Kayode Tokede
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Coleman Technical Industries Limited, George Onafowokan, has suggested entrepreneurs and professionals to develop clear long-term visions, stay centered and uphold robust moral requirements, warning in opposition to the pursuit of fast cash and shortcuts to success.
He maintained that imaginative and prescient helps people establish what they need to construct, the issues they intend to clear up and the lasting worth they hope to create.
Onafowokan, who was delivering his keynote tackle on the first worldwide convention of the Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) Alumni Association 2026 worldwide convention held lately on the Ecobank Pan African Centre in Lagos, urged Nigerian youths to embrace mentorship, integrity, self-discipline and endurance as important substances for constructing profitable companies and careers.
He mentioned success shouldn’t be measured solely by a person’s private achievements but additionally by the variety of individuals empowered to succeed by means of their information and expertise.
According to him, enterprise leaders ought to be prepared to share what they’ve learnt somewhat than withhold information for concern that these they mentor would possibly ultimately grow to be extra profitable than them.
Onafowokan mentioned: “Success should be seen not by what you have built as an individual, but how many people around you have actually become successful through what you have shared and expressed with them.”
He mentioned the reluctance of some profitable Nigerians to share their experiences was a setback to enterprise improvement and the expansion of future leaders.
He mentioned mentorship had helped individuals develop their talents, construct wealth and tackle larger duties, including that skilled enterprise leaders ought to help others in reaching comparable progress.
The particular visitor of honour, Mrs. Olajumoke Cecilia Ajayi, who’s the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, West African Exploration and Production (WAEP) Company, provided sensible steering on household and private improvement.
She suggested mother and father to counsel their youngsters whereas permitting them the liberty to categorical themselves, emphasising that competence should be paired with confidence.
She additionally urged younger individuals to talk about their ambitions brazenly with their companions earlier than getting into marriage.
Earlier, the Vice- Chancellor of Pan-Atlantic University, Professor Enase Okonedo, mentioned the college’s roughly 15,000 alumni from its enterprise college and college had the capability to make a big contribution to society in the event that they labored collectively.
She mentioned the college’s emphasis on information, values and accountable management was geared toward producing graduates who might contribute to nationwide improvement.
According to her, the college has grown from its beginnings in a front room in Victoria Island 34 years in the past to working throughout two campuses, whereas its alumni have unfold throughout totally different industries and professions.
She mentioned: “Think about 15,000 well-formed people who can make a difference in Nigeria. Our focus is on the transformation of society. But we cannot do it alone.”
Okonedo urged the graduates to act as ambassadors of the establishment by demonstrating integrity, duty and management of their workplaces and communities.
She mentioned the convention theme, ‘The Advantage: Connecting People, Ideas and Opportunities’, highlighted the potential of alumni to develop new companies, partnerships and approaches to fixing societal issues.
The vice-chancellor added that such alternatives would solely be realised if alumni engaged with each other, shared experiences and turned conversations into sensible collaborations.
The President of the Pan-Atlantic University Alumni Association, Dr Onyebuchi Odianjo, mentioned the affiliation was working to construct a extra related and lively alumni group that would present skilled help, strengthen trade relationships and create alternatives for college kids and graduates.
She mentioned the convention grew out of discussions about how the college’s alumni community could possibly be used to join individuals, concepts and industries, turning relationships into partnerships and concepts into alternatives.
Odianjo mentioned the affiliation had continued to promote alumni engagement, pupil help, skilled networking and group influence, including that its ambition was to translate the energy of the community into tangible advantages.
She mentioned her personal expertise on the college had supplied sensible information and alternatives that helped her profession, reinforcing her dedication to giving again to the establishment.
