By Bala Ibrahim
Over the weekend, precisely, Friday, 14th February 2025, Khaleel Suleiman Halilu, the Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria’s National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), delivered an interesting address, at the Bayero University’s 39th Convocation, wherein he appealed to us all, to rise to the occasion of confronting our collective challenges, by leveraging on the confidence of courage.
Speaking to the rich audience of adults and academicians, alongside the cream and captains of industry, young Khaleel, pulled courage to deliver a strong message to his audience, by calling on them to embrace the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in shaping Nigeria’s future.
The paper, titled, Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A Pathway to National Development, was more of a wake-up call for Nigeria and Nigerians, to realize that, Innovation Not Oil Is the New Gold.
Paraphrasing the words of Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French General, and statesman, who rose to prominence during the French Revolution, and one that led a series of campaigns across Europe, during the Napoleonic wars, Khaleel said, “Start where you are, with what you have”. That is simply calling for the courage of confidence.
According to Napoleon, courage isn’t having the strength to go on – it is going on when you don’t have strength. Yes, courage motivates us to face our fears, stand by our values, and pursue our true selves, even when the world seems against us. In support of Napoleon, Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. the American professional tennis player, who won three Grand Slam titles in two in doubles, added his voice, thus, Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can”.
Those familiar with the successes of Ashe, know that he was a gifted tennis player, who won many national and world championships, often referred to as the first African-American to do so. I may be exaggerating, but, with the kind of courage being exhibited by Khaleel, in the discharge of his duties, methinks, he shares in the courage of confidence with Arthur Robert Ashe Jr.
Like Ashe, Khaleel is fast building a reputation at NASENI, that encourages people to take simple steps to make a difference in their lives.
Since he assumed duty at the agency, whose major mission is to establish and nurture an appropriate and dynamic Science and Engineering infrastructure base for achieving home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization, Khaleel seems to be reminding everyone who cares to listen, that, people can build on what they already have.
And despite his youthfulness, he always speaks with the maturity and confidence that indeed Nigeria can get to the peak because it has what it takes to achieve home-initiated Science and Engineering Infrastructure.
Also, taking a cue from the members of his constituency-the teaming youth of the country, Khaleel centred his lecture on the urgent need for Nigeria to harness its youthful population and embrace technology-driven entrepreneurship, to drive economic growth and global competitiveness.
He said, “with a projected population of 264.1 million by 2030, Nigeria faces a critical challenge: how to turn its demographic strength into an economic advantage. The country must produce a generation of skilled leaders equipped to navigate the fourth industrial revolution.
He said global data has shown that high-income nations boast significantly higher entrepreneurial density than developing economies.
Despite efforts by the Nigerian government—such as the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and various youth empowerment initiatives, the impact has been insufficient due to weak implementation, poor data tracking, and an unfavourable business environment.
For that, Khaleel urged the government to recalibrate its policies, citing global success stories such as Estonia’s e-Residency program, which has attracted entrepreneurs worldwide and propelled the country’s business growth. Nigeria must create a similar ecosystem to support start-ups and digital innovation, he said.
As the Guest Lecturer, he used the opportunity to draw the attention of the University to align with global trends, by adopting multidisciplinary curricula, and enhancing partnerships between the academia, industry, and the government.
For example, he mentioned NASENI’s efforts to foster home-grown innovation, including the development of electric vehicles, local drone production, and modern irrigation technology.
Impliedly, young Khaleel told the audience, in particular the youth, not to be swayed, or be discouraged into moving in the reverse direction, because of age, lack of material resources, or things like that, but be bold enough to start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can to move forward.
Yes, he cited courage to encourage the confidence of courage, in everyone that calls himself or herself, a part and parcel of the country called Nigeria.
