Managing Director of UAC foods Ltd, Chidi Okoro has challenged Mbaise Community in Imo State to consider setting up a world class entrepreneurship academy, like Skills Acquisition Centre, a Film Academy as a way of harnessing the budding talents in the place.
He particularly tasked the people on setting up a Film Academy to warehouse Mbaise men and women who are the biggest stars in Nollywood in Nigeria, noting that if Mbaise Community could consider that, it will change the fortune of the community for good.
The UAC boss was speaking on Saturday, November 19 on the theme: Entrepreneurship, during the 2016 Annual Get-Together of Mbaise People’s Congress, (MPC), also known as Mbaise professional at Colonades Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.
He challenged Mbaise people to make judicious use of its population which he said is over one million to harness the potentials of the youths.
Okoro also tasked the community to partner with both public and private institutions, advising that they should consider setting up entrepreneurship technical acquisition skills in the area, as most of the people doing plumbing and other technical jobs in the state are not even from Imo State . He decried the new found habit of youths in the area riding bikes as a means of livelihood.
His words: ‘’There is nothing wrong with transportation but consider setting up a world class Entrepreneurship Academy focusing on technical skills. Nigerians need about three million plumbers, but we don’t have them because no one is training them. If we can set up that in Mbaise, it can change the community for good. Biggest stars in Nollywood are from Mbaise, what is stopping you from setting up a film academy?’’.
He said there are numerous areas to leverage on, like the several hotels in Owerri than could be found anywhere in the country, but decried that one is training anybody in hospitality Industry.
Okoro said referring to Mbaise youths as unemployed, underemployed or underprivileged is derogatory, negative and could kill the creativity of the youth.
‘’The moment you start looking at them as unemployed and underprivileged, they become beggars and you give them handouts. 96 percent of Imo people are literates and Mbaise constitutes 97 percent of that literate population.
‘’One of the biggest problem we have is blaming finance for not succeeding in entrepreneurship. In fact, we blame everything but ourselves. We need to get prepared for the challenge of entrepreneurship. 93 percent of our ventures fail globally. People living in Mbaise are well positioned to thrive with proximity to major cities. You are close to Owerri, you have Airport around you. You have a large number of Diaspora inhabitants who remain very close to home, your people are very patriotic and still think home, leverage on that,” he said.
Chairman of the Occasion, Stanley Amuchie who is General Manager, Financial Control and Strategic Planning, Zenith Bank, said MPC was using the platform to discuss how to come out of the difficult situation we are in as a country through entrepreneurship.
‘’There are lots of opportunities that we can tap from to get ourselves out of the situation that we are in now. With proper guidance, we can make it. Let’s discuss and know how we can access the Central Bank opportunities through Bank of Industry on Small and Medium Enterprises’,’ he said.
Lawmaker representing Ahiazu /Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Raphael Nnanna Igbokwe urged Ndi Mbaise to think outside the box through entrepreneurship. He said that it is the answer to the recession the country has found itself in.
Igbokwe said Mbaise people are naturally known to be industrious and therefore, should look inwards and be more creative, insisting that this is where MPC comes in.
‘’I want to commend members of MPC for this vision of annually getting their sons and daughters together to exchange ideas, that help to develop us as a people and also develop as a society. It creates room for people to have better networking. I know what I have benefited coming here today. I have gotten one or two information which I believe will help people back home. With this, we will see how we can come in, in the development of projects back home, so that they will be more visible in the minds of the people,” he stated.
In his welcome address, Chairman Mbaise People’s Congress, Anogwi Anyanwu, applauded the guests and sons and daughters of Mbaise for turning up in their numbers regardless of the state of the economy. He said that their presence was an indication of the people’s readiness to embrace entrepreneurship which MPC is championing.
Anyanwu recalled that the annual get together was introduced in 2010, to provide an opportunity for Mbaise professionals in Lagos and environs to interact and network.
He said the MPC in 2014 introduced the distinguished Achievement Award for deserving Mbaise Sons and Daughters who have distinguished themselves in their chosen fields of endeavor.
MPC, a Non-Governmental Organisation was founded in 1994 by a group of Mbaise young graduates and professionals. It has in the past organised Colloquiums, training for teachers in Primary and Secondary School in Mbaise and Back to School programmes for Okada riders in the area.