From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has advised universities in Nigeria to develop mentorship programmes for youths to enable them to be credible and worthy leaders of the country.
He also advised universities to emulate the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and takes a cue from their model of students mentorship to build leaders for the country.
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Speaking at the 2025 University Award of Excellence in Research Practice held at the Oduduwa Hall of OAU, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Tuesday, the monarch posited that the best way to prepare the students for the challenges ahead is to embrace mentorship.
He said, “This is laudable for the OAU stars. They are in safe hands with the likes of Professor John Adegbulugbe, Professor Yusuf Alli and now Alhaji Murtadha Adeniji, your future is secure. I have always advocated the necessity of mentorship for students and youths in general to prepare them for the challenge of nation building.
“I hope and believe other universities in Nigeria would look at the success stories of this one and build on it to have a viable mentorship programme for the youth across the country in a very short period,” Ooni said.
Meanwhile, the OAU has deployed successful and distinguished alumni to mentor students and prepare them in multi-sectoral leadership through intensive one year programme.
Speaking at the event, the 2025 honourary awardee, Adeniji said the 350 students handed over to him for mentorship would go through rigorous process which is embedded in integrity to ensure that they stand through any circumstances without compromising their integrity.
The OAU alumnus promised to employ 40 students of the school at his cocoa processing company, to ensure value-chain for the raw material and create job for youths in the country.
He said, “As we prepare to relaunch Multi-Trex Integrated Foods PLC, I see a new horizon opening, not just for Starlink, but for Nigeria. It will allow us to process cocoa into butter, liquor, and powder on an industrial scale. We will no longer ship all our raw material abroad and buy back finished goods at ten times the price. We’ll retain value, create jobs and generate foreign exchange without draining our economy,” Adeniji said.
The Vice-Chancellor for OAU, Professor Simeon Bamire, said the programme which is the third in its series is not just to celebrate distinguished and successful alumni but to offer a platform for OAU stars (students with distinguished performance in academics), the opportunity to enjoy mentorship from those who have excelled in the industry.
He said, “The first set of 250 students went through a rigorous mentorship with Professor Adegbulugbe, Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, the second set of 380 students were mentored by Professor Yusuf Alli, SAN, a legal luminary and now a set of 350 students would be mentored by Alhaji Adeniji, a agricprenuer of international repute. Gradually we will achieve the objectives of producing problem-solving leaders for Nigeria.”
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