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Youths have been urged to shun the negative use of social media such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) as it exposes them to addiction, cyber bullying, distraction and false information.
Principal of Laureates College, Lagos, Olugbemiga Ayuba, made the call while speaking at the 2025 Valedictory Service of the school held recently in Lagos.
Ayuba also advised teachers and parents to be aware of these social media to be able to track and monitor their children.
“Up your game as parents so that it doesn’t go beyond what they do with their talents. As you are also trying to reduce the effect, you still have to be online with your children to checkmate their activities on the social media’’.
While emphasising the need for youths to acquire skills he said, “the 35 graduating students of the school have shown some exceptional skills.
“This is a school that develops skills. Once we notice a child’s skill, we work along to develop it, whether arts or science. We believe that a child must be well rounded. It’s not only academics that make the world of today.”
Ayuba added that the school makes use of electronic gadgets such as projectors in order to meet up with the trends, thereby carrying along the children in modern technology. “A child that was thought with projector, the brain will fly higher than the projector. We develop talents and we encourage them. People should not wait until they will be using ordinary certificate to be running about looking for a job. That is the problem we have in this country.
“Everybody is carrying certificate looking for job, and there are no jobs. People should think out of the box. Our school is in line with the government policy of establishing skills. We have gone past that stage.
“We started since last year. As they are graduating, they have skills that they can fall back on. In academics, they are also there”.
On the other hand, he commended the introduction of Computer Based Testing
(CBT) in WAEC examination by the federal government describing it as a panacea to examination malpractice facing education sector in the country.
“It has reduced malpractice a lot. They have succeeded to reduce it in Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). With this they have made examination malpractices almost impossible”.
Explaining how it was achieved, he noted that the questions are different permutations. He commended it as a good system, adding that the only shortcut to success is that the students should practice and re-practice. “They should be conscious of computer time. Their brains should be fast. You may be academically sound but slow. The future of examination is CBT. It helps in the fast release of examination results too.”
He encouraged teachers to teach well to enhance performance of a child, instead of helping them in malpractice.
In his word of exhortation titled, “Soaring Beyond Limits,” Pastor Yomi Laju admonished the graduating students not to allow people to define who they are.
He said: “If there is anything someone said you can’t achieve, you must achieve it. Develop and improve your mindset.
“Think beyond the university. Think of where you will be in the next 20 years. Set goals that will push you beyond limit. God will cause your dream to come to pass. Make sure your goals are intimidating by setting yourself the goals that will make you soar.”
Pastor Laju however told them that to achieve their set goals they must commit themselves to handwork.
“A time will come when names will open doors. Put in hard work. As you go out there, don’t believe that there is shortcut. What kind of name would you want to make for yourself. Surround yourself with positive influences.
High point of the event was awards given to “Overall Best Graduating Student” 2025, Oluwajomiloju Lawrence while Boquibat Shodunke was honoured for scoring 320 marks in Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).