Young scholars tasked on value-addition, focus

The Chief Commercial Officer of Airtel Nigeria, Femi Oshilaja, has tasked young Nigerian scholars on the need for value addition while remaining focused on set objectives.

He stated this while delivering his keynote address entitled “Sustaining Focus in an Uncertain World,” during the onboarding of 100 graduate-students awarded scholarships and end-to-end mentorship by I-Scholar Initiative, a non-governmental organisation.

The annual scholarship programme, according to iSI Executive Secretary, Dr Olufemi Fajolu, covers payment of application fees and two standardised tests required by top universities in North America and Europe: Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Oshinlaja, who is also an iSI partner, charged the scholars to add value to people and every endeavour they engage in so as to drive positive impact.

“When volatility or change comes, because you have a vision as an anchor, what might change is the pathway, but your values will not change. Values underline a vision in the sense that being a person of integrity, a smart worker, being honest and ready to help people help to build a positive impact.

“For every person I come in contact with, am I adding value? For everything brought to me or that I have to do, am I adding value? That will keep you awake to your responsibilities.

“And this has really helped me because, while trying to make a positive impact, I’ve been able to help others. I’ve been recommended for many opportunities because people saw that whatever you give Femi to do, he pays attention to it and does it properly,” he said.

He also charged the scholars to build agility by prioritising flexibility and adaptability in the journey to greatness and building processes that allow for rapid iteration and adjustment.

He advised that embracing new learning and emerging technology can help individuals to stay ahead of the curve in a fast-changing environment even as he canvassed for building resilience and prioritising collaboration with a diverse range of stakeholders.

Oshinlaja added: “There are things in life that are beyond our circle of influence or control. You just need to focus on what you can control. You need to be very careful to pick out what matters and just focus on them. Don’t be pulled out by the noise or distracted and don’t give up.

“Everything is possible. Nothing is impossible once you put your mind to it. Again, another thing you will come across is that there’ll be a lot of complexity. So you need to make decisions with as little information as you have.

“And every time you face a difficult situation, just always remember you’re not the only person facing a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. To survive and thrive in an uncertain world, it requires you to have a different approach with sustained focus.

“Ensure that you hold what you are in control of and grind it with sustained focus so as to thrive in an uncertain world. Dealing with volatility means having a vision and staying true to that vision.”

The iSI revealed that between 2019 and 2023, more than 250 Nigerians have benefited from the over $180,000 iSI scholarship programme which has yielded over $30 million in scholarships in foreign universities with some of the beneficiaries having completed their education and are now working in various fields.

Commenting on the group’s strides over the years, iSI BoT Chair, Mrs Tolu Ewherido, stated, “As an organisation, we have committed ourselves to building a pipeline filled with talented Nigerians whose capacities would be tapped for the needed development of the nation.”

She added, “We need to broaden our reach in Nigeria and Africa. And to do this, we need access to more funding, so we need to expand our private me corporate donor base.”

In his remarks, iSI President, Victor Ogunmola, also called for more funding to support more scholars, stating that “I echo the gratitude expressed by our BoT chair to all our stakeholders and especially, our donors.

“Without them, we can’t do any of what we are doing. So, I won’t be mistaken to say that they are the engine that powers this organisation.”