Founder, Prof. OLUSEGUN SOGBESAN
When the conversation shifts to entrepreneurship-focused institutions making waves in South-East Nigeria, Onitsha Business School (OBS) rises confidently to the top. In just a decade, OBS has grown from a bold idea into a powerhouse of business education, skill-building, and youth empowerment.
At the core of this transformation is the school’s visionary founder and Director-General, Professor Olusegun Oludapo Sogbesan—an academic with a rare blend of intellectual depth, spiritual grounding, and grassroots impact.
Though born in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Professor Sogbesan’s life took a dramatic turn in 1991 when he was posted to Anambra State for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). What began as a one-year civic duty turned into a lifelong mission. Captivated by the Igbo people’s entrepreneurial zeal and communal warmth, he decided to stay. He learned the language, married into an Igbo family, and gradually became a respected son of the soil.
A serial academic achiever, Professor Sogbesan holds multiple PhDs from institutions in Nigeria and the UK. But beyond his credentials lies a deep, almost instinctive understanding of Onitsha’s informal economy, which has fueled his desire to help traders and young people gain formal business and leadership skills.
Under his leadership, OBS has carved a niche as a business school that truly understands its audience. It doesn’t just teach theory—it transforms lives.
OBS has also launched innovative centers, including:
ISAAC (Industrial Skill Acquisition and Application Centre) – equipping youth with hands-on technical and entrepreneurial skills.
ONAIMC (Obi Nnaemeka Achebe Indigenous Management Centre) – fusing traditional leadership wisdom with modern executive training.
The Professional Centre – offering globally relevant certifications in partnership with ISACA, ICAN, and other bodies.
Add to that the Onitsha City Marathon, youth mentorship drives, and cultural initiatives, and you begin to understand why Professor Sogbesan was awarded the Anambra Man of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
Recently, Professor Sogbesan returned to his hometown in Ogun State, where he delivered the keynote speech at the commissioning of the Otunba Femi Okenla Entrepreneurial Centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University. There, he delivered a powerful charge: turn our universities into incubators of real entrepreneurship if we want to defeat unemployment once and for all.
In a heartfelt chat with City People’s JAMIU ABUBAKAR, he spoke more on this journey and vision. Here are the excerpts
Can you give a brief insight into what you’ve come to Olabisi Onabanjo University to do?
I came to Olabisi Onabanjo University as a keynote presenter. I just delivered a paper on the concept, the context, the content, and the competence involved in entrepreneurship—and why it’s urgent for our universities to become entrepreneurship-focused.
Just imagine if 75% of our graduates are out there creating solutions and employing others. The youth would be empowered. We would build real Nigerian youths.
That’s the vision I shared—and the university is already clear on taking the next step.
What actually informed your decision to return to Nigeria and set up Onitsha Business School?
It’s simple. There was a gap that needed to be filled. And beyond that, I received a divine mandate to do it.
Can you give us insight into that mandate and how you got started?
The mandate came by God’s own choice. We were commissioned to help redefine the African economy, and the only way to do that sustainably is through entrepreneurship.
What are some of the key achievements at Onitsha Business School so far?
That’s a long story! But to summarize: in 10 years, we’ve trained over 5,000 entrepreneurs. We’ve graduated 650 Igba boys—those are our indigenous entrepreneurs.
In partnership with the European Global School University, we’ve awarded over 17 PhDs, MBAs, and DBAs.
With ICAN, we’ve produced more than 120 chartered accountants.
And through our Easy Programme, over 100 people have successfully graduated. So yes—we’re doing a lot!
How would you describe the experience of teaching genuine entrepreneurship in Nigeria?
Every country has its own challenges. What may be a problem elsewhere might not be one here—but we also have our unique issues. Your ability to solve problems in one place gives you the strength and habit to create better solutions somewhere else.
What’s your message to the government about producing productive, entrepreneurial youth?
The government must create platforms and enabling environments for young people to thrive.
They can’t do it alone—but they can create the systems that allow transformation to happen.
Are you the one running the newly commissioned centre here in Ago-Iwoye?
No, we’ll be consulting. But we’re involved.
So, how do you plan to replicate Onitsha Business School’s success in Ogun and beyond?
As the Bible says: The path of the righteous is like a shining light, shining brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. We believe we’ll do even better here.
With such clarity of vision, passion for people, and commitment to purpose, Professor Olusegun Sogbesan is proving that when business education meets community transformation, the result is nothing short of revolutionary.
And for Onitsha Business School? The journey has only just begun.
