By Is’haq Babatunde
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Tobams Group, Dr. Ona Newton, has called on Nigerian students to develop a positive attitude towards “adaptability and resilience” to successfully unlock their full potential, achieve their goals, and create a brighter future for themselves and their communities.
Dr. Newton gave the advice on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, in her lecture at a one-day Career Development Workshop themed “Functional Career Development and Employability Opportunities” held at the Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.
The UK-based strategist and motivational speaker identified adaptability and resilience as the two key factors that herald success and greatness in today’s fast-paced entrepreneurial landscape.
Newton explained that adaptability would allow individuals to adjust to new situations, challenges, and environments, while resilience enables people to bounce back from setbacks, failures, and difficult experiences.
She advised students to be courageous, resilient, and ready to adapt to the ever-changing trends in today’s world to stand out among their peers in the competitive global market.
She raised various reflective questions and urged the audience to privately provide answers to those questions to serve as a compass for them to unlock their untapped skills and potentials.
Among the numerous questions were: “What skills will be very important in the next 10 years? How do you respond to change in your academic or personal life? Which trends do you prepare for the future? How do you align yourself with the current trend?” and several other thought-provoking questions.
Earlier, the KWASU Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaykh Luqman Jimoh, said the workshop was organized as a calculated attempt to groom students to be job creators rather than job seekers, before and after graduation.
“We live in times when jobs are being redefined, expectations are changing, and new skills to navigate the ever-complex world of careers are needed. This is why the management of this institution was encouraged to establish the Career Services Centre to be the bridge between our students and the acquisition of know-how that will ensure they hit the ground running even before they graduate,” he said.
In his welcome address, the Director of the Center for Career Services, Professor Aliru Olajide Mustapha, said the maiden edition of the career workshop was to kick-start the center’s programs and activities designed to empower and equip students with necessary skills to be responsive to the dynamic environment.
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