The Chairman of Sobi 101.9FM, Lukman Mustapha, on Sunday, hosted no fewer than 80 Kwara young entrepreneurs, professionals and innovators to a cocktail interactive session.
The session, held at The Sydney in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, gave the budding entrepreneurs platform to closely engage with the business mogul and garner ideas from his experience as one of the top bankers in the country.
Speaking after the event, the SOBI FM boss said the gathering was initially meant to create a platform for teaming youth to interact, network and get the needed push, but however ended up revealing the abundance of untapped goldmine and economic potentials in the state.
He said, “I believe very sincerely that if what I saw in those young Kwarans is what we reflect as a people, there is a great hope of better future for Kwara state.
“Surprisingly, as I learnt during the interaction, that it was arguably the first time such a gathering will bring them all together in that kind of convivial atmosphere, I then wonder what could have been, had there been a platform to genuinely harmonise, harvest, polish and unleash their individual and collective potentials, filled with positive adrenaline.
“I understand, from our interactions that a number of them struggling to thrive in their area of interest are confronted with several challenges, which to me, are not peculiar to Kwara youths alone and if we allow such challenge (s) to weigh us down, it is not real but amounts to mere ‘excuse’; perhaps, challenges are those critical preconditions for sustainable success and greatness.
“I encourage them all to do a soul search and think about extending our horizons to the global front. We must think beyond Ilorin, Kwara state or Nigeria, the urge to be global competitor will inspire us to offer values that are not only outstanding on the local front, but comparatively on same pedestal or better off values accessible elsewhere.
“This cannot be achieved without necessary information, skills, mentorship, support, and collaborations.
“On my part, I have vowed to henceforth at intervals hangout, engage, mentor, encourage and push the Kwara youth to success in my own little way.
“In the next couple of weeks, my team and I, will come up with strategic and realistic steps to concretize the takeaways from the historic and unforgettable hangout.”
Speaking earlier during the session, Lukman shared his experiences as an entrepreneur, as well as key lessons for business in the state, including strategy to make small establishments grow.
The attendees cut across all spheres of life – students, academics, entertainers, cinematographers, agriprenuers, tech guys, online media practitioners among others.
