By Rukayat Moisemhe
Career experts have urged young Nigerians to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI), continuous learning and integrity to remain competitive in an evolving workplace.
The experts gave the advice on Saturday at the New Estate Baptist Church (NEBC) Foresight Ministry Career Fair 2.0 in Lagos.
The fair had the theme: “Future Ready: Workplace Alignment.”
Chief Executive Officer of Lawbreed Ltd., Mr Layi Babatunde (SAN), said AI would increasingly automate routine digital tasks such as data entry, transcription, basic customer support and low-complexity bookkeeping.
He, however, said careers requiring human judgment, creativity, accountability, trust and physical presence would remain relevant.
“The currency of the future is integrity. Technology will continue to change the way we work, but human values and sound judgment will remain indispensable,” he said.
Babatunde urged young people to continually upgrade their skills, remain globally competitive and combine faith with knowledge, accountability and excellence.
People Operations Expert, Mrs Omosigho Ozor, advised young professionals to prioritise competence over immediate financial rewards in the early stages of their careers.
She encouraged volunteering, continuous learning and relationship building to improve career prospects.
According to her, professionals aspiring to leadership roles must complement technical competence with strategic thinking, financial literacy, organisational awareness and people management skills.
“Leadership is a different profession. It is no longer about doing the work yourself, but enabling others to succeed,” she said.
Ozor added that professionals who effectively combined AI tools with human judgment would remain valuable despite rapid technological changes.
She identified lifelong learning, adaptability, digital literacy, networking, business knowledge, reputation and value creation as critical for long-term career success.
An AI specialist, Mr Justice Anaba, urged professionals to deploy AI responsibly to improve productivity and accelerate career growth.
He identified learning faster, increasing professional visibility, improving employability and enhancing workplace performance as key benefits of AI.
Anaba advised job seekers to tailor their CVs with relevant skills and keywords to improve visibility in AI-assisted recruitment processes.
He cautioned against relying solely on AI-generated content without verification or exposing confidential information on public AI platforms.
“AI should serve as an assistant to enhance productivity rather than replace human judgment and ethical responsibility,” he said.
Earlier, the Senior Pastor of NEBC, Rev. Amos Kuntat, said the career fair was organised to inspire young people to discover purpose and contribute to tackling unemployment through entrepreneurship and job creation.
“Our desire is to stir something in young people that will make them become productive and impact generations to come,” he said.
The church’s Youth and Education Minister, Rev. Solomon Ajibade, said the initiative was designed to equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace.
He added that the church planned to expand the programme beyond its congregation.
Youth President of the NEBC, Mrs Omotayo Okewunmi, said the fair featured CV reviews, mock interviews, career mentoring sessions, networking opportunities and a business pitch competition.
She added that the ministry planned to establish a business hub to connect entrepreneurs within the church and promote collaboration.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mary Obadan, founder of Ryad’s Genesis, won the competition’s N1 million business grant.
Obadan’s business pitch on the production and sale of personal care products, home care products and resin art pieces emerged the most outstanding among seven entries. (NAN)
Edited by Chinyere Nwachukwu