Fashola charges LASU graduates to embrace future with skills, technology, self-discipline
By Sodiq Adelakun
A Former Minister of Works and Housing, Dr. Babatunde Fashola, has urged fresh graduates and youths to equip themselves with skills, technology, and self-discipline to embrace the future.
Speaking at the 27th Convocation Lecture of Lagos State University (LASU), Fashola emphasized that the youth must prepare for the vast possibilities of prosperity that will elevate the human race.
He highlighted the importance of navigating the intersection of technology and humanity, urging young people to be proactive in shaping their future.
The lecture, themed “Embracing the Future: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Humanity,” inspired the graduates to be forward-thinking and adaptable in a rapidly changing world.
In his words, “After all the celebrations, you need to reflect and remember this part; self-discipline. It will show you the way away from drugs, crime, belief in wealth without work, and search for miracles of wealth.
“Only hard work provides sustainable wealth; not rituals, not fake pastors or imams, and not trafficking in illicit drugs.
“Self-discipline will be the element that completes all the work your parents and guardians have done and what your lecturers have done.
“It will concretise your character and define your reputation. It will be the compass for your integrity and determine whether you are worthy of trust,” Fashola said.
Fashola also noted that the students were entering a world where technology is rapidly advancing, and talent is being rewarded on an unprecedented scale.
He emphasized that this presents a unique opportunity for them to leverage their skills and knowledge to achieve great things and reap the rewards of their hard work.
“One generation ago, there was no internet as we know it today. Google Maps Today was a story I read in the Newsweek or Time Magazine… in 1985 to 1986, of a plan to digitally map the surface of the earth.
“Today, I use the platform to find locations and it is now helping to predict travel time because something new has been added to it – artificial intelligence – based on extensive supercomputing powers.
“The world that awaits you is a world where human beings have developed enormous machine learning capacities,” Fashola added.
