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Remita Payment Services Limited (RPSL) has advised the engineering students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, to look beyond degrees and build solutions that matter for the development of Nigeria.
Speaking at the 2026 Technology and Engineering Students’ Association (TESA) conference, Remita reaffirmed its commitment to nurture the next generation of innovators across the board.
Representing the company, the Executive Director, Technology, Mujib Ishola, led a fireside chat titled “Beyond the Degree: How Engineers Are Redefining Success Across Industries,” and served as a judge during the conference’s innovation hackathon, sharing practical insights on leadership, innovation and the future of engineering.
“Technology advances when ideas become solutions, but innovation ecosystems thrive when knowledge, experience and opportunity pass from one generation to the next,” he said.
Addressing the students, aspiring engineers and young innovators, he challenged participants to embrace engineering as a discipline centred on solving meaningful problems, creating value and continuously learning in an ever-changing world.
He challenged the students to think of engineering less as a profession and more as a mindset built around solving problems that leave a lasting mark.
He spoke about his own path in leadership, urging the students to treat growth as ongoing rather than something they eventually arrive at. “Leadership is a continuous learning experience. There isn’t a handbook that prepares you for every challenge because technology, business and the world are constantly changing. Every day presents a new opportunity to learn, adapt and grow,” he stated.
Drawing on Remita’s experience building some of Nigeria’s most widely used payment infrastructure, he explained that innovation often calls for difficult decisions, especially when organisations must back ambitious ideas without knowing how they will turn out.
“Some of the most important decisions are the ones where the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Sometimes you have to commit resources, bring different stakeholders together and believe in what the solution can become. That’s how meaningful innovation happens,” he remarked.
Building technology at scale, he noted, takes more than technical skill and collaboration across industries, institutions and regulators to produce solutions that can serve millions of people well.
Turning to Nigeria’s payment ecosystem, he noted that competition should not be seen as a threat but as something that sharpens creativity and forces better problem-solving.
“Competition has always existed and that’s a good thing because it pushes us to think differently. At the end of the day, people are not looking for payments; they are looking to solve everyday problems. Payments simply enable those solutions,” he added.
Understanding the real problem behind a product, he said, is what gives innovators’ work lasting relevance.
The expert pointed that speed cannot come at the expense of trust, which he described as the ground every technology business stands on. As digital services weave further into daily life, he said, security and data protection have to be treated as core responsibilities rather than afterthoughts. “When decisions affect security and data, there is very little room for compromise. Trust is the foundation of every technology business and protecting it must always come first,” he cautioned.
Beyond the fireside conversation, he also examined the conference’s innovation, hackathon, where students worked through practical technology solutions to real-world problems. The experience, he said, was a reminder of why young innovators need room to experiment, collaborate and turn ideas into working products.
He charged the students to stay confident in what they already know, while staying open to what they still have to learn. “Be confident in what you know and be humble enough to learn what you don’t. The knowledge you seek already exists in someone else’s experience. Never stop learning, because that is how great innovators are built,” he submitted.
