Bingham University moves to boost entrepreneurship education

From Cyril Mbah in Abuja.

Bingham University, the foremost tertiary institution established by the Ecumenical Church of West Africa [ECWA], in Abuja has intensified efforts at becoming a leading light in the quest to transform Nigerian universities into centres of entrepreneurship education and development.

Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor William Barnabas Qurix disclosed that the aim of the current drive to navigate from core circular academic subjects to entrepreneurship development was to ensure that future graduates of the school advance the long-term prosperity of the country in particular and other African nations by becoming employers of labour.

“I represented the university at the global summit on entrepreneurship focused innovation in African institutions, which took place in the United Kingdom. The event which was funded by African universities had as its goal creating entrepreneurs who would advance the long term prosperity of the continent.”

Professor Barnabas Qurix, who made this known while addressing a pre-convocation press conference in Karu, Nasarawa State, stated that the university has already started offering full-time courses on entrepreneurship related subjects with the establishment of a Department of entrepreneurship management now awaiting the approval of the National Universities Commission [NUC].

He said the university has also entered into partnerships with some foreign institutions such as University of Buffalo, New York, Global Studio for African Centered Architecture, Ambrose GmbH of Germany and the Jonah Inheritance Foundation among many others, known to be key players in the development of entrepreneurship skills in their countries.

Commenting on the 4^th combined convocation ceremony planned to hold on Saturday, Professor Barnabas Qurix said 2,250 under-graduate students and 327 postgraduates will be passing out from the university this year.

He gave a breakdown of the students as follows: 28 first class, 194 second class upper, 271second class lower and 51 third class divisions with 76 doctors for the 2018/2019 academic session while for the 2019/2020 academic period, 22 students made first class, 154 got second class, 359 were placed on second class lower and while 239 earned third class positions, 51 medical; doctors were also cleared.

The situation was not better in the 2020/2021 session as only 18 students made it to first class, 125 came out in second class upper, 169 second class lower and the session produced 48 medical doctors. In 2021/2022, the school produced10 first class students, 113 second class upper, 144 second class lower, 38 third class and 48 medical doctors.

The four sets of students produced a total of 78 first class, 586 second class upper, 144 second class lower, 512 third class eight passes and 48 medical doctors.

The Saturday convocation ceremony will also be used to confer honourary degrees to deserving Nigerians for their outstanding services to the fatherland and to humanity in general.