Chancellor of the
University of Ibadan, Professor Olufemi Bamiro. Professor Bamiro who was the Guest Speaker at the 9th
Annual Lecture of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology [SEET] of the Federal University
of Technology, Akure spoke on the topic ”Technopreneurship: Towards Meeting the Challenges for
Engineers in a Globalized Knowledge-Driven Economy”. The renowned mechanical engineer observed
that engineering students do not usually have much exposure to business issues because most of the
traditional courses in the discipline focus on the engineering fundamentals with the tendency to leave
business related courses to students in the Social Sciences.
According to Bamiro, rarely do engineers in big corporations emerge as Managing Directors or Chief
Executive Officers no matter their level of Professional Competencies because they are contented with
operating within the confines of production management with the best achievement of becoming
Engineering or Production Manager while their colleagues in the Social Sciences with a broader picture
and training in business management become the Chief Executive Officer.
Bamiro thus called for a paradigm shift so as to give business orientation to engineering students. He
said, “In my over 35 years of teaching engineering at the University of Ibadan, the nearest course to
business in our curricula for engineering programmes has been Engineering Management. But things
have started to change because Entrepreneurship has been introduced for each programme as one of
the foundation courses. The designed courses in entrepreneurship are to equip students with the skills
required to establish business or make them add value to existing systems, if employed in
organizations.”
Speaking further he said the main objective is to introduce students to concepts and opportunities
available in entrepreneurship and innovation to make them understand the basic concept of enterprise,
entrepreneur, cultivate the spirit of entrepreneurship and build the capacity to develop business plan to
start a business instead of seeking unavailable jobs.
Also, the Guest Lecturer observed that there is a need to review what higher institutions teach to meet
the demand of the industry. He said “The demand of industry and the economy has changed so much
that there is an apparent disconnect between the Universities and industry. This must be continually
addressed by the key action involved in the engineering education and training, namely the Nigerian
Society of Engineers [NSE], the Council for the Regulation of Engineering [COREN] and the National
Universities Commission [NUC]. What is required is to embed employability skills and attributes into the
curriculum.”
Defining the concept Technoprenueurship, Bamiro said “It is the innovative application of scientific and
technical knowledge by one or several persons to start and operate a business and assume financial risks
to achieve their vision and goals.” To, therefore become a Technopreneur, he advocated the need for a
more focused and deeper exposure of people to technology and business so as to impart a set of skills
that will increase the possibility of setting up of new business ventures based on exploiting technology-
driven market opportunities. Such opportunities include proprietary technological innovations based on
scientific research and development.
He also called on engineering students who want to become entrepreneurs to see opportunities around
them, turn the opportunities into business ideas, create value and mobilize resources. According to him,
an entrepreneur sees opportunities in a situation while others do not. He encouraged budding
entrepreneurs to train and motivate people to deliver the business idea to new customers, put in place
marketing strategies and be organized in operation. Bamiro cited a few examples of Nigerians who
started small, but are today big entrepreneurs.
Concluding his lecture, Bamiro said above the usual fundamentals of engineering education and training,
students should be given the skill to evaluate the viability of a new venture, produce and present a
business plan for a new or growing venture and analyze a new venture from the perspective of an
investor. He called on FUTA and other training institution to take the lead in nurturing technopreneurs
in the Nigerian University system. “Such technopreneurs will help build the Nigerian economy above a
job seeking to a job creating one” he said. Professor Bamiro was represented by Dr A.O Adegoke,
member Public- Private Partnership Committee, Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University
of Ibadan.
In his address, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola, represented by Professor Adedayo Fasakin,
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, said “The University administration recognizes the pivotal role of
engineering in the well-being and relevance of a University of Technology. It is on this note that we are
poised to provide all the necessary support and empowerment to make our engineering programmes
the best in Nigeria and top-rated globally.”
Delivering a welcome address, Dean, School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, Professor
Michael Olanrewaju Alatise, said the topic of the lecture is apt and timely as it will address the challenge
of massive unemployment, serious and threatening poverty in the midst of plenty and insecurity that
the Country is facing.
Appreciating the contribution of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology [SEET] to
national development, Alatise said “It is worthy of note that the School has developed some tools and
devices that can serve as springboards to launch us into industrial development which we all yearn for at
this period.” He also made known the effort the School is making to have a major breakthrough on
Renewable Energy to tackle power issue in the nation and called on staff and students in Engineering to
dream and live entrepreneurship anywhere they go to proffer solution to the global unemployment.
At the occasion a book titled “Essentials of Geotechnical Engineering” edited by Professor S. A. Ola of
the Department of Civil Engineering FUTA, was launched.
The Chief Launcher, Chief Afe Babalola, founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti [ABUAD],
represented by the Provost, College of Social and Management Sciences, ABUAD, Dr. Alawiye Adams
said the book is a compendium of issues bothering on engineering and entrepreneurship that will aid
the knowledge of whoever reads it.
Book reviewer, Professor Okunade E. A. also commended the effort of the Editor, Professor Ola and
recommended the book to all.
The two events drew former and serving Vice-Chancellors of Universities around FUTA. The duo of
former Vice-Chancellors of FUTA, Professors Peter Adeniyi and Adebisi Balogun who started the annual
lecture series were present. Other dignitaries at the event included top government functionaries and
engineering students.
doc_380419941.pdf