'Innovate or we die," - Kogi Deputy Governor challenges graduands as FUL holds 3th & 4th combined convocation »

Graduating students of the Federal University Lokoja have been charged to embrace innovation by coming up with new ideas for self reliance and the continued growth and development of the country.

The Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Chief Edward Onoja gave the charge in his address at the their and fourth combined convocation ceremony of the institution held at the institution’s permanent site in Lokoja where he represented the Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

He warned the graduands not to allow formal education and degrees deceive them and called on them to strive for their success after now which lies more in their passion, vision and actions than the piece of paper in their possession.

He therefore advised them to develop an entrepreneurial mindset which will instantly transform them as people into a factor of production. “If you work hard enough from that position, you will ultimately mobilise the other factors of production – capital, labour and land – to make your dreams come true.

“In the world you are going to meet, you most disrupt or be disrupted. You must innovate or we die. I was in the banking sector before joining Government and I can tell you for free that new technology and process quickly changed the way we used to do things and those banks and bankers who did not update themselves quickly fell by the way.

“If you are to disrupt and succeed, you have to be ready to upgrade yourselves or even abandon your current skills for new skills. This is called the ‘Learn, Unlearn and Re-learn’ mind-set by Lim Seng, a veritable disruptor if ever there was one.”

On her part, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Angela Miri had in her address applauded the Kogi State Government for continued support to the institution and appealed for further assistance to help the university grow.

She noted that the support enjoyed by her from the government has in no small ways helped her to achieve the many laudable academic and non academic successes since her assumption of office.

A total of 642 graduands in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Faculty of Science were convoked with 22 bagging first class and others receivin various classes of degrees.