The Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies (AES), says it has concluded arrangement to train 500 students from each of the nation’s tertiary institutions.

President of the Academy Dr Ausbeth Ajagu, disclosed this in Lagos at a news conference to unveil its forthcoming annual conference.

The theme of the conference is “Infrastructure, Education and Health as Panacea for Realising Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020″.

He said that the academy had embarked on the training of 500 prospective entrepreneurs from each of the universities to inculcate in them the spirit of entrepreneurship.

According to him, the academy has already established entrepreneur skills acquisition centres in some universities.

“We have already trained 1,000 graduates and we want to broaden the scope by training more,” he said.

Ajagu said that the training would avail the young entrepreneurs the opportunity to be self reliant and crave for better future.

He said that the students would receive free training annually in certain fields and the academy would assist them to have access to funds to establish their outlets.

“This development would reduce the number of unemployed graduates roaming the streets, reduce crimes rate and boost wealth creation.”

“Our core vision is to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship and leadership in our desire to be excellent leaders and wealth creators,” he said.

Ajagu said that the gap between the high earners and low income earners was worrisome, adding that this was unhealthy for any developing country.

“We have a situation where there is no longer a middle class citizen, it calls for concern; but proper training and enabling environment would go a long way to address the situation.”

“We also want to bridge such gap and it can only be achieved when you train people to be leaders and self-employed,” he said.

Ajagu said that Nigeria had all the potentials to achieve its set targets, stressing that government required an effective planning approach and the will power to achieve its dreams.

“This critical sector could act as a catalyst in the nation’s overall development goal, particularly at the start of this new government’’.

He said that all government’s enterprises should be fully privatised to move the nation forward and that the enterprises should be sold to technocrats that could fund them to revitalise the ailing infrastructure.

He also urged the government to have a rolling development plans for all sectors of the nation’s economy to achieve the Vision 20:2020.

Ajagu said that such plans should have short, medium and long-term goals that should survive each administration.

“Policy should survive those who put them in place and the law should not have respect for those in position, this is what is being done in most development countries,” he said.