ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SELF-RELIANCE

ENTERPRENUERSHIP AND SELF-RELIANT




BY
MEDAYESE FELIX JIMOH
Ojounla4eva@yahoo.com, fm.mola@gmail.com, medayesef@unijos.edu.ng, +234(0)8036924588








NOVEMBER 2009.

Abstract
The cuticle discussed acoustical issues concerning self-reliant through enterprenuership. The paper was divided into six (6) sections: Introduction which gave the general background to the concepts of self-reliant and enterprenuership; the correlation of enterprenuership and self-reliant; ways of becoming self-reliant through enterprenuership; importance and benefits of enterprenuership; implication for the family, schools and the government and lastly conclusion.

Introduction:
The problem of self-reliance has been a perpetual and a pressing issue that needed to be address with an iron and serious hands among Nigerian, especially the youth. However, this problem is rooted to our educational system. As schools, only produces graduates who are potential slaves, I mean job seekers, instead of being a job creator. The youth are trained to have a strong believes of salaried job, instead of being self-employed and create jobs for people in their society with strong mind of creativity and initiative.
Isah (2009) asserts, “A core problem of the Nigerian educational system is the theoretical mode of education which she inherited from the colonial masters. It was in response to this change that a technological base National Policy on Education was introduced, there is need to restrain the staffs. In a similar not Babalola (2008) explains that knowledge has been found to change every 4-5 years, hence many graduates with 10years experience requires refresher courses. The Nigerian school curriculum often fails to encourage courses on enterprenuership.
The 9-years Basic Education Curriculum (2004) the fifth features of the programme emphasized on the infusion of creative and critical thanking, entrepreneurial skills and relevant of the National Economic Empowerment and Development strategy (NEEDS) into the relevant content of curriculum. The focal point however, in development of the Basic Education Curriculum was to ensure unfettered access and equity to education for the total development of the individual citizen. Thus, poor, the socially marginalized and vulnerable groups can effectively develop their full capacities and potentials.
Young entrepreneurs often say that, it is exhilarating to plan something, to watch it grow and to know you made it happen. This sentence perfectly describes the reasons most often gives by young entrepreneurs as to why they are in business. In addition, when you talk to other young entrepreneurs you will hear the same thing repeatedly. The most important benefits of starting and running their own business is that they are free to do what they like and how they like it. Indeed, to me, the essence of enterprenuership is the freedom to do what you like most. Some individual with entrepreneurial spirit may spend a few hours a week on their business, while others may spend every working moment trying to make their business successful. The bottom line is that, no matter how much time the business, they feel a sense of pride and a feeling of accomplishment in the end. This sense of fulfillment is more rewarding than money. Some people call this type of fulfillment “psychic income” and this is practically refers to as self-reliance.
ENTERPRENUERSHIP AND SELF-RELIANT
Enterprenuership as factor of production is a body that organizes human and materials resources for the production of goods and services. Enterprenuership may be the owner of a company, or a manager or a board of director of a public company. Whatever he may be, he is the driving force behind the production and movement of goods and services. Well! The explanation above about enterprenuership is limited to certain independence. Enterprenuership in its broader sense is a process of making individual explored their potentials and initiatives or creativities for greatness, which will in turn build their self-confidence in order to become self-reliant and self-sufficient in the race of life.
Enterprenuership is a source of job creation, empowerment and economic dynamism in a rapidly globalizing world. See http:www.teenvestor.com/Enterprenuers/biz-benefifs/self-reliant.com.
Enterprenuership prepares people to be responsible, enterprising individuals who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers and contribute to economic development and sustainable communities thereby become self-sufficient. A person, who is self-reliant, is a person who is self-employed, because self-employment is one of the key to working out of poverty. To move out of poverty, one need to truly want more, make the effort to gain it, seek self-employment over normal employment, gain the necessary skills to accomplish it and establish personal values like organization, cleanliness, honesty and others one’s life. If there is a found of such virtues, then further opening and calling to the force will enable a multiplier effect of great achievement. It is a formula for ultimate success, prosperity, and joy.
The market is an unselfish thinker. The quest of knowledge (in the world) is there in a greats measure than before, in an unprecedented measure. It is a valuable market for those who are willing to exert themselves to cater to that market. That market is ubiquitous. It cannot be known from the textbooks or college courses. It has to come out of one’s own thinking based on his own observation of others’ needs. For such person, an unselfish THINKER, there is an ever-expanding market in every sector. He who discovers it is the pioneer in that field. See http://www.indiaparenting.com/raisingchild/data/raisingchild050slitml.
Self-reliant through enterprenuership and attracting money, the real power to attract money comes from our own self-reliant through enterprenuership, determination and will; not from any dependence on another’s help and support. The power to attract money comes from the psychological viewpoint that I aim the ultimate determinant of my fate. Development occurs when we take it in our own hands to wanting it. It is a truism to the field of development that society will really develop when it is into their own hands. Any work of the government or other agencies may do the initial spadework, but it is not capable of consummating the process of development-a high degree of prosperity. It reduces to man wanting more throughout the US and beyond see http://www.entered.org/standardstoolkit/benefits.htm.
WAYS BY WHICH A PERSON CAN BECOME SELF-RELIANT THROUGH ENTERPRENUERSHIP
1. Develop the spirit of wealth creation and self-employment: Wealth lies in self-employment, not on salaried jobs e.g. in India the talents have graviated to the security of salaried jobs in the government where the present as well as the future is secure. Security banishes the accomplishment of the entrepreneur, the self-employed adventure. The majority of people who have started an industry on their own have become bankrupt because, they are driven by ambition and are not endowed with the capacities for organization. Prosperity involves risk. Adventure is of the spirit. Security is physical. Bodily labour and physical skill receive the least reward. The higher rewards are reserved for the spirit. The higher values of the spirit, viz. truthfulness, honesty, etc expressed in daily life avoid the risks to venture and other unfailing success. That way, self-employment removes failure and offers secure wealth.
2. Risk – taking: people take note of a raising star when his coffers are receiving cascades of fortune. Common prudence sees that the continuous RISKS he takes make him a notable. A man risks has all–may be a small fortune-and success and comes by a few croves should he desire to rise, life at every step demands his risk all at the moment. Men who once successfully risked their all and rose, refuse further risks and level off. Business is all about risk because is rooted on profit and lost. A raising star is who constantly risks. That is what makes him an entrepreneur. Unemployed people clamour for jobs. They do not readily consider the alternate option and self-employment or taking risk because life itself is all about risk. Salaried employment offers security. The first casualty of self-employment is that sense of security, which is risky. Unless one comes to enjoy the security of insecurity, his is not meant for self-employment, which give rise proper self-reliant through enterprenuership and the attendant risks. Salaried employment is a part, while self-employment is a whole. The part it enamored of the whole, must part with it security and court ever present insecurity.
3. Translating of dream and vision into reality: “Rich is he who has a dream, even without coins in his pocket” (Taiwo 2009). An entrepreneur person is a dreamer who accomplish his dream through creating, organization and production of ideas as inclusive in capacities and skills when you have to earn for yourself, you become part of the social existence that can support an income.
Emmanuel (2008) in his survey conducted of 160 young teen investors (ages 16-18) who attended “Entrecon”, a high school conference in entrepreneurship at the University of Pennylvania. He asked the participants why they were interested in starting their business path. These young people expressed their motivation for becoming entrepreneur in terms of the sense of satisfaction that enterprenuership gave them as well as the sense of being in control of their own destines. A statistic that will surprise you according to him is that only 15 percent of the students were interested in enterprenuership solely as a way to earn money-when one of the young entrepreneurs at “Entrecon”, was asked what got her interested in enterprenuership; she said “security-happiness that I will be doing something I created. As an entrepreneur, you don’t limits unless you limit yourself. See http://www.teenvestors.com/Enterprenuers/biz-benefits/self-eliance.htm
Entrepreneurs are organized and creative in all endavours. Taiwo (2007) asserts, “I have had the privileged of translating my vision into reality”. As student at the University of Ibadan, Taiwo saw how the institution was becoming infamous for the growing increase of prostitution, as well as the level of discrimination and molestation against female students. After she discovered there was not a single female-focused organization in the University nor a forum for exchanging information, Taiwo was motivated in September 2000, to find like-minded people, mobilize resources, and establish an NGO, called ‘Echoes’. The objectives of “Echoes” are to train and empower female students so that they build their self-confidence and are able to take active leadership roles in the development of their communities. “Echoes” also trains female students to acquire vocational skills like hairdressing, dressmaking, bead production, shoe and bag production from local hides and skins, interior decoration, poultry and portrait production. Female students were also taught business and management strategies, communication skills and information technology. “Echoes” has contributed immensely to youth employment as female students now gainfully employed, and there has been a sharp decline in female prostitution rates around campus see (United Nations Human Settlement Programme http://www.unhabitat.org)
4. Proper utilization of every difficult situation: A trial or hard circumstances around man is always a period of exploring and discovering human hiding potentials. Abraham Lincoln looses all his election from the district representative but never gives up and was aiming higher until he finally got to the presidency and he won. Bill-Gate the owner of Microsoft Company the most used application package today on computer systems tried several times and failed but he picked up the challenges as opportunities for him to discover his potential but he made it at last. What about Ben Carson who was libel in School as “Dummy” (Dull student), he used that opportunity to discovered the greatness in him and he became the first neurosurgeon who separated twins born attached together in their heads.
Abenet and Milkias (2007). “Even as a student, you can come to a better understanding of the current market and the challenges faced by fellow stakeholders, thereby increasing the livelihood of your own success in the field”. They explain that the education level in Meketeya, Ethiopia, is suffering due to the lack of qualified education centres, thus, they decided they wanted to contribute to providing eduction and improving their society’s capacity. They asked themselves questions like ”why are young children not attending schools” and in search of answers, collected information about the current situation through face-to-face interview with members of their community. They realized that by opening a good kindergarten with fair fees, the community would benefits. Moreover, even though they were students themselves, they saw how they could change both their lives and the lives of those around them. Abenet and Milkias established “Ethopia kindergarten project” and “Tebeb Traditional cloth producers and Distributors” company, with the objectives of advertising and promoting their products, to open a series of good standardized shops, and to sell online through the internet. By the time they graduate, they emphasize, they will have had solid work experience with which to use as professionals entering the workforce. See http://www.unhabitat.org.
5. Developing and creating of school-to-work strategy:
This is a strong strategy for allowing young people and students to have practical work experience before students graduate from school. Such strategy as the establishment of school plant, farm, shops and other vocational training or activities e.g Jets, Home Economics, Local Craft and Creative Art, where students will develop practical experiences and cultivate the culture of self-reliant through job creation based on the skillful experiences acquired in those vocational activities.
Jean-Blaise in the veterinary school of Dakar: “Junior undertaken” decided to form a company of young veterinary surgeons, creating a frame work for practical work experience that would allow recent graduates to move easily enter into the professionals world. “It is difficult,” explains, Jean-Blaise, “to succeed in Africa where nothing is done to help graduates”. Therefore, under his own initiative, Jean-Blaise accumulated as much experiences as he could in health and livestock production, the designing and installation of livestock buildings, and the setting up of quality control levels in the food industry. He establish Junior undertaken to reinforce the capacities and competence of his peers in these fields and to encourage the spread of entrepreneurial spirit from their school, the group received a startup budget of about 9,400 USD, used for the installation and launch of the project structure. In terms of its operations, sources of finance are through services rendered, bank loans, and gifts.
Since 2000, his team has carried out research in the field of health and livestock production in over 14 countries in Africa. Jean-Blaise believes it because it becomes necessary to have a creative spirit and entrepreneurial instinct in order to solve the problems of unemployment amongst Africa’s youth. Jean-Blaise initiative of been creative is in line with John Kennedy’s statement that, Asks what you can do for your government and not what your government will do for you”. An entrepreneurial spirit is indeed a sound mind of self-reliant.
IMPORTANCE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SELF-RELIANT
The importance and benefits of being self-reliant through entrepreneurship can never be over-emphasized. Since entrepreneurship is the backbone of any great and developed nation today, such nations like China, United States, and Japan etc. hence, the importance and benefits of being self-reliant through entrepreneurship can be summarized as follows:
1. You are responsible for your own success and you can determine what that success will be
2. The sky is not the limit of an entrepreneur but his stepping-stone.
3. The satisfaction of achieving a goal for your personal benefit
4. You are the “Boss” of yourself
5. You are able to control your own destiny as you have self-esteem, respect and self-confidence.
6. It encourages risk taking and learning from failure, learn to identify and recognize useful opportunities.
7. It helps in writing business plan in applying economic principles and basic marketing skills for proper idea generation in assessing feasible idea and manages risk
8. Creating of employment opportunities for others, thereby contributing positively to the growth and development of your society.
9. Total freedom to choice and enjoy the wishes of your heart.
10. There is sense of security and happiness that you will be doing what you created and you do not have limits unless you limit yourself.
11. There is a personal sense of satisfaction, accomplishment and fulfillment.
12. It is an open-ended opportunities and challenges you get out of it what you put into it. If you put a lot in, you get a lot out.
13. Demonstration of proper skills in setting up a business and the skills of maintaining the longevity of the business
IMPLICATION FOR THE FAMILY, SCHOOL AND GOVERNMENT
Parents should encourage the spirit of creativity in their children, to ensure proper skills acquisition. Your child will not develop self-reliance as long as you are hovering around him like a fussy mother hen. You are going to have to learn to let go. But it is going to be a but, like walking a tightrope if you let go too early, your child may end up feeling unsecured and unprotected rather than independent on the other hand. If you let go too late, you may have already made your child get into the habit of being dependent on you or on people instead of being self-reliant.
Schools are expected to instill and inculcate not only theoretical knowledge in children but also the application (Practical experiences). Students should be developed with manipulative skills to enable them have a good spirit of self-reliant and function effectively in the larger society. All the levels of education should develop progaramme that will boost students’ creative and resourceful mind.
The government and other agencies should encourage programme that will give room for people to explore their potentials by partnering with some of the international communities who had used entrepreneurship to develop their people. Ministry of entrepreneurial should equally be created by the government.
Conclusion:
It is no doubt that entrepreneurship is a strong acquisition programme that will help people to become a better and greater individual in the society. Self-reliant can not be achieved in an atmosphere where entrepreneurial activities are lacking. Therefore self-reliance, confident, satisfaction, sufficient and contentment can only be properly achieved through entrepreneurship.

REFERENCES:
Babalola, J.B (2008). Modelling Nigeria university system for effective learning and global Revenue. Past, present and perspectives. Lecture delivered for the postgraduate school, university, and calabar, Ibadan, Awemark.
FRN (2007). The 9 years Basic Education curriculum at a Glance. Abuja: NERD press.
Isah, E.A & Fadunmi, M. (2009) Managing Schools in a Period of Economic Meltdown. European Journals of social science (Vol. 8) (No.4) university of Ibadan.
http://www.indiaparenting.com/raisingchild/data/raisingchild050.shtml. Retrival on 25/11/09
http://www.entre-ed.org/standardstoolkit/benefits.htm
http://www.teenvestors.com./Enterprenuers/biz-benefits/self-eliance.htm. Retrieved on 26/1109
United Nations Human Settlement Programme Retrival from httm://www.unhabitat.org Retieved on 25/11/09

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