By Sidi A. Umar Sokoto
Sultan of Sokoto, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, has commended the Tony Elumelu Foundation and its Founder, Tony O. Elumelu, for their contributions to entrepreneurship and jobs creation in the North. Th e Sultan made the commendation when the Chairman of UBA Group and Founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation, Tony Elumelu, paid him a courtesy visit shortly before the National Dialogue Series at the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, where Elumelu gave a speech to university students and civic leaders. Th e monarch noted that Elumelu’s intervention, through his Foundation, and entrepreneurship advocacy had created jobs and helped in creating security in the North by keeping idle youths off the streets. “
We need more Tony Elumelus. We need more Aliko Dangotes. We continue to appreciate what you are doing for our youth because when you take these children off the streets, you provide the means for them to live a simple life. In that regard, we have a bit of security,” he said. Th e event, tagged “Entrepreneurship: An Antidote to Nigerian Youth Unemployment,” was held at the University Campus of the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and was hosted by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, who commended Elumelu on his dedication to encouraging entrepreneurship among the youth. “We have been following your activities.
Of recent the activity that caught our eyes is the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme where you set aside $100 million for the next 10 years to ensure that African youth, not only Nigerians, but African youth develop Africa,” he said. Responding, Elumeluappreciated the University for the Opportunity to share his message of Africapitalism with the students. He charged the students to adopt the philosophy, noting that it would help them understand their place in transforming Africa. “To attain long term success, I want you to adopt Africapitalism as a guiding philosophy.
I want you to develop a keen sense of awareness that Africa is in dire need of leaders both in the private and public sectors and your ideas can indeed transform the continent,” he said. He charged them to assume responsibility for developing the African continent, saying “nobody but us will develop Africa; Africa’s destiny lies in the hands of all of us, Africans.”
