Renowned business executive and entrepreneur, Lawal Garba, has returned to his alma mater, Ahmadu Bello University, ABU, Zaria, urging students to embrace integrity, excellence, continuous learning and resilience as essential ingredients for enduring success.
Garba, who is the Chairman of Trobell International Nigeria Ltd, gave the advice at the weekend when he returned to his alma mater as the keynote speaker at the second edition of the university’s Lunch with the Vice-Chancellor programme held at the Yusufu Bala Usman Hall, Main Campus, Samaru.
The initiative, which was launched last year, provides an informal setting where students interact with the Vice-Chancellor and accomplished individuals who share personal experiences and practical lessons on navigating academic, professional and entrepreneurial challenges.
Speaking on the theme, “The Lawal Garba Way: Building Enterprises, Creating Opportunities, Transforming Lives,” Garba reflected on his transition from a Quantity Surveying graduate to a successful entrepreneur, saying his achievements were the product of perseverance, discipline, hard work and faith.
He explained that his career path was not defined by privilege or instant breakthroughs, but by a willingness to remain focused despite disappointments and difficult circumstances.
Garba, who made significant contributions to the quantity surveying profession, also recounted his pioneering role in Nigeria’s banking industry, where he became the first graduate of Quantity Surveying to establish a property cost-control function.
According to him, some of the most important lessons of his career came from opportunities he lost, setbacks he encountered and occasions when he deliberately sacrificed immediate benefits in favour of principles and long-term goals.
He said Trobell Nigeria Ltd began on a relatively small scale and grew by consistently demonstrating competence and earning the confidence of its clients.
While recalling one of the company’s early projects, Garba said the firm was chosen despite not being the largest bidder because the client trusted its ability and commitment to deliver.
That experience, he said, strengthened his belief that “credibility often matters more than size” in building a sustainable enterprise.
Garba identified integrity as the foundation upon which every meaningful career or business should be built.
He told the students that trust, accumulated over time, could open doors that money, qualifications or connections alone might not unlock, noting that he had seen multimillion-naira contracts secured largely because of longstanding relationships built on credibility.
He also encouraged the students not to underestimate the importance of excellence, particularly in areas that may initially appear insignificant.
Beyond academic qualifications, Garba urged them to remain curious and deliberately acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their careers.
“The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming irrelevant,” he warned, citing the experience of professionals who became less competitive because they failed to adapt to digital technologies and contemporary project-management practices.
The business executive further highlighted the value of relationships and networking, advising the students to treat people with respect regardless of their social or professional status.
He noted that several of the opportunities that shaped his career came through relationships rather than conventional applications.
“Treat everyone with dignity. Maintain relationships. One conversation can change your life forever,” he said.
Garba also encouraged the students to develop the capacity to withstand setbacks, stressing that failure should not be interpreted as the end of a journey but as one of the experiences that can prepare an individual for greater success.
He described Nigeria as a country with enormous untapped potential and urged young people to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities in agriculture, technology, mining, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, the digital economy and the creative sector.
To remain competitive, he advised students to combine their academic training with practical and marketable skills, while developing knowledge outside their immediate fields of study.
Garba recalled that although he trained as a Quantity Surveyor, his exposure to business and management significantly complemented his professional education and contributed to his entrepreneurial journey.
He also urged the students to view leadership as an opportunity to serve others rather than merely as a pathway to personal achievement.
According to him, the real value of success is measured by the lives touched, opportunities created and communities transformed.
Garba expressed appreciation to the university for inviting him back to share his experiences, describing the opportunity as a chance to give back to an institution that played an important role in his development.
He called on ABU to continue nurturing students who would not only excel professionally but also emerge as responsible leaders, innovators and nation-builders capable of contributing meaningfully to the transformation of Nigeria and the African continent.
