By Abdul-Mumin Abdul-Quadir
* Platform rewards 10 young innovators with over ₦15m
Professionals have been urged to deliberately mentor younger colleagues, share knowledge and create opportunities for their growth as a way of strengthening the workforce and contributing to national development.
The call was made at the Nasir Giwa Mentoring Conference 5.0, held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at D’Podium Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos.
The conference, which marked the 10th anniversary of the Nasir Giwa Mentoring Platform, also featured two business pitch competitions designed to support young entrepreneurs and innovators with practical solutions to societal problems.
The Dare Nigeria Challenge awarded ₦10 million to four finalists, while the NGM Afropreneur SME Pitch rewarded four winners with ₦5.5 million, in addition to ₦500,000 consolation prizes shared among four other finalists.
Giwa urges professionals to mentor younger generation
Founder and Grand Mentor of the Nasir Giwa Mentoring Platform, Engr Nasir Giwa, urged Muslim professionals to create mentoring networks and help younger people avoid some of the difficulties they encountered early in their careers.
Giwa said, “More than any other group, Muslim professionals need to come out of their shells and create mentoring networks for the younger generation. It is a great need of the time. We can’t afford to watch them make the same mistakes we made earlier in life.”
He said the NGM Platform had been opening opportunities for young people through mentoring, competitions and professional engagements, adding that the initiative had grown from four mentees to more than 400.
Giwa said his commitment to mentoring was influenced by his experience after graduating as an engineer and struggling to secure professional placement.
“I studied engineering, graduated from school, but found it very hard to secure a placement. I eventually got one after years through someone I knew. It was really a trying experience, so I decided that I wouldn’t let my junior colleagues go through the hardship I experienced,” he said.
He recalled that he later had about 20 interns from different parts of the country working in his office, prompting him to engage other engineers in mentoring younger professionals.
According to Giwa, mentoring also taught him that career advancement depended on more than hard work.
“I’ve worked for multinationals all my life and I’ve realised that career growth and development is not pegged on hard work only. It thrives on visibility, making yourself available and accessible too,” he said.
Rogers challenges youths to embrace purpose
Keynote Speaker, Russell Rogers, from the United States, urged young Nigerians to identify meaningful areas of interest, develop themselves and contribute to solving societal problems.
Rogers, who is the CEO of Adaptive, said young people had a responsibility to respond to challenges including climate change and geopolitical problems.
“Humanity battles different problems.
Particularly in Nigeria, there’s climate change, geopolitical issues, among others. We want the youths to rise up to the challenge and do something now,” he said.
He advised young people who were still trying to find their paths to explore areas they found meaningful, noting that failure could provide valuable lessons.
“Even if it doesn’t flourish at the initial stage, it gives you the opportunity to fail, learn and grow. That way, you can evolve through your passion,” Rogers said.
He also encouraged young professionals to embrace Artificial Intelligence as a tool for improving productivity and professional performance.
Adeshina: Turn ideas into solutions
Speaking on the Dare Nigeria Challenge, Kola Adeshina challenged young Nigerians to identify problems around them and turn their abilities into solutions that could create value.
Adeshina said many people remained poor because they had failed to identify and harness their inherent capabilities.
“The big talk right now is the refinery, but we all forget that we all have refineries inherent in us. So, what are we all doing with our internal refineries?” he asked.
He challenged young people to develop their skills, character, competence and discipline while paying closer attention to problems and opportunities within their communities.
“Many join the bandwagon and complain without any action. Only a few make way for themselves by actually solving the problem,” Adeshina said.
He said the Dare Nigeria Challenge was established to help young innovators scale their ideas while solving real problems.
“The idea around this programme is simple. How do you innovate, help solve the problems of people around and scale whilst helping humanity? How do you help people and still live a life that is worthwhile?” he said.
Adeshina commended the finalists for focusing on issues including healthcare, food, water, clothing and security.
Four innovators win ₦10m
The Dare Nigeria Challenge attracted 81 entries, which underwent screening before four finalists emerged to pitch their ideas before the judges and audience.
Fathia Mojeed of Quida, a security networking software designed to improve personal safety, won the top prize of ₦4 million.
Ayisat Adamu of Rekool Access Box received ₦3 million, while Henry Lamba of ReinLight and Mubarak Mustapha of AceMax received ₦1.5 million each.
The competition was conceived by Adeshina after he served as keynote speaker at the previous NGM conference. Giwa said Adeshina was inspired by the platform and subsequently established the fund to promote creativity, innovation and courage among young entrepreneurs.
One of the judges, wealth manager Aisha Adedeji, said the judges focused on the feasibility, marketability and sustainability of the ideas.
“I’m looking at the practicality of the ideas. Everyone has brilliant ideas, but if the judges ask you questions and you’re unable to provide answers, it shows that you haven’t really thought about your idea,” Adedeji said.
She added that contestants needed confidence and conviction to communicate the value of their ideas effectively.
NGM Afropreneur pitch rewards four winners
The NGM Afropreneur SME Pitch Competition, funded by a ₦100 million multiyear pledge from Afropreneur and Verraki Partners, also produced four winners.
The competition received 62 applications, which were subjected to screening from the entry stage through the quarterfinals, semifinals and boot camp before four finalists emerged.
Safyarn Craft, founded by Safanah Dhikrullah, won ₦2.5 million, while Scholar Tutors Online Tutorials, STOT, founded by Abdulrasheed Sifawu, received ₦1.5 million.
Fitire Design, founded by Kaosarah Sanni, won ₦1 million, while UniVee and Leathers, founded by Muhibat Olagoke, received ₦500,000.
Four other finalists also received ₦500,000 consolation prizes.
Experts stress problem solving and knowledge transfer
Another highlight of the conference was a panel session featuring Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Russell Rogers, Dr Adebola Ismail Akindele, Temitope Yusuf and Salamat Rahman.
The panelists encouraged young people to break complex societal problems into smaller, manageable challenges and develop practical solutions.
They also advised participants to seek guidance, ask questions, use their time productively and cultivate problem solving mindsets.
Akindele, who attended the conference for the first time, commended the organisers for the structure and quality of the programme.
“This is the first time I’m joining the conference and I’m really impressed. I’m amazed by the level of organisation. Everything is well structured,” he said.
He also criticised the failure to transfer knowledge and professional experience to younger generations, stressing the role of mentoring in bridging the gap.
Participants commend organisers
Participants said the conference offered practical lessons on career development, perseverance and personal responsibility.
Adrian Oke said the programme changed his perspective on professional growth, particularly the need for patience and perseverance.
“I’ve learnt that as Gen Zs, we must learn the process. We are passionate about our dreams and aspirations, but we should all learn to follow the process with patience and perseverance,” he said.
A final year student of the University of Lagos, Zainab Abdulganiyu, said the conference taught her to learn from failure and take greater responsibility for solving societal problems.
“I’ve learnt a lot here today. That we should not dwell on our failures, but learn from them instead. One of the speakers also said that we shouldn’t expect government to solve all our problems. We should also take responsibility,” she said.
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