Keynote Speech by Frank Nweke II at the Alumni Dinner Lecture at Coal City University, Enugu State, Nigeria.
Protocols.
1.
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” - Abraham Lincoln and Peter Drucker.
Ladies and gentlemen, graduating class of Coal City University, that quote which has been attributed to Abraham Lincoln and sometimes, to Peter Drucker, will be my gift and charge to you tonight as we celebrate the grand occasion of your graduation from this institution.
Congratulations on your commitment and resilience through your 4 to 6 years in school. From the reports I get from my young wards, ‘the thing nor easy o’. But you persevered and made it through! Congratulations!
2.
I have chosen to speak to you on the theme - Imagine: Create Your Future. Over the next 15 minutes, I want to excite your imagination to dream of things beyond your immediate sentiency and understanding of your world as it is today. I hope to show that the possibilities of a future you desire are only limited by your vision and your ability to create it.
My opening quote in its succinctness, has proven to be correct through generations and centuries of economic and social revolutions.
3.
Permit me to share some examples that may sound simplistic, but will excite your minds.
Could you lift your mobile phones?
Is there anyone in the hall who has never had or has never seen a mobile phone?
The first mobile phone was created in 1973 by a Motorola engineer called Martic Cooper. It looked nothing like the sleek devices you have in your hands now. It was huge and had a battery life of 20 minutes. But, here’s the interesting part; it was inspired by the popular movie series - Star Trek, which started airing in 1966. Today, there is no nation that has not been changed by the invention of the mobile phone.
Many of you are likely under 24 or 25. But have you by any chance seen the movies - the Terminator from 1984 and Total Recall from 1990, both starring Arnold Schwarzenegger?
Both sci-fi movies predicted incredible things that seemed like fiction and nothing more. But in 2001, the US military deployed the MQ-1 Predator, a military drone capable of firing weapons that were triggered remotely by ground operators. It was one of the visions of the future portrayed in The Terminator. Today, we have witnessed the invention of driverless cars which were portrayed in Total Recall as robotic-driven cars.
4.
Today, we are wonderstruck by the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We have come a long way from George Devol’s 1954 robot, called Unimate, which was a hydraulic arm that could lift heavy loads. Today, robots have become more advanced, and ethical concerns about their ability to learn and feel have become pertinent in global conversations. Smart Houses have also become a reality.
In 1999, Microsoft released a prescient vision of a Smart House powered by a PC, but do you know that in 1977, a movie titled ‘Demon Seed’ portrayed the possibility of a Smart House? In the movie, a scientist develops Proteus IV, an artificially intelligent computer that starts off on a positive note by curing leukaemia. But it quickly spirals out of control when the computer develops an unhealthy crush on its creator's wife, installs itself on a computer in their home, and takes control of all the technology and devices there.
That was 1977. Today, we have Smart Homes. We have IBM’s ROSS, the first artificially intelligent attorney in the world. We have AlphaZero, a Chess engine that mastered the game in just a few hours of playing. We have an ongoing debate on the ethical grounds for making sentient robots - that is, robots that become aware of their emotions.
I shudder to think of the world debating the rights of robots to marry humans.
But in a nutshell, all of these incredible inventions came from the imagination of some people.
5.
Moving away from sci-fi, did you ever see or hear about the TV series called 24? Jack Bauer was the main character in the hit show but my focus is on the Democratic Party’s President Palmer, a well-loved character played by the African-American actor Dennis Haysbert. Before this series, there had also been dozens of portrayals in music, movies, and books about the United States electing an African American as president. They were whetting the minds of the American public in preparation for what was to come, without any certainty of how it would happen.
The first season of 24 aired in 2001, but would continue its prevalence in popular culture through its 9 seasons, which ended in 2010. A young black senator by the name of Barack Obama would wow the world as he introduced presidential hopeful, John Kerry with the acclaimed speech, The Audacity of Hope, in 2004. By 2007, he announced his desire to run for president. In November 2008, he was sworn in as the first African-American president of the United States of America.
24, and the other creative materials may not have been the reason why Obama won the elections. But it embedded the possibility in the minds of people, making it easier for many to pursue the realization of that dream.
6.
Now, let’s bring this home. What kinds of movies were popular in Nollywood in the 90s and early 2000s?
Movies with the themes of ritualistic killings for money and fame, prostitution, family dysfunction, violence, and crime. Do these sound familiar with the loss of values that we decry today? Granted, all came with some moral lesson or the other. But a key point to note is that many reflected and tried to correct popular behaviour, and very few attempts were made to create culture.
This is not a criticism of our industry in comparison with the USA. Hollywood also has its good share of movies that have promoted the moral decadence their nation has fallen into today.
7.
I am not here to expound on the theory of life imitating art. But the trend from these examples tells us clearly that there is a connection between the imaginary world and real life.
Imagination is the creative power to control what the future will be, for yourself and for society.
George Bernard Shaw said, “Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.”
This is what drives people like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, Serena and Venus Williams. It is the reason I wake up every day and get to work in spite of how I feel about the state of our economy and society. It is the reason I am here today because I imagine a future where you will reshape the fortunes of our country in whatever capacity you choose to occupy. My job is to prepare you for that future.
The question is, “What can you imagine and how can you go about creating it?”
8.
Imagination is born from the need to solve problems, improve the human condition, and ignite change.
I find this portion of Coal City University's vision quite instructional: to “create and apply knowledge for the prosperity and well-being of citizens of its city, its region, and the global community.”
This is what is known as ‘infinite thinking’. A dream that is bigger than your personal desires has a great chance of success.
I am sure that you know about the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft. Apple has been able to penetrate the market and grow its share because Steve Jobs was focused on creating products that empower the world to challenge the status quo, while Microsoft was obsessed with becoming the biggest technology company in the world by beating Apple.
What has been the result of that? In 2013, Microsoft was the dominant Operating System (OS) in the world with a market share of 90%. Apple’s IOS was at 7%. Today, although Microsoft still dominates, it now controls 70% of the market and Apple has grown to command a fifth of the market at 20%. That is a massive growth. As of November 2023, Apple has a 29.64% share of the global smartphone market. The Microsoft phone - Lumia has fallen below 1% market penetration.
As you engage your imagination and draw up a vision for your life, I encourage you to see the opportunities in our current challenges, think beyond yourself; and think about making an infinite impact that outlives you.
9.
Lifelong learning and personal development
Imagination is not the end game. You need a plan. You need to take action. Your vision should be compelling enough to chart a path through your current reality. Therefore, the first thing I encourage you to do is to get hungry and stay hungry for knowledge. You must become voracious learners. Today, your mobile phones and the internet have made the world a small classroom. Unfortunately, the majority has embraced the excuse that humans now have shorter attention spans. But it really comes down to what you consider a priority.
I urge you to embrace a culture of lifelong learning and continuous personal development.
10.
The 21st Century World
Today, the skills needed in the workforce are changing rapidly as our world experiences a Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by increased connectivity, automation, artificial intelligence, robotics, The Internet of Things, and a quest for the sustainability of the earth and its people.
New jobs are being created and the existing jobs are also changing. In addition to all you have learned from this school, you must take up the responsibility of learning skills needed to take the opportunities of this 21st century.
For example, E-commerce Specialists, Digital Transformation Specialists, and Digital Marketing and Strategy Specialists are expected to increase by 25-35%, with an increase of 2 million jobs worldwide. Jobs in the Education industry are expected to grow at around 10% during the 2023–2027 period, leading to the creation of an estimated 3 million jobs.
Your goal must be to get equipped and empowered to take these opportunities. The world is not waiting for you to catch up. You must learn how to match its pace.
11.
The global workforce
The world has become flat in terms of access to opportunities. The digital landscape has coalesced geographical boundaries and cultural lines. You can live in Nigeria, and work remotely with organizations in other countries.
As Nigeria battles a steep unemployment situation, you must take advantage of these opportunities that the increased connectivity and technological advancement have provided.
In addition to remote jobs are opportunities for physical work in different parts of the world. While my first desire is that you stay and build Nigeria, I also recognize that the world is indeed a global village, JAPA syndrome or not.
Today, countries in the West actively encourage the immigration of skilled workers to address their labour shortages due to low birth rates. In addition to jobs in the medical fields, Information Technology, and Engineering, they are also inviting skilled craftsmen - that is artisans, carpenters, metal and woodworks, electricians, industrial cleaning, personal hygiene workers, tailors, hairdressers, chefs and so on.
These are jobs that we look down on here but countries in the West recognize their importance and have built this sector into their formal economy.
12.
Adapt and Evolve
One of the best expressions of success which I have seen is Earl Nightingale’s, in which he defined ‘success as the progressive realization of a worthy ideal’.
In other words, in so far as you are working towards your purpose, you are a success and otherwise, you are not.
You won’t always be the same person you are today. You are not supposed to be. You must meet every challenge with a readiness to challenge your old mindset and evolve into a better version of yourself. While your purpose and vision may be unchanging, the methods and paths to achieving them must remain flexible.
13.
A charge to Coal City University
Once again, I salute the Honourable Chancellor, Sir Chinedu Anih, Vice Chancellor, Professor Afam Icha-Ituma, and every member of the esteemed faculty of Coal City University.
I applaud your vision and commitment to producing graduates who are well-rounded, entrepreneurial, and globally employable for the well-being of the city, region, and global community.
As a young institution without the constraints of legacy, I charge you to keep pushing the boundaries of education delivery in the southeast and in Nigeria. I would like to see you reinvent our approach to research and development. Your Applied Science Faculty can become the pioneer for a Space Lab in the region and open the vista for machine learning and artificial intelligence. Your Arts, Social and Management Sciences Faculty can pioneer a Social Lab to create and test development frameworks. Your Education Faculty can pioneer an Early Childhood Education research centre.
I charge you to become a catalyst for the reenactment of great innovations that birth the revolutions of the 1950s and 1960s in this region.
14.
Conclusion
I will conclude with a story about Shamsudeen, one of my sons who is currently studying aeronautical engineering at the Airforce Institute of Technology in Kaduna. When our paths crossed and I decided to support his dreams to pursue his education, I had no idea of what that would look like.
Today, I find myself inspired by his dedication to his dreams as he has begun to produce drone and aeroplane prototypes using locally sourced materials. The future is patiently waiting to deliver his success to him as he continues down that path.
The future is unwritten, waiting for you to shape it with your imagination, belief, and determination. By unleashing your creativity, you can build a future that is not defined by challenges but by possibilities. Your generation has the ingenuity, passion, and vibrancy to imagine a new state and nation and make it a reality.
It all begins in your mind.
References
CodeMotion, 2023. The Ultimate Checkmate: AI and Chess Engines. November, 2023.
https://www.codemotion.com/magazine/ai-ml/the-ultimate-checkmate-ai-and-chess-engines/
Business Insider, 2019, Predictions from Old Sci-Fi Movies. November, 2023. https://www.businessinsider.com/sci-fi-movie-predictions-2019-5?r=US&IR=T
Today.Com, 2016, Haysbert 24 Role. November, 2023.
https://www.today.com/popculture/haysbert-thinks-his-24-role-helped-obama-1c9413332
Merengwa, Carol C., "Na Our Cinema Be This: The Evolution of Themes in Nigerian Cinema" (2023). Honors Undergraduate Theses. 1381. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses/1381
World Economic Forum, 2023. Future of Jobs Report, November 2023
https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/digest/
Oberlo, 2023, Smartphone Market share. November, 2023.
Statista, 2023. Operating Systems Market Share. November 30, 2023.
QZ.Com, 2014. Microsoft’s smart home of 1999 predicts our lives today. November, 2023
https://qz.com/216699/watch-how-eerily-microsofts-smart-home-of-1999-predicts-our-lives-today
