Embrace innovation, courage, Sanwo-Olu urges Babcock graduates

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu addressed 3,521 graduates at Babcock University, urging them to embrace innovation and courage as they enter the global stage. The university celebrated 306 First-Class honours recipients, with Economics graduate Oluwapelumi Amosu earning the title of overall best student and a ₦10 million prize for her 4.96 CGPA.

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The word Nova is derived from Latin and also refers to a remarkable astronomical event characterised by a sudden burst of extraordinary brightness. Your class name is much more than an identity. It is a philosophy. It is a declaration. It is a prophecy.

Sanwo-Olu, delivering the convocation lecture titled “Breaking New Grounds,” christened the graduating class the “Nova Class.” He likened their name to a celestial event signifying a sudden burst of brightness, representing a new dawn and hope. He encouraged the graduates to remain steadfast amidst uncertainty, viewing challenges as stepping stones to greatness.

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The rehearsal is over. The time has come to step onto the global stage and demonstrate what you have learned, who you have become and what you are capable of achieving.

He stressed that success requires more than academic excellence, highlighting discipline, preparation, and value creation as indispensable. “The world does not automatically reward potential. It rewards preparation, value, consistency and the courage to create opportunities,” Sanwo-Olu stated, urging graduates to demand excellence from themselves daily.

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The world does not automatically reward potential. It rewards preparation, value, consistency and the courage to create opportunities. You must demand excellence of yourselves every single day.

Reflecting on his own graduation in 1988, the governor contrasted the analogue era of his youth with today’s digital age. He noted that his generation navigated a world without the internet, mobile phones, or social media, relying on printed materials and fixed lines. “Today, you carry the world in your pockets. Information that once required weeks of research is now available in seconds,” he observed, highlighting the vastly expanded opportunities accessible in the current era.

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There was no internet. There were no mobile phones. There were no emails. There was certainly no TikTok, Instagram or Snapchat. Today, you carry the world in your pockets. Information that once required weeks of research is now available in seconds. Opportunities that were once limited by geography are now accessible from almost anywhere.