The University of Ibadan School of Business (UISB) has urged entrepreneurs and small business owners to view challenges as opportunities for innovation and growth.
The school made the call on Thursday during the activities marking its 2025 MBA Week. Speaking at the event in Ibadan, the Head of Department, Business, Entrepreneurship and Executive Education, Dr. Siyanbola Omitoyin, said the weeklong programme, themed “Transforming Realities into Business Opportunities,” was designed to equip participants with practical knowledge to strengthen their enterprises.
He said the event had focused on critical issues affecting entrepreneurs in Nigeria, including access to credit, shoplifting, retail challenges, and business failure.
“One thing cuts across all the discussions so far,” Omitoyin said. “There must be a clear definition of who you are and what your business is set to achieve. You must have a roadmap and see opportunities even in crises.”
Omitoyin, who welcomed vendors and participants to the fourth day of the programme, said UISB would continue to build capacity through learning, training, and knowledge acquisition for entrepreneurs and vendors within and outside the university community.
Also speaking, a corporate banker and Principal at Standard Chartered Bank, Mr. Tony Akarah, delivered a lecture titled “The Oyster Paradox: Why the Most Valuable Innovations Hide in Plain Sight.”
He urged participants to develop an entrepreneurial mindset that sees possibilities where others see problems, stressing that Nigeria’s abundant youth population and adaptability are national advantages yet to be fully harnessed.
“Every shellfish has the potential of an oyster, and every oyster could have a pearl,” Akarah said. “Instead of seeing only problems, we must learn to identify and cultivate the opportunities hidden within them. Nigerians must begin to move from complaining to creating.”
He added that successful innovators and leaders worldwide have achieved breakthroughs by refusing to accept limitations, citing examples of young achievers who have made history in banking, politics, and technology.
Representing the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr. Femi Haruna, the Divisional Police Officer of Sango Division, CSP Olatunji Adesina, spoke on “Business and Security.”
He noted that security and business growth were interdependent, stressing that insecurity discourages investment, causes job loss, and impedes economic development.
“Insecurity is a threat to businesses and growth. If the environment is conducive for the private sector, it will lead to other developments,” Adesina said.
He explained that the Nigeria Police Force had adopted technology to enhance security, adding that 22 out of 26 communities within the Sango area were already equipped with closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
“Security is everyone’s business,” he said. “Collaboration is needed to ensure that all stakeholders play their roles in creating a safe and secure environment.”
The 2025 MBA Week continues with exhibitions, lectures, and networking sessions designed to foster collaboration among students, vendors, and industry leaders.
