Abuja: Former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr Abubakar Yar'Adua, has advised secondary school students to remain focused on their chosen careers and uphold integrity in all their endeavours. Yar'Adua, who is also one of the founding members of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), made the call at a public lecture held in his honour to mark his 76th birthday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the event, titled '1st Engr. Abubakar Lawal Yar'Adua Public Lecture and 76th Birthday Celebration', was organised by the Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers (NSChE), a division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), FCT/Nasarawa Chapter. The lecture had as its theme: 'Artificial Intelligence as a Catalyst for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Productivity in the Digital Age'.
Yar'Adua encouraged students to take their studies seriously, ask questions when in doubt, and respect their teachers, noting that honesty and discipline remain essential to success. He urged students not to base their performance on financial gains and to avoid corruption, emphasizing that their best efforts would eventually be rewarding.
He also expressed optimism about Nigeria's development potential, urging leaders to prioritize national interest over personal gains. Yar'Adua highlighted the country's abundant resources and called for leadership focused on progress rather than personal enrichment.
The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Ibrahim Abba, a former Group Executive Director (GED), Corporate Services at NNPCL, praised Yar'Adua as a visionary engineer who brought transformative changes during his tenure as GMD. Abba described him as honest, transparent, and dedicated to both his profession and community.
The guest speaker, Dr Makama Abdullahi of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, addressed the need for policy frameworks to regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nigeria's education sector. He pointed out that while AI offers numerous advantages, unregulated use could lead to dependency and intellectual laziness among students. Abdullahi emphasized the need for proactive discussions and regulatory policies to manage AI's impact on productivity, innovation, and the future workforce.