Judul : Yusuf Ali's MENLeaders Programme Concludes with Grand Finale, Unlocks New Opportunities for OAU Students
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Yusuf Ali's MENLeaders Programme Concludes with Grand Finale, Unlocks New Opportunities for OAU Students
By: Afeez Olagunju
"Everything that starts must eventually come to an end," the well-known saying established the mood on Wednesday when the Yusuf Olaolu Ali MENLeaders Programme concluded its ceremony at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, marking the end of a year filled with rigorous leadership and innovation training, and welcoming new aspirations for the young scholars who completed the mentorship.
The MENLeaders program, established by renowned attorney Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali, SAN, in collaboration with Fifty Fifty Institute Limited headed by Prof. Muritala Awodun, is specifically aimed at the university's highest-achieving students, commonly referred to as OAU Stars.
In the last year, the mentees participated in a structured program consisting of three modules: Creativity for Impact (CFI), Social Reform for Change (SRC), and Emerging National Leaders (ENL). Each module lasted three months and included online lectures, videos, reading materials, and assessed tasks.
Since its debut in 2024 at the second edition of the OAU Stars event, where 312 students were recognized and Prof. Ali was awarded for Outstanding Research and Development, the MENLeaders Programme has evolved into one of OAU's most significant student development initiatives.
The final event brought together a notable group of officials and respected individuals. Mr. Olanrewaju Olaoye, the OAU Public Relations Officer, who hosted the ceremony, greeted prominent guests such as Emeritus Professor Funmi Togonu-Bickersteth, who served twice as OAU Deputy Vice-Chancellor and was former Pro-Chancellor of two federal universities; Professor Akinyemi, OAU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Development and Innovation; Professor G. A. Aderounmu, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics; and the program's founder, Prof. Yusuf Olaolu Ali.
In her opening speech, Prof. Grace Ogunlusi, head of IPTTO, commended the mentees for their dedication and emphasized the program's significant influence on student growth.
While speaking, Prof. Akinyemi highlighted how lucky the students were to take part in a program of such depth, an opportunity that, he mentioned, was not available to previous generations.
He remembered his discussions with Prof. Ali when the award for excellence in research and academic development, which later led to the creation of MENLeaders, was being developed, referring to the Senior Advocate as a "builder of men" whose support for his university has remained constant.
Professor Aderounmu later spoke to the audience on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, who arrived at the event partway through.
The standout event of the day was the presentation session, during which the 10 MENLeaders groups demonstrated their business initiatives that were inspired by the mentorship modules. Their presentations highlighted a mix of innovation and social consciousness, including Cereus Edtech M8 Limited, creators of Anaxim AI, an artificial intelligence learning assistant; NutriHub and Vita Foods in the nutrition and food processing field; EATEASY, a quick-service food solution; Ecowaste Solutions, with a recycling and environmental sanitation project; FMCG Shopping, an online commerce venture; MENTRA, dedicated to mental health services; AllStar Biogas in the clean-energy area; and a locally made oil and oil-cake business presented by Group 1. Each group explained how the CFI, SRC, and ENL modules had influenced their projects and enhanced their personal leadership development.
Each engaged participant was presented with an award of distinction prior to the announcement of prizes for the highest-performing teams across the three modules.
In the Creativity for Impact module, Group 8 led with 87.25 percent, followed by Group 3 at 78.50 percent and Group 1 at 78.13 percent. The Social Reform for Change module was won by Group 4 with 95.30 percent, ahead of Group 1 with 94.60 percent and Group 3 with 94.50 percent. In the Emerging National Leaders module, Group 4 once again topped the list with 96.10 percent, closely followed by Group 6 with 96.00 percent and Group 1 with 95.40 percent.
Each module saw the winner receiving N500,000, the first runner-up getting N300,000, and the second runner-up awarded N200,000. The top overall group, Group 8, won the grand prize of N1 million, while Groups 1 and 3 secured second and third positions, with the first runner-up earning N600,000 and the second runner-up receiving N400,000.
In his final address to the students, Professor Yusuf Olaolu Ali encouraged them to stay committed to continuous learning and to keep making valuable contributions to society.
"A person who ceases to learn is effectively dead. Likewise, someone who loses hope can turn into a threat, often ending up as a robber or abductor. Continue to learn. Keep constructing. Keep contributing," he said to them.
Retired Professor Togonu-Bickersteth praised the students' intelligence and observed that current university students are experiencing possibilities that were beyond imagination in previous years.
The Deputy Chancellor, in his own comments, thanked Professor Ali for his ongoing assistance to OAU.
He revealed that right after the ceremony, the university would move forward with the groundbreaking of an advanced innovation hub provided by Professor Ali, the WEIRD Centre.
The gathering concluded with the performance of the OAU anthem and the opening stanza of the national anthem. A thank you speech delivered by Aaron Asiyanbola, speaking on behalf of the victorious Group 8, brought the ceremony to a hopeful close as he stated that the mentees now feel obligated to contribute back to OAU and Nigeria as a whole.
•Olagunju is a graduate student at OAU, Ile Ife.
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