An alumni of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and business executive, Lawal Garba, has urged students of the university to embrace continuous learning, integrity and resilience as essential qualities for achieving lasting success.
Garba, chairman and chief executive officer of Trobell International Nigeria Limited, gave the advice during the second edition of ABU’s “Lunch with the Vice-Chancellor” programme held at the Yusufu Bala Usman Hall, Main Campus, Samaru.
The programme, introduced in 2025, provides an informal platform for students to interact with the vice-chancellor and accomplished individuals who can share experiences and insights relevant to their academic and professional development.
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Speaking on the theme: “The Lawal Garba Way: Building Enterprises, Creating Opportunities, Transforming Lives,” Garba shared lessons from his journey from a quantity surveying graduate to a successful entrepreneur.
He attributed his achievements not to privilege but to persistence, discipline, hard work and faith, noting that his career was shaped by setbacks, missed opportunities and difficult decisions.
Garba, also recounted his professional achievement as the first graduate of quantity surveying to establish a property cost-control function in Nigeria’s banking sector.
According to him, Trobell International Nigeria Limited started on a modest scale and gradually built its reputation through competence, reliability and trust.
He recalled an early project in which his firm was selected because of the confidence the client had in its ability to deliver, rather than because it was the largest company competing for the job.
“In one early project, we were selected not because we were the biggest firm, but the client believed in our commitment to deliver,” he said.
Garba identified five principles he described as essential to personal and professional growth: integrity, excellence, continuous learning, relationships and resilience.
Emphasising the importance of integrity, he said trust could open doors to opportunities that money or qualifications alone might not secure.
“Integrity is everything,” he declared, citing instances where multimillion-naira contracts were awarded largely because of relationships and trust developed over time.
He also challenged the students to pursue excellence in every aspect of their work, including tasks they might consider insignificant.
On the need for continuous development, Garba warned that professionals who fail to update their knowledge risk being left behind by changing technology and workplace practices.
“The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming irrelevant,” he said.
He urged the students to acquire additional skills beyond their academic disciplines, recalling how he complemented his quantity surveying background with knowledge of business and management.
Garba also highlighted the importance of relationships and networking, saying some of the opportunities that shaped his career came through personal connections rather than conventional applications.
“Treat everyone with dignity. Maintain relationships. One conversation can change your life forever,” he advised.
On resilience, the business executive encouraged students to see failure and setbacks as part of the process of achieving success rather than reasons to abandon their ambitions.
He described Nigeria as a country with significant opportunities across sectors including agriculture, technology, mining, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, the digital economy and the creative industry.
Garba urged the students to position themselves to take advantage of these opportunities by developing marketable skills, broadening their knowledge and remaining adaptable to changes in the economy.
He also encouraged them to view leadership as an opportunity to serve others, stressing that the greatest value of success lies in creating opportunities, improving communities and positively influencing society.
Expressing appreciation to ABU for inviting him back to share his experience, Garba urged the university to remain committed to producing leaders, innovators and nation-builders capable of contributing to the transformation of Nigeria and Africa.
