CIED-IBBU was first established in 2011 and named Entrepreneurship and
Counselling Centre (ECC) by the former Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof.
Ibrahim Kolo – a professional counsellor. At the inception, the administrative
office of the Centre was located in Kobo Campus on temporary basis.

The pioneering Director of the CIED, Prof. Frank C. Carew of the Department of
Guidance and Counseling, IBBUL, piloted the affairs of the Centre for three years
(2012-2014) with remarkable achievements. He developed a strategic plan
document on “Students Entrepreneurship for Career Planning and Development
Portfolio (SECPDEP)” that is still in use till date. During his tenure, series of
public lectures on entrepreneurship development were organized for both students,
staff and the University Senate. Among the papers delivered are Mainstreaming
Entrepreneurship Education into Tertiary Institution Curriculum by Prof. Ibrahim
Kolo; Management of Entrepreneurship Development and Counseling: Structure,
Operation, Autonomy and Domestication by Prof. Frank Carew; Linking
Entrepreneurship Education to Local Business Environment in Nigeria: Issues and
Challenges by Dr. Nazif A. Darma; University Graduates’ Career and
Entrepreneurship Development by Dr. John Jiya; Understanding Entrepreneurship
and Business Ideas for University Graduates and Lecturers by Dr. Mohammed A.
Mawoli; Responsive and Innovative Entrepreneurship by Dr. Sidikat Shitu;
Entrepreneurship and Intellectual Property Rights: Legal requirements and Ethical
Issues by Dr. M.O. Ojuola; and Marketing of Entrepreneurial Products by Dr.
M.A. Mawoli.

Dr. John Jiya of the Department of Guidance and Counseling became the second
Director of CIED (then called ECC) in December 2014 and completed his tenure in
2016. The appointment of Prof. Nasir M. Maiturare – a professional actuary – as
the University Vice Chancellor in December 2014 set the stage for the splitting of
ECC into two separate autonomous entities: Centre for Innovation and

Entrepreneurship Development (CIED) and Guidance and Counseling Centre. This
dream was realized in November 2016 when CIED moved to its permanent
building in the Main Campus along Minna Road with new leadership, Dr A.A.
Salihu of the Department of Business Administration as the Coordinator and
Mallama Fatima Haruna as the Secretary. In addition, a committee comprising
CIED Coordinator, Director Academic Planning, Director of IBBU Consults and
Ventures, Tetfund Desk Officer, and Director General of Minna Industrial Park
was set up to take strategic decision for the Centre and report to the VC for
consideration, approval and implementation. Under Dr. A.A. Salihu’s leadership,
the centre collaborated with the Department of Business Administration and
industries to commence practical skills acquisition programmes on paint, gel,
liquid soap, freshener, perfume, insecticides, antiseptics, and Vaseline production,
among others. Series of entrepreneurship workshops and lectures were also
organized for students and staff in 2017.

Another chapter was opened in the life of CIED when Dr. Mohammed A. Mawoli
of the Department of Business Administration was appointed as the Director of
CIED in March 2018 by the VC, Prof. N.M. Maiturare. Upon assumption of office,
Dr. M.A. Mawoli appraised the structure and operations of the Centre to identify
functional areas and/or skills acquisition programmes that need to be resuscitated
and the new agenda that need to be set in order to drive performance and facilitate
future performance measurement. Thus, a document on “Policy and Operational
Guidelines” of the CIED was compiled; the document clearly defines the vision,
mission, mandates, goals, organogram, history, programmes, products, target
markets, and partners of CIED. Prof Abubakar Sadiq Ibrahim Gudugi was
appointed as a new Director of the Centre by the VC, Prof A. K. Adamu in
January, 2020. Upon assumption, Prof A.S.I. Gudugi reviewed the document and
continue the implementation of the policy through value-addition approach to the
skills acquired. As postulated by Scholars, the scope of entrepreneurship is
borderless. Therefore, the modus oparandi of the centre is premised on
foundational entrepreneurship skills to innovation hub (innovative thinking –
robotic-preneur) to incubation centre to cluster within the center and finally
graduate to the society.

Right now, the center is operating within the available resources. Thus, the center
is at foundational entrepreneurship, where students/entrepreneurs are working on
skills acquisition and innovative start-up. The center is yet to have standard
innovation hub, incubation center and cluster for matured entrepreneurs.