Gov Otu tells retirees to be ambassadors of enterprise not just recipients of knowledge

Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State has told 1500 graduands of retiree training programmes not to go home and flaunt their certificates as recipients of knowledge but to actually become entrepreneurs and ambassadors of enterprise.

The governor gave the charge when Cross River State Microfinance Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA) graduated the 1500 students from its Enterprise Development Center’s basic, advanced and Retiree Entrepreneurship Development Initiative (REDI) programmes.

The training programme was organised to prepare retirees and those nearing their retirement age for life after service and how to become entrepreneurs.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Calabar International Convention Center.

Represented by the secretary to the state government, Prof Anthony Owan-Eno, the governor said the entrepreneurial path is a fulfillment of the dream of transforming Cross River to a state where everyone thinks outside the box and embraces business ventures.

Otu intimated that it is better to empower people to build themselves as business owners than allow them become dependent on government for employment.

The governor said with the new drive towards entrepreneurship, the state does not expect retirees to queue for government employment.

He urged them to see retirement as the beginning of another productive phase of life.

“You can achieve better and be better. Today, after retirement comes life, hope and self-belief in what you can be because retirement in Cross River is now an announcement of good things.”

He implored the retiree graduands to change the narrative of business ownership in the state by veering into entrepreneurship.

He quipped, “In Cross River, the time of unemployment is gone. The time when grown graduate children depended on their parents for handouts is gone. This is the time for self actualization.”

Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs in the Office of the Vice President, Dr Tope Fasua spoke on “The Role of MSMEs in Innovation, Change and Economic Growth”.

The retirees staged a drama and ballad to spice up the event on the thematic theme, the Moninkim and Ekombi dance of the central and southern districts as well as the War Dance of the northern district of the state respectively.