Don’t Celebrate Ignorance, Sanwo-Olu Tells Nigerian Youths
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Nigerian youths to reject the growing culture of glorifying ignorance, saying they should embrace knowledge, curiosity and substance regardless of their views on the ongoing “Olodo uprising” debate.
Sanwo-Olu gave the advice while delivering the lecture at the 2026 convocation ceremony of Babcock University, themed “Breaking New Grounds,” where he also received the university’s Leadership and Service Award for excellence in governance.
The governor said there was nothing wrong with building influence and attracting an audience through substance rather than ignorance.
“Whatever your position on the Olodo uprising debate, make up your mind never to glorify ignorance or a lack of curiosity. There is nothing wrong with building an audience on substance,” he said.
He noted that individuals and institutions make progress by taking bold steps despite uncertainty, stressing that success depends on the willingness to keep learning, adapt quickly and move beyond past setbacks.
Reflecting on his undergraduate days at the University of Lagos, where he graduated with a degree in Surveying in 1988, Sanwo-Olu described how much the world had changed over the past four decades.
“It was a very different world back then. If any of you were taken from the present and dropped into 1988, you would find it near impossible to recognise. No Internet, no mobile phones, no email. The digital screens we knew were mostly television sets and simple calculators. Everything else was analogue,” he said.
The governor congratulated the graduating students and urged them to uphold the values of excellence, discipline and integrity instilled in them by the university as they pursue their careers.
Sanwo-Olu was also honoured with the university’s Leadership and Service Award in recognition of what the institution described as his outstanding performance and excellence in governance.
Receiving the award, the governor described leadership as a responsibility founded on integrity, accountability and service to humanity.
He commended Babcock University for maintaining high academic standards and producing graduates who have distinguished themselves in different professions.
Speaking on behalf of the graduating students, Miss Simisola Abore described their academic journey as challenging but rewarding, expressing gratitude to God for seeing them through.
She urged her fellow graduates to remain united and continue to uphold the values of the institution as they begin a new phase of their lives.
