Nigerian Journal of Business Education Volume 4 No.2, 2017 URL: http://www.nigjbed.com.ng . All Rights Reserved. 76 Nigerian Journal of Business Education (NIGJBED) Volume 4 No.2, 2017 OPTIMIZING ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES AS A PANACEA FOR THE CRISIS OF GRADUATE UNEMPLOYMENT Michael O. Binuomote, Ph.D. John F. Oyedele. Ph.D Department of Business Education. Dept. of Bus and Entrepreneurship Edu. Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, School of Education, Oyo State, Nigeria. Kwara State University. Lawrence F. Ademiluyi, Ph.D Dept. of Bus and Entrepreneurship Edu.School of Education, Kwara State University. 08034547756 Abstract Graduate unemployment is one of the major economic crises facing the Nigerian state. The malaise has been exacerbated by the recent descent into economic recession. This paper x-rays, theoretically and empirically, the level of entrepreneurship education acquired in Nigerian universities, the strategies adopted and presents suggestions on how entrepreneurship education can be primed to serve as panacea for the graduate unemployment crisis . The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of 550 2014/2015 Business Education graduates of three state universities offering business education programme in south west geo-political zone of Nigeria (Ekiti state University, Ado- Ekiti, Olabisi Onabanjo University Ago-iwoye Ogun state and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu-Ode Ogun State). No sample was drawn; the entire population was studied. The instrument was a structured questionnaire, subjected to face and content validation by experts in entrepreneurship education and measurement and evaluation. The test for reliability yielded reliability co-efficient of 0.88 using Kuder Richdson formular. The findings revealed that most Business Education programmes offer only theoretical aspects of entrepreneurship, to the neglect of the practical aspects. The study also identified strategies which can enhance entrepreneurship education’s potentialities as an instrument of employment generation. The study recommended that experimental learning, involving case studies and simulation exercises, should be embedded into the entrepreneurship education curricula if the programme is to achieve its objective of alleviating unemployment and accelerating national development. KEYWORDS: Entrepreneurship educations, national development, Nigerian universities, graduate unemployment. Introduction The epidemic of graduate unemployment is gradually escalating throughout Nigeria. Even as thousand wander the length and breadth of the country in search of elusive white collar jobs, the universities continue to churn out millions of graduates annually, albeit with little hope of productive career engagement. Little wonder, therefore, that news reports consistently indicate that the ranks of militants, kidnappers