The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has charged the over three thousand, five hundred graduates of Babcock University to embrace faith, resilience and purpose as they stepped into a rapidly changing world.
Speaking on the theme, “Breaking New Ground: Faith, Grit and the Work of New Beginnings,” the Governor described the graduating class, known as the NOVA Class of 2026, as a generation entering a world filled with both opportunities and uncertainties.
Sanwo-Olu told the graduates that “Nova” meaning “new” in Latin and an astronomical burst of light was both their identity and a prophecy.
“Your name is a new spirit, a new hope, a new chapter a new beginning,” he said. “The rehearsal is ending, and now you must show the world what you’ve got. The world will not give you what you believe you deserve; it will only give you what you demand of it.”
He urged them to accept the world as it is and work to shape it, noting that while his own graduation from UNILAG in 1988 was in a pre-internet era, today’s graduates have tools he never had but face the same challenge of turning opportunity into impact.
Drawing from Philippians 3:13-14 and the parable of the Chinese farmer, the Governor said breakthroughs require acting without full certainty.
“You do not need absolute clarity to take the next step. What matters most is faith the capacity to press forward, learn fast, and adapt nimbly,” he said. “Get used to trying and failing. Life rewards those who rise fastest after failing.”
Reflecting on his seven years as Governor of Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said his tenure began with uncertainty and was immediately tested by COVID-19 and the #EndSARS protests.
“Had I been told my first two years would look like this, I probably would not have believed it,” he said. “We do not often get to choose what life sends our way, our choice lies in how we respond and adapt.”
He cited Lagos’ response to the pandemic, the development of two rail lines with a third nearing financial close, budget growth from under N900 billion in 2019 to N4.44 trillion in 2026, new universities, a digital learning rollout, and thousands of housing units as examples of “unglamorous, slow” work that breaks new ground.
The Governor gave practical advice on institutionalizing innovation: embed it in structures, not personalities; come to government with pilots and evidence, not just pitches; frame solutions around public problems; and exercise patience with government processes.
“Government moves slower than a startup — often for good reasons: public money demands public accountability,” he said. “The entrepreneurs who have changed Nigeria treated government as a partner to be persuaded with evidence.”
He also linked the graduates’ future to President Bola Tinubu’s national reforms, describing them as painful but necessary steps to lay a foundation for inclusive growth.
Sanwo-Olu warned against celebrating vitality over value, urging graduates to build substance over social media hype.
“Never glorify ignorance or a lack of curiosity. There is nothing wrong with building an audience but let what you offer be built on substance,” he said.
He cited Babcock alumni like Davido, BNXN, and Paystack co-founders Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi as examples of graduates who built on excellence.
Quoting Barack Obama, he added: “The future belongs to young people with an education and the imagination to create.”
The Governor who urged Graduands to Go And Break New Ground’, tied the class colors to their mandate: White for a fresh beginning, Gold for enduring excellence, and Purple for royalty and responsibility.
“You are the NOVA class, new light, suddenly and intensely bright. Carry that fully. Go, and break new ground,” he declared.
The Governor was also presented with the leadership and Service Award for his outstanding performance and excellence in Lagos State by the management of Babcock University
In his remarks, Babcock University’s President/ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Afolarin Ojewole, thanked the Governor for honoring the invitation and described Babcock as a pacesetter in medicine, law, nursing, accounting, music and public service in its just over three decades.
The event was attended by members of the Board of Trustees, Governing Council, Senate, leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, royal fathers, captains of industry, parents, and faculty.
