The Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Group Managing Director Rainoil Limited, Dr. Gabriel Ogbechie, has said that the establishment of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) Business School, will add great value to the business and economy of the South-East in particular, and Nigeria in general.
This is just as he also called for the creation of a poll of young entrepreneurs to fasttrack the expansion and sustenance of business and economic frontiers of the region and the country as a whole.
“We must encourage young people to go into business if we must build our economy,” he said.
Dr. Ogbechie made these remarks on the occasion of the public presentation of the UNN Business School, and foundation laying ceremony of the School’s building complex, held at the Enugu campus of the university on Thursday, Novermber 3.
The oil magnate who is board member of UNN Business School as well as chairman of the occasion, charged the business community to take advantage of the services provided by the School, especially the consultancy, research and training arm of the institution.
In his welcome address, the Director UNN Business School, Professor Josaphat U. Onwumere, said that the school was incorporated by UNN as a limited liability company under the name, UNN Business School Limited.
According to him, the school is governed by a board chaired by the vice chancellor of the university, adding that the school offers professional programmes leading to the award of Masters and Doctoral degress, and also has consultancies/research and training arm.
“The vision of our School is to become an undisputed world-class leading business school. The mission is to produce a crop of world class professional graduates who would drive entrepreneurship development in Nigeria, the African continent and beyond; providing consultancy services to individuals, businesses and organisations.
“Our core values are ethics, integrity, academic and professional freedom, meritocracy and service excellence,” Professor Onwumere explained.
Professor Onwumere said the School has no building of its own, saying the situation on the ground has greatly affected plans to expand and consolidate its programmes.
“Our challenge … is that we do not have an abode we own as a business school. We currently operate in rented apartments for our lectures and administrative offices. This huge challenge is greatly affecting our expansion capabilities of venturing into the world of endless possibilities,” he said.
However, the director announced that the UNN vice chancellor has allocated land to the business school to erect a befitting structure, adding that the structural designs for the building complex to serve as the Business School have already been completed and delivered to the management.
According to him, the main complex will contain 16 lecture halls, 1,500 sitter auditorium, 500 sitter auditorim, 250 sitter auditorium, four consultation rooms, and a guest house.
He appealed for public support to enable the School actualise its dream of erecting a befitting UNN Business School.
Earlier in his speech, the Vice Chancellor and Chairman, Board of UNN Business School, Professor Charles Arizechukwu Igwe, thanked guests for honouring the invitation, saying that the occasion would afford them the opportunity to be informed about the history and progress of the School which was established in 2018.
