Engr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo Bags Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (Photos)

On November 12, 2021, Engr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo, the CEO of Slot Systems Limited, was privileged to receive an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) from Abia State University, at the recently held 27th and 28th Convocation Ceremony, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of Education and Service to humanity.

READ THE SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE FOUNDER & CEO SLOT SYSTEMS LTD, ENGR. NNAMDI EZEIGBO AT THE 27TH & 28TH  CONVOCATION CEREMONY OF ABIA STATE UNIVERSITY , UTURU. ON FRIDAY NOVEMBER 12TH 2021

His Excellency,
The Governor of Abia state ,
Okezie Ikpeazu PhD
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Onyemachi Ogbulu
Chancellor of this great  University, 
Fellow esteemed awardees,
Gentlemen of the Press,
The new graduates, Ladies and gentlemen
All protocol duly observed.


I am indeed honoured to be here today and much more highly honoured to be receiving this prestigious award. This is a major award for me, and for the fact that it is coming from my state university is something that gladdens my heart. The gesture is beyond a conferment and as it is in recognition of my contributions towards my immediate society and state, I already feel so encouraged to do much more.
It is worthy to note that this award is coming from a university that has produced iconic individuals that are making their marks in our society and beyond. I am thankful that I am deemed worthy by such a citadel of quality education. It is also pertinent to state that this award has ignited the need to x-ray the importance and impact of purpose on our lives, and on our society.
I believe that we all know that everything in life has got its purpose and when we are able to identify such a purpose, it becomes clearer to see its impact.
This also applies to every institution. The University is an institution and its purpose is to impact and transform society and this is possible if it would assume the place of a production house that would process raw materials and produce refined goods for our society the way this esteemed institution has been doing.  Every university is expected to influence its immediate environment. Globally, there are universities and other educational institutions that have influenced growth in many sectors. For instance, The University of Stanford in California is known to have immeasurably impacted the Silicon Valley and other American societies. In the same vein, Lagos Business School in Nigeria has created change leaders in Nigeria and in Africa.
The world over, students from universities are increasingly becoming the products that are required in research, in analytics, engineering, information technology and leadership.
Against this backdrop, Abia State University should continue the tradition of maintaining academic rigour and excellence, engaging high quality  lecturers, sustaining depth of research, and  encouraging critical ⁰and  skills as these will inevitably make a considerable impact, not just on the  Abian society, but on Nigeria at large. We need to bring all these to bear on The Ariara market and other business clusters and hubs in Abia state and  Imo state. 
Moreover, it is important that every university try as much as possible to identify knowledge gaps and set forth to produce skilled individuals to fill those gaps. In Abia State and other  eastern states, I see the need to equip small and medium enterprises  with the skills that will enable  them to expand and build  sustainable businesses. This gap is predominantly seen because of the popular apprenticeship model– “Igba boy” which is very peculiar to this clime. But this business model has only helped in building operational skills.  Operational skills, you will agree with me, are not enough to build a reputable business model that would help businesses expand and gain traction. Also, there is the paucity of management and organisational skills.  These are the skills that can help business owners expand their horizons and help individuals achieve sustainable wealth. 

Towards this end, I propose that this prestigious school can introduce a two- month certificate program where these young entrepreneurs can come in, preferably 2 days a week, to acquire these skills. Professionals who are seasoned entrepreneurs can be invited to participate in the process and help mentor them in this entrepreneurial journey.

Also, ABSU could consider designing programs that will solve the specific problems of our businessmen in Abia State. This will encourage entrepreneurship and as we do this, not only would this impact the eastern states, but it would transform the rest of Nigeria.                 

Once again, I am grateful to receive this honour together with very distinguished figures who have shown their mettle in their endeavours.   I must congratulate those graduating today and of course,  parents for it is a milestone attained through hardwork and many sacrifices. It is my prayer that each and every one of the graduates will benefit from the opportunities needed to thrive in the unpredictable and ever challenging world out there. Thank you.