By Esther Onyegbula

Students and young professionals in Nigeria have been urged to embrace continuous learning, develop multi-disciplinary skills and position themselves for opportunities in the evolving global economy driven by technology and artificial intelligence, AI.

The charge was given by the Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom Media Group for West and Central Africa, Yinka Adebayo, during the maiden edition of Bells University Career Kaleidoscope themed, “Revolving and Thriving in a Multi-skilled World.”

Addressing students at the event, Adebayo stressed the need for youths to build relevance, resilience and adaptability in order to remain competitive in the workplace.
According to him, “Bear in mind, if your presence is not felt, your absence will not be missed. You’ve got to make it count when it counts.

“The future is yours to create. Nigeria is a youthful population with enormous energy and opportunities. With the right skill, the right mindset and persistence, you can build a remarkable career and contribute to Nigeria’s growth.”

He noted that economic challenges confronting Nigeria should not discourage young people, insisting that crises often create opportunities for innovation and enterprise.
“The same economic pressure making some companies close down is the same pressure making some companies grow and acquire others. Challenges are opportunities in disguise.

“Crisis will always be the best platform for a good manager to excel. Wherever there is a problem, there is an opportunity for solution providers,” he said.
Adebayo further urged students to continually reinvent themselves through personal branding, upskilling and strategic networking.

“As an individual, you need to repackage yourself, reposition yourself and constantly restructure yourself. That is the only way you can remain relevant.
“Learning and development must always continue. Don’t say because you are out of school, learning is over. Development starts with training, but it never ends there,” he added.

Speaking on the growing influence of AI, the media executive advised students across all disciplines to understand and leverage emerging technologies.
“If AI is going to lead the world, then everybody must prepare for it. Whether you are in medicine, law, science or entertainment, AI will be useful to you.

“It’s either you are a developer or a user. The question is: How well positioned are you beyond what you were taught within the four walls of the classroom?” he asked.
He also emphasised the importance of experience and networking in career growth, arguing that formal education alone was insufficient in today’s job market.

“Education gives you the foundation, but experience and networking help you commercialise your ideas and create impact,” he stated.

Also speaking, Senior Product Designer at Flutterwave, Aladenusi Adewunmi, identified skills shortage and migration of professionals as major contributors to Nigeria’s widening talent gap.
According to him, “A lot of mid-level and senior professionals left the country too quickly because of the japa trend, leaving a gap between juniors and executives.

“The people meant to guide the younger professionals are no longer around. So, it’s an ecosystem problem, a structural problem and also a leadership problem.”
Adewunmi, however, expressed optimism that the situation would improve with increased mentorship and industry engagement.
“We need more events like this. We need more people to intentionally give back by teaching and mentoring younger talents.

“Kids these days are more entrepreneurial, they learn faster, adapt faster and are hungrier to succeed,” he said.

On his part, founding partner at Wamiri, Tolu Alebiosu, challenged students to think beyond Nigeria and build globally competitive solutions.
“The world does not care about our problems; we have to care about our problems ourselves.

“Anything you are building should solve global problems, not just local ones. The world is already globalised and your competition is no longer just within Nigeria but with your peers across the world,” he said.
Alebiosu urged young Nigerians to leverage AI tools and digital platforms to amplify their strengths and create value at scale.

“We cannot compete with China in manufacturing, but we can compete with skilled labour and talent export. Young people need to identify what they are naturally good at and amplify those skills using technology,” he added.

Earlier, President of the Bells University Students Association, Olowo Covenant, said the Career Kaleidoscope initiative was designed to bridge different industries and expose students to opportunities in a rapidly changing world.
“The purpose of the event is to connect different sectors, technology, entertainment, food and other industries, together.
“We want students to understand sustainability and how they can continue to build on what has started here even years after graduation,” he said.

Highlights of the event included two panel sessions moderated by Frank Cleave Kasimanwuna and Feyisayo Olatunji.
The first panel, titled “Day in the Life, What Work Looks Like Across Industries,” featured speakers including Tolu Alebiosu, Aladenusi Adewunmi, Tunde Adesanya and Dr. Adekola Adegoke.

The second session, “Lights, Camera, Paycheck: Building Careers in Entertainment,” featured discussions with Tega Clifford, Joey Akan, Sien Essien and Adeola Amosun.