Immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Udom Emmanuel, has called on Nigerians not to lose hope inspite of the ongoing economic challenges.
Mr Emmanuel, who gave this counsel as the guest lecturer at the Fifth Convocation Ceremony of the Mountain Top University, Prayer City, Ogun State, said Nigerians must challenge their minds to rise above the myriads of challenges facing the world.
According to him, “the world we are living in today is characterized by very high pace and scale of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
“It is important to note that no nation is immune from the challenges of this present day. Many are losing hope because of the enormity of the unresolved issues being faced on daily basis. Many are filled with fear at the uncertainty of what the future holds.
“But hope is the one attribute we must never lose,” Mr Emmanuel advised.
The immediate past Governor of Akwa Ibom State, charged students to take time out to have a vision for their lives, insisting that one must have a mental picture of what future he wants to create.
He recounted how he conceptualized the idea of a state-owned airline for Akwa Ibom State, even before assumption of office in 2015.
In addition to the Ibom airline which is presently considered one of the best in Africa, he recounted how he also followed his vision of transforming Akwa Ibom into a financial, economic and technological hub.
Highlighting that no one can progress beyond his mindset, Mr Emmanuel urged people to embrace a growth mindset, “accept that all you know about any particular subject matter is not all that exists and be open to engage with and accept superior information.
“Your life will ultimately be a representation of your belief system, your philosophies and your ideology. No one can make progress beyond his mindset.”
He cautioned the youths against mediocrity, explaining that being of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or performance will take no one far.
“Become a person known for excellence. The challenge of gender, racial, ethnic or whatever biases only count at the average quality level, when you become excellent at whatever you do, these biases become absolutely irrelevant.
“Excellence puts you above all biases. Be so good at what you do that you become almost indispensable”, Mr Emmanuel said.
The University commended Mr Emmanuel for his achievements during his tenure, especially in the areas of infrastructure, industrialization, healthcare and security.
In a convocation address, Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Elijah Ayolabi said 349 students were graduating out of which 36 had first class with two bagging doctoral degrees and 17 in the Masters degree cadre.
He thanked the Guest Lecturer Mr Emmanuel for graciously delivering the lecture at the convocation, admitting that it was very rewarding to the students.
The chancellor, Dr. Daniel K. Olukoya, said God enabled the university, in only eight years, to become a dynamic center of academic excellence and promised that, “we shall not relent in our efforts by the special Grace of God.”
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