Former Governor of Akwa Ibom Mr Udom Emmanuel has said that Nigerians should not lose hope despite the present economic challenges.
Speaking as a Guest Lecturer during the fifth convocation ceremony of the Mountain Top University, Prayer City, Ogun State last weekend, Udom said Nigerians must challenge their minds to rise above the myriads of challenges facing the world today.
According to the former, the world we live in today is characterized by very high pace and scale of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.
His words “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 daily. Many are filled with fear at the uncertainty of what the future holds.
“But hope is the one attribute we must never lose”.
He charged the graduating students to take time out to have a vision for their lives adding that one must have a mental picture of what future he wants to create.
Emmanuel who lectured on the topic “Optimizing Your Potentials In A Challenging Future” told graduates to be bold in their vision to boost their chances of achieving their dreams to be successful.
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He recounted how he conceptualized the idea of a state-owned airline for Akwa Ibom State, even before the assumption of office in 2015.
In addition to the Ibom airline which is presently considered one of the best in Africa, he mentioned how he followed his vision of transforming Akwa Ibom into a financial, economic and technological hub.
“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” he said.
