By Deborah Adeseyoju & Yetunde Wuraola Adesina
The Great Ife Students’ Union, through the Office of the Financial Secretary, hosted its 2026 Career and Financial Summit on June 27, bringing together students and professionals to discuss career development, financial literacy and personal growth under the theme, ‘Becoming the Best Version of Yourself.’ The event, which commenced at about 11:00 a.m, aimed to help students identify their potential and intentionally pursue personal and professional growth.
The programme featured notable dignitaries including Mr Temitope Oshuntuyi, Dr Akinkunle Akiode, Segun Aremu, Professor Rafiu Oyewola Salawu, Adebayo Stephen, Dr Akinkunle A. Akinode and Mr Charles Fakrogha, the managing director of ECL Asset Management Limited.
Speakers Emphasise Personal Growth, Financial Discipline
The major highlight of the summit was the keynote speech session. Mr Temitope Oshuntuyi, a certified coach and speaker, highlighted thirteen steps to becoming a better version of oneself alongside universal laws and key tenets that would help in becoming. The law of mentalism was the first he mentioned amongst a host of others. He explained how it involved the individual mind not being separate from the mind of infinite intelligence. ‘No matter who we are, our mind is an extension of God’s mind’ he said. He also advised choosing whether to develop physically, mentally or spiritually.
In his speech, he transformed the word ‘SUMMIT’ into an acronym, assigning a meaningful principle to each letter. ‘S’ meaning self-awareness, ‘U’ meaning up-skill, both ‘M’s’ meaning ‘mindset’ and ‘money management’, ‘I’ meaning ‘integrity’ and ‘T’ meaning ‘transition’. He also emphasised learning how to earn, save and manage money.
Building on the keynote address, Dr Akinkunle Akiode, Lead Partner, Akiode & Co Chartered Accountants, encouraged students to embrace continuous self-improvement and personal growth. Similarly, Mr Charles Fakrogha emphasised prudent financial management and resilience in the face of challenges.
Financial Literacy Quiz Rewards Participants
Amongst many other events that made the summit memorable was the Zedcrest Tournament. Zedcrest, one of the sponsors of the conference, held a virtual fire quiz game centred around financial literacy. The runners-up were compensated with souvenirs while the winner was awarded a packaged item and a cash prize of 10,000 naira.
Essay Competition
Aminat Bello, the first runner-up, received a 50 per cent scholarship, while Abdul Quadri won a full scholarship after emerging as the overall winner.
Award Presentation and Closing Remarks
The summit concluded with award presentations to the speakers and a vote of appreciation from the Financial Secretary, bringing to a close a programme that encouraged students to invest intentionally in their personal growth, careers and financial future.