Prof. Olalekan Asikhia (right), VC of Caleb University
Babcock University on Thursday hosted the 57th inaugural lecture, where Prof. Olalekan Asikhia, Vice-Chancellor of Caleb University, challenged Nigerian universities to become frontline drivers of poverty reduction and job creation.
Asikhia, a professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, argued that rising unemployment and economic hardship demand a systemic shift in how institutions design and deliver education. He said universities must overhaul curricula to align with national needs, build human capital, and strengthen emerging economic sectors.
According to him, institutions must evolve from conventional teaching centres into entrepreneurship engines and innovation hubs that produce graduates who are employable, creative, and self-reliant.
He highlighted a three-pronged model for poverty alleviation, scientific, educational and cultural, stressing that research-driven solutions, access to quality education and value-based community development are critical to long-term prosperity.
Asikhia called for collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Commission to register student startups, flexible NUC-aligned curricula and stronger university-industry partnerships that expose students to real-world practices.
He said higher institutions should function as incubators, providing mentorship, research facilities and market access to young innovators, adding that engaging with global poverty-alleviation networks would further position universities as catalysts for economic transformation and national competitiveness.
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