The Mastermind Community Foundation has urged students cultivate emotional intelligence, as it is a vital pathway to impactful leadership.
Speaking at the 2025 Smart Teens Workshop held in collaboration with Lagos State Education District 6 themed, ‘Mastering Emotional and Social Intelligence for Holistic Success’, the Convener, Vivian Oghene, said the initiative was designed as both interactive and practical guide for students to understand and manage their emotions while building healthier relationships.

She said with social media, peer pressure and global influences shaping behaviour and choices, the need for strong emotional and social skills have become more critical.

“To truly succeed in life and leadership, we need more than intelligence quotient. We need emotional quotient, the ability to understand ourselves, manage our emotions, and empathise with others,” she noted.

In his remark, the Managing Director, emPLE General Insurance, Olalekan Oyinlade, who was the guest speaker, emphasised that a person’s greatest asset is the mind.

He noted: “Whatever the mind can conceive, the mind can achieve. If you have a smart mind, you will reflect, think critically in taking decision. And that is where intelligence, emotion and relationship with people come in. So, the first thing that we need to develop is our emotional intelligence.”

Speaking on behalf of the participants, AbdulRaheem Amirah and Adegbemi AbdulWaris from Army Comprehensive Senior School and Army Children Senior High School respectively, appreciated the organisers for such inspiring initiative.