Don’t Trade Your Dignity Abroad — UNIOSUN VC Urges Students

The Vice Chancellor of Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Professor Clement Adebooye, ha charged Nigerian students and graduates on the need to resist the growing trend of abandoning their qualifications and potential to take up low-skilled jobs abroad.

He gave the charge on Friday, at the 2025 Entrepreneurship Studies and Innovation Training programme organised by the Centre for Entrepreneurship studies and innovation, themed “Vocational and business skills: Differences and similarities”.

Prof. Adebooye lamented the increasing number of highly educated Nigerians who leave the country only to settle for support work in foreign lands, despite their qualifications and experience.

According to him, “I pity people when I see them abroad, managers of bank in Nigeria, distinguished professors from Universities who I know, who are well respected here, go aboard to take the work of support worker.

“I don’t want you to join that group of people, yes they are working, yes they are making some money but they are not happy because they lost dignity.

“Therefore I want Nigeria to happen to you for good, there are opportunities here, so many opportunities like information industry, textile industry, in the general business arena, health sector and so on.”

Meanwhile, the Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship Studies and Innovation, Dr. Adepoju Adigun, reaffirmed the commitment of the centre to innovation and self-reliance through hands-on training, business development support, and strategic partnerships.

She stressed that UNIOSUN is deliberately building an ecosystem where students are empowered with both the knowledge and practical skills required to thrive in the competitive world of business and innovation.

She said, “It is expected that students will have the knowledge and skills to become job creators and not job seekers. UNIOSUN, as an entrepreneurial institution, has put both human and financial resources in place to enable its students to move in the direction that the World is moving towards: that is, the Entrepreneurship and Innovative world.

“I wish to inform you all that the University collaborated with the CAC in acquiring the business name and certificate to standardize and build business confidence with a growing mindset. I would like to thank the Vice Chancellor in the person of Prof. O.C. Adeboye and all principal officers of the University for the Great Support given to the Centre.”