University of Abuja empowers 12,000 students with entrepreneurial skills

Yakubu Gowon University (formerly the University of Abuja) has announced that it has empowered over 12,000 students with entrepreneurial skills to promote self-reliance after graduation.
The Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Patricia Lar, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during a media parley with journalists, where she highlighted her accomplishments since assuming office.
She said: “The experience of students has been enriched through the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) and student empowerment centre. We have introduced measures that will make their experience on campus far enriching.
“They have the opportunity to learn and build their entrepreneurial skills. Over 12, 000 students have been empowered practically through those centres to enrich their academic experiences.
“The generation of students that will pass out from the university this period will be more employable because they are students that have been encouraged to learn extra skills. You can imagine students graduating with their own companies registered. These are some of the attributes that are making the university the number one spot for everybody. Competition for admission will be high because of ongoing repositioning of the university.”
Professor Patricia Lar also revealed that the university is taking steps to ensure students without Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) admission letters can still benefit from the student loan scheme offered by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
She explained that some students who received admission letters directly from the university have been unable to access the loan, as possession of a JAMB-issued admission letter is one of the key eligibility requirements.
Prof. Lar, who assumed leadership of the university five months ago following the removal of former Vice Chancellor Prof. Aisha Maikudi and the dissolution of the governing council by President Bola Tinubu, urged affected students to upload their details on the JAMB portal. She also advised them to visit the Students Affairs office or her own office for guidance on how to obtain a valid JAMB admission letter.
She said: “This is being remedied. There is a portal where students who have such challenges are directed to fill a form and the letters (Admission letters) will be issued. If the students have not done that they need to do so.
“They can also come to the academic or my office to make inquiries and they will be attended to.”
She said she was appointed by Tinubu to restore legitimacy, governance, and boost institutional morale.
According to her, five months later, her interim leadership brought in positive and tangible impacts ranging from academic reforms, infrastructure boosts, governance overhaul, and student centered initiatives.
She said a committee was put together to clear the promotions of over 40 professors and associate professors.
The vice chancellor also said that over 200 fake admissions which she met on ground have been remedied.
“A committee was established which took time to investigate the reasons; the immediate and remote causes and that has been remedied. Nigerians should stop paying money to get admission,” the acting vice chancellor said.
The Acting Vice Chancellor also noted that her administration has successfully restored industrial harmony within the university by reconciling with key staff unions — the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT).
Professor Lar stated that through dialogue and diplomacy, her team was able to address grievances and mend relationships, resulting in a more peaceful and cooperative working environment across the institution.