A total number of 30 students of the Lagos State University have benefitted from the N1.5m grant disbursed by an alumnus of the institution, Peter Abisoye also known as Polan, to kick off the ‘Tips With Polan Business Grant’ project.
The event which held at the Aderemi Makanjuola Lecture Theatre on the Ojo Main Campus of LASU, had an attendance of over 500 students from various higher institutions in Lagos who had registered to showcase their business ideas.
However, only 30 of the 500 students who signified interest in the program passed the screening to access the grant.
The initiative is aimed at making the students more productive to ensure self-reliance. The project recognises students who are into small businesses and need financial support and mentorship to excel.
The grant was disbursed to students in various business endeavours including fashion, hairdressing, information technology, food business, bakery, soap production, agro- business etc.
The successful students were to be mentored for a specific period for manpower development in their chosen ventures.
While explaining the the rationale behind the grant, Abisoye said “The programme is established to motivate undergraduate students, who are business oriented. We are encouraging students to be self-reliant through mentorship and relevant information for capacity development.”
He further explained that the grant is not repayable. He said the criteria for assessing the offer required an intending beneficiary to convince the judges about their capacity to run their venture successfully.
Abisoye noted that his organization places premium on entrepreneurship, skill acquisition and mentorship to enable users of the grant to perform effectively and compete favorably with their counterparts internationally.
He disclosed that his organisation would soon approach banks and the private sector to expand the frontiers of the initiative.
He plans to do the programme across all the states of the federation to capture undergraduates in entrepreneurship.
Some of the beneficiaries of the grant, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity. They assured that the money will be utilised for the purpose it is meant for.
