Yinka Badejo
The Group Managing Director of Interswitch Group, Mr Mitchell Elegbe, has said that having a high intelligence quotient is necessary, but not enough to make a headway in life, as emotional intelligence has become a necessity in today’s world.
He said this to the 81 finalists of the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition during the InterswitchSPAK Masterclass 1.0, held in Lagos on Monday.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Responsibility of Youths’, Elegbe said, “Emotional quotient or emotional intelligence is very necessary in today’s world. What this means is that your high scores and academic brilliance might have got you this far but you need a lot more than that to be successful in life. The reason is that Nigeria continues to churn out highly intelligent people every day, so the only thing that will make you stand out in life is that extra quality. This is where emotional strength, which includes attitude and good character, come into play.”
Elegbe further challenged the students to break out of their cocoons and strive to be the best in their chosen careers, noting that challenges create opportunities for growth, as many innovators in the world today identified problems in the society and then proffered solutions to them.
He said, “If you come from a poor home, you are in a better position to see problems that need to be solved because those challenges are always around you. So, my advice is just be focused and be the best you can be.”
Steering the pupils from the notion that success can only be achieved outside the country, the CEO Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mr Yinka Sanni, who spoke on the topic, ‘Social Innovation; The Power of Transformative Ideas’, noted that “most of the wealthiest Nigerians made most of their money in the country. I hope pupils will accept this challenge to generate ideas that will help the country solve real problems to improve the lives of the people. This country has real problems and social innovation starts with you seeing a specific problem and finding a solution to it.”
On her part, the Managing Director, Endeavor Nigeria, Ms Eloho Omame, addressed the topic, ‘Entrepreneurship; A Tool to creating Impact in Our Society where she challenged pupils to start businesses that would provide employment and invariably grow the economy.
Following the Innovation Challenge is the TV quiz competition on STEM subjects for home viewers, targeted at pupils from 14 to 17 years of age in SS 2. The winner would be awarded a N7.5 million scholarship for five years in a tertiary institution. The second prize would be N4.5 million in scholarship funding over three years, while the third prize would be a N1.5 million scholarship for one year.
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