Bianca Iboma-Emefu
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on stakeholders in tertiary institutions to equipped students with skills in digital marketing, design thinking and entrepreneurship to enable them to embrace change and disruption if they desire to be relevant in the Nigerian market.
The governor, who was the guest lecturer at the maiden convocation of Mountain Top University (MTU), Magboro, Ogun State, stated this at the multi-purpose hall of the university. Sanwo-Olu, who spoke on, ‘Future of Job and the World of Work: The Need for Graduates That are Globally Competitive’, said the knowledge acquired in the classroom becomes obsolete in a short while; hence graduating students should embrace technology, as jobs of the future would be technology-driven.
“Any students who acquired skill in design thinking will create enormous job opportunities for young graduates because organisations are interested in employees that would add value and help them to learn and better understand the users of their products and services through testing.
He added: “Many of the things you learnt in university would have become obsolete even before you complete NYSC. That’s the truth. We must also extend this to curriculum transformation. We will not progress in the 21st century using 20th-century curricula. Our young people must become comfortable with coding, robotics, 3D printing and other technologies from an early age, especially in the public school system. Regardless of what academic track our students are on, technological literacy must be a common denominator.’’
In his remarks, the Chancellor of MTU, Dr. Daniel Olukoya commended the graduating set for actualising their vision of getting certified. Olukoya said the vision is to raise a cynosure and leaders beyond the shores of the nation.
“Be curious, do not stop learning and make value out of every endeavour including time and resources,’’ Olukoya stressed.
On his part, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Elijah Ayolabi, charged the graduands to be good ambassadors of the institution and urged them to use the training acquired at MTU to impact on the society.
He words: “What you do with the training you received is your sole responsibility. I charge you to remember the responsibility placed on your shoulders as the firstborn of MTU.
“MTU graduates are assets, their intellects have been trained in different aspects of life, entrepreneurship, leadership, vocation and soft skills that will help them immensely in their endeavours. I’m confident of this particular set, they are doing excellently well and they can compete anywhere in the world. This is how graduates should be prepared to become assets and not liabilities to the society,” he stated.
According to him, MTU is graduating 120 students, 22 of them bagged First Class honours in various disciplines. He disclosed that the best graduating student of the institution, Babalola Benjamin Ayodipupo finished with a perfect score of 5.0 CGPA and bagged nine awards.
“The best graduating student of MTU is an exceptional student. The 21- year -old Bio-Chemistry graduate topped the 2018/2019 academic session, finishing in First Class with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5.00. He is from Igbara-Odo, a suburb in Ekiti South West, Ekiti State.
Ayodipupo narrated how after he wrote the UTME and passed the post-UTME to study medicine at the University of Lagos but he was not given admission.
“I took it in good faith, two days to the closure of admission into MTU, I enrolled and got the opportunity, that is how my journey into MTU began.
He said he set the goal to become the best student right from his first day in the university and was never distracted by frivolities. “I was very focused and determined.
I truly appreciate my parents for their prayers, they are cleric, Mr Peter Ayodipupo and Mrs Adenike Ayodipupo who stood in the gap. God almighty was faithful to me as I was a beneficiary of the Dr. Daniel Kolawole Olukoya, scholarship scheme and made good use of it. I want to thank everyone for the opportunity.
Also, my father and elder sister were the best graduating students during their time, so I emulate them.
My elder sister was the best graduating student in Crawford University and encouraged me to study hard. I kept the right company and made good use of my time. I was actively involved in school activities. I had a timetable and I adhered strictly to it”.
For falling in love with his books, he smiled home with nine academic awards, including the VC’s prize for the best graduating student and the wife of the chancellor’s award. He said the university had shaped his life positively, paving him to a successful career path.