Nigeria needs to develop a viable synergy that enables the country turn academic ideas and researches into viable businesses in order to develop the national economy and create jobs.

Vice Chancellor, Summit University, Offa, Kwara State, Professor Musa Abiodun said there must be effective collaboration and integration between the academia, regulators, government and industry experts for the country to fully explore its vast human and material resources.

He said turning academic idea and research outputs into viable business and start-up ventures would help the country resolve her economic crises and attain enviable developmental status.

Aibinu, a professor of Mechatronics Engineering and Specialist in Artificial Intelligence, said such synergy would accelerate success in business; showcase unique qualities; sustain democratic dispensation as well as achieve sustainable development goal.

He lamented that Nigeria was ranked 114 out of 132 in the global innovation ranking, noting that the disturbing trend was a proof that the outputs from several agencies, responsible for promoting innovation and creativity in the country has not yielded significant result.

According to him, with creativity and innovation, the challenges of unemployment and employability among over 2.9 million Nigerian graduates and post-graduates would be addressed substantially and resolved appreciatively.

He said the concept of “acadopreneurship” and “acado-industrial” synergy would unleash the potential of the Nigerian economy.

Aibinu spoke on the theme: “Creativity and Innovation: Tools For Solving Economic Crises In Nigeria”, at the national convention and 20th anniversary celebration of the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta Muslim Alumni (MAPAMA) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

He outlined that acado-industrial synergy creates more opportunities, builds knowledge and learning, drives technologies, aids societal transformation, solves societal problems, supports economic transformation and increases creativity.

He lamented that there were over 21 million unemployed young people in Nigeria, aged between 15 and 34 – the highest unemployment rate.

Aibinu, who was represented by Sub Dean, School of Engineering, Yaba College of Technology, (YABATECH), Dr Mos’ud Ajala, noted that technology and innovation were inevitable indices, capable of solving the challenges associated with unemployment.

Former president, Nigerian Institute of Town Planning (NITP), Alhaji Waheed Kadiri, said creativity was not absolutely about new thing, but about finding new ways of doing the same thing.

“The essence of creativity is about creating new things, but it goes beyond that, rather, about finding easier, cheaper ways of doing the same thing if you cannot create new thing,” Kadiri, who is chairman of board of trustees of MAPAMA said.

The former Rector of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta advised Nigerian youths to always appreciate what is good, get involved in them and avoid unlawful acts.

National President, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta Muslim Alumni (MAPAMA) Prince Taofeek Oyeniyi said the organisation chose theme to generate great ideas that will further unleash potential and show how to further translate numerous creative ideas into viable solutions.

He added that the theme would help to ignite innovative ideas which are increasingly required for excellence in today’s ever-changing world.

Oyeniyi advised that graduates should start thinking outside the box in finding solutions to the socio-economic nation’s woe, rather than lamenting and despising the country, adding that entrepreneurship remained the best approach to addressing the challenges of unemployment in the country.