The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, First Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, has called on stakeholders in the country to support and groom the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs.
He said this could be achieved not only through the quality of their education, but also by infusing critical thinking, problem solving and qualitative skills that will boost their personal and professional growth.
He stated that while the stakeholders continue to pursue a strong case for improving the environment within which education and employment happens, they have a critical responsibility to equip graduates with the competencies required to succeed in a world of innovation and technological disruptions.
The First Bank CEO who delivered a lecture titled, “A Journey Defined – Empathy, Courage, Industry (Discipline)”, at the 2019 convocation ceremony of the University of Ibadan, said this could be achieved by leveraging massive online open courses in response to the new ways of learning; revamping the school curriculum to include programing and coding skills, as well as the provision of broad band access across all higher institutions of learning.
While stating that all stakeholders should collaborate in the quest to enrich the learning experience across all higher institutions of learning in Nigeria, he called on the new graduates to take responsibility for their life by defining their core values. He noted that this would enable them to navigate the world both in their personal and professional lives.
According to him, “Your defined journey started on your admission into this great university. It doesn’t matter how long your process will take, your final mandate, is to deliver value in as many ways as possible to your society.
“As the university unleashes you to the world of great possibilities and uncertainties, I would like to entrust you with some ‘life hacks’ that will enable you to navigate the world both in your personal and professional lives. I have adopted these ‘life hacks’ as well in my personal and professional endeavors, and in all modesty, I can say that I am a comfortable man.
“Creating value for yourselves and others requires that you to be intentional with life decisions – from choosing your career to building networks and nurturing relationships.
“Take responsibility for your life by defining your core values which, at this point in your lives, should be hard work, integrity, discipline and living an impactful life. Even in the smallest of tasks assigned to you, exhibiting these values will get you recognised and fast tracked to leadership positions.”
Adedutan, pointed out that to climb the ladder of success and widen horizons for personal and professional growth, the new graduates needed to demonstrate high level of discipline, saying the foundation of every civilised and prosperous society was discipline.
“Your personal discipline will show in your output. This is a critical lesson you must strive to inculcate in your personal and professional lives, being empathic in your professional capacity, you will be in a better position to effectively lead and inspire others, as well as be a more caring, compassionate companion in relationships, building empathy in yourself is then crucial if you wish to have a global career of learning and interacting with new cultures”, he said.
He, however, urged all the graduates to have the, “can do mindset, have core values that align with your vision, be excellent, be healthy and follow your purpose with precision and discipline, and if you fail, rise and charge graduates.”
The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Idowu Olayinka, in his speech, urged the new graduates to go out and be worthy ambassadors of the university.
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