By Blessing Ekpo, Ilorin08 July 2021   |   4:01 am

Bishop David Oyedepo | KanyiDailyThe Chancellor and Chairman, Board of Regents of Landmark University, Bishop David Oyedepo, has warned Nigerian youths against negative usage of social media.Oyedepo, while commending the positive advantages of modern global network, warned that this generation may lose her human potentials to negative social media disaster if urgent steps to check free and unhindered access to the network is not taken.He spoke on the theme, “Combating the challenge of education without integration,” at the 7th convocation ceremony of the university.xThe chancellor noted that social media unconsciously robs people of their future by stealing their time.He said: “This social media saga has eroded the substance of destiny of most youths today because they chat all day, with no time left to think, plan, programme and engage productively in the pursuit of any task.“Everything of value delivers through investment of time. Youths who spend less than 10 to 20 per cent of their time on their task per day must not expect to get the same result with those who spend 70 to 80 per cent on their task. What is supposed to be a plus has suddenly become a major minus. We must devise means to put a check on free access to social media particularly those that are not adding values, Oyedepo said.While stressing the importance of effective time management in attaining self-sufficiency and self-reliance in life, Oyedepo urged graduating students to always demonstrate productive responsibility in the worthwhile tasks ahead of them.Besides, he advised parents to allow them develop themselves, pointing out that “no eaglet emerges an eagle in the nest.”“These young people are no longer babies; therefore, they must not be found on your laps. Every eaglet must be allowed to go out to the air, or else they would die as eaglets in the nest. Give them the opportunity to develop their wings,”he said.In the same vein, Group Managing Director, the Hebron Group, Mr Alphonsus Inyang, in his keynote address titled: “Leveraging Agripreneurship for employment, wealth creation and national development,” called on the graduating students, as well as Nigerian youths to allow agriculture stimulate their interest, noting that the future belongs to those who are willing to tap the goldmine – agriculture and the business opportunities that come with it.Inyang reminded that the nation is not looking for jobseekers but job creators; hence agripreneurship can assist in job and wealth creation for national development, an unmistakable role of universities, which the institution promotes distinctively.The Vice-Chancellor, Prof Adeniyi Adeyanju said despite the pandemic that foisted lockdown on the world, the university’s faith and stake in driving continuous engagement with students and improvement on its services never changed.
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