Prominent Nigerian entrepreneur and founder of Miva University, Sim Shagaya, has revealed a target to reach one million students as part of their strategic vision for the future of education in Nigeria.
Shagaya stated this yesterday during his 50th birthday celebration, which included a special colloquium with the theme, “Legacy of Leadership: Innovating for Impact and Building the Future Through Education and Enterprise.”
He reflected on his journey with Miva University, expressing a sense of responsibility and clarity about his mission, while discussing how his experiences, including struggles and challenges, have shaped his approach to education. He emphasized that Miva is not just a business venture but a platform for societal impact.
Shagaya acknowledged the importance of making education accessible and affordable while maintaining quality, which he sees as a critical challenge as Miva grows.
He also reflected on life’s meaning, recognising that personal wealth and success are not as important as contributing to the betterment of society. He expressed gratitude to those who have supported him along the way and invited others to join him in building a stronger Nigeria, ultimately leading to the fulfillment of his personal mission.
“There’s a lot of demand for a better Nigeria, for a better society. And that is what has underpinned everything that we’ve done. It’s an incredible responsibility that society, through the National Universities Commission, has placed on our shoulders, and we take it so seriously.
“One of the biggest responsibilities is this weighing of how much to charge, for example, for tuition. We could charge more, even today. We could charge more. But it’s the kind of business where you have to sit down, and I remember we told ourselves this, ‘What is the barest minimum that we could charge?’ And let’s set that number, and then when we figure that number out, let’s step back another 5%. What is the barest minimum that we can charge that would allow us to spread this thing out and continue to push it.
“And just believe in the simple fact that society will reward us in the fullness of time. And society is beginning to reward us, and I’m sorry, guys, that I’m taking all the glory today, but the truth of the matter is that it is us. There are a lot of people behind this endeavor, a lot that have walked with us that want, of course, financial return and want their families to be wealthy, but they also want to impact society.”
Keynote speaker, Sir Abubakar Suleiman, CEO of Sterling Bank, spoke about Shagaya’s journey from a creative thinker to a pragmatic engineer, and later to a hardworking entrepreneur.
He emphasised Shagaya’s visionary role in founding Miva University, a project aimed at solving Nigeria’s educational crisis, particularly in tertiary education. The speaker discussed the severe infrastructure challenges within Nigerian universities, including overcrowded facilities and underpaid staff, which hinder educational quality.
He acknowledged that while education is often seen as a challenging, non-profitable venture, Sim’s commitment to it demonstrates the importance of pursuing difficult, impactful choices. The speaker concluded by noting that Sim’s work will have lasting, transformative effects on the education system in Nigeria and expressed personal admiration for Sim’s achievements, likening him to historical figures who have overcome significant societal challenges.
“At some point I may make reference to my thoughts around education and why Miva University, the last project that Sim did, or Sim is doing, is one of the most fundamental things that we’ve ever done in this country. At some point, I’ll talk about that. But today, I look at Sim and I think of three different aspects of his life.
“His ideas were crazy. They were not easy for people to reconcile with. Something that kept coming up when you look at Sim’s life online was that he was ahead of his time. A lot of the things he did in his early days were simply ahead of their time. If he had waited five years, he would have had his own $1 billion company. But as I said, just like the thinking of a poet, somebody who doesn’t operate under existing limitations,” he added.
The event also featured panel discussions with prominent speakers across the country.
