New VC: Nirmala Chellarams Centre suspends operations at UNILAG
Abdussalam Amoo
3rd November 2017
​The Nirmala Chellarams Centre for Entrepreneurship Skills (NCCES) has suspended its operations at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). This is connected to the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor in the university.
The Performance Management Specialist of the Centre, Oluwaseun Olusegun had sent a message to all participants in the Nirmala Chellarams iLearn Program that the Centre was temporarily suspending its operations.
In the message, which EduCeleb.com obtained on Thursday, she adduced that the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor calls for fresh negotiations of their terms of its operations in the school.
“The University has a new Vice Chancellor which means that we are in fresh talks with the new management to harmonize our programs and activities. Part of our agreement (with the university management) states for fresh understanding and negotiations when a new management is appointed for the University,” she revealed.
EduCeleb.com recalls that the UNILAG Governing Council had on October 27 approved the appointment of Professor ‘Toyin Ogundipe as the 12th Vice Chancellor of the 55 year old institution. He is to succeed Professor Rahamon Bello whose tenure as VC ends on 10th November. The Centre became domiciled in the university under Bello.
Ms. Olusegun also noted that the decision for the suspension was to give room for renovation of its facilities. The centre is domiciled in the Faculty of Social Sciences premises.
In her words, it is also “to overhaul the furnishing and finishing of the place operated by the Nirmala Chellarams Centre for Entrepreneurship Skills.”
With the development, the Nirmala Chellarams iLearn Program earlier scheduled to hold on various dates in November has been postponed till further notice.
NCCES is an initiative of the Murli T. Chellaram Foundation.  Since its inception, it has continued to reflect late Murli Chellaram’s firm belief that all people have equal rights, priviledges and opportunities.
Its website describes it as “one of Nigeria’s few dedicated centres committed to raising the next generation of Business Disruptors, Innovators, Economic Drivers and Employment Generators”.
The Centre is being positioned to take the lead in teaching practical entrepreneurial skills to Nigerian Youth and other members and non-members of the University of Lagos community (Alumni, Faculty, Staff and their immediate families) to engender economic development.
NCCES’  knowledge gap inclusion programmes are meant to foster the development of entrepreneurship skills amongst undergraduates, working professionals, existing and aspiring entrepreneurs. It has the Excellence In Entrepreneurship (EIE) Free Online Certificate Course for everyone, the Entrepreneurship Development Programs (EDP) targeting working professionals, existing and aspiring entrepreneurs and the Workplace and Enterprise Readiness Program (WERP) targeting undergraduates.
It also hosts a quarterly forum called ‘Productivity Enhancement Series’ which helps stakeholders to understand and address complex challenges and processes associated with what they learn or have learnt in the classroom and how it applies in the real world.