Dr. Daere Akobo, Group CEO of PANA Holdings
Dr Daere Akobo, Group CEO of PANA Holdings, has called for a transformative approach to university education in Nigeria, urging institutions to prioritise innovation, intellectual property creation, and industry partnerships as key drivers of economic growth.
Speaking at the combined 37th and 38th convocation of Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, Akobo highlighted Nigeria’s low innovation output, averaging just two patents per one million people annually, and challenged universities to graduate students with commercially viable intellectual property rather than only academic qualifications.
Using his career journey, from General Electric Nigeria to leading a multi-sector conglomerate, Akobo illustrated how innovation, when supported, can generate significant economic value.
He cited global examples, including MIT and IIT Madras, as models for building research-driven, commercially impactful ecosystems.
He called for the adoption of the “triple helix” model, integrating universities, industry, and government, to embed industry realities into curricula, co-create technology, and contribute to policymaking.
Akobo urged RSU to establish a technology hub, attract corporate research funding, and convert renewable energy and other academic outputs into commercial ventures.
On leadership and entrepreneurship, he outlined his “Five P’s” framework: purpose, philosophy, process, product, and people, warning graduates against overreliance on “family, friends, and fools” that can stifle progress.
He encouraged graduates to pursue goals with urgency, stating, “A dream without a deadline is a nightmare.”
Akobo, an RSU alumnus with postgraduate qualifications from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, has attended executive programmes at Harvard, INSEAD, and Manchester Business School, and recently received an honorary Doctor of Business Management from Obafemi Awolowo University.
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