If career dreams had doorways, ACCESS 5.0 flung them wide open to eager students on Thursday, May 29, 2025, at the Jelili Adebisi Omotola Hall, University of Lagos (UNILAG).
Poised to bridge the theory-practice divide in the accounting field, the Nigerian Universities Accounting Students’ Association (NUASA), UNILAG Chapter, hosted the fifth (5th) edition of its flagship summit: the Accounting and Entrepreneurship Summit for Students (ACCESS 5.0).
With the theme, “Pioneering New Frontiers: Unlocking Diverse Career Paths in Accounting and Achieving Entrepreneurial Excellence,” the summit gathered accounting scholars, industry trailblazers, young innovators, and professionals who are reshaping the language of finance.
Among the distinguished voices at the summit was that of Mr. Mathias Nwinyima, a Finance Manager at HeckerBella Limited, who represented the keynote speaker, Ms. Yemi Keri, Co-Founder and CEO of HeckerBella Limited. He noted that Accounting is a language of business that transcends beyond debit and credit, which can launch those who figure out how to harness it into building lucrative and scalable businesses.
He encouraged the aspiring accountants that the course of study will not only equip them to become employees but will also equip them to build competitive businesses. Similarly, he charged the young minds to be open to the limitless possibilities that abound in the world of work by advising that “you don’t need to quit your job to become an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is a mindset and every problem in Nigeria today, is a business waiting to happen. You just need to look closely.”
Mr Mathias challenged the students to not wait for job titles or the permission to be exceptional but to start from now in building on their knowledge and creating value. He encouraged them to collaborate with people outside their field of study and embrace any failure encountered as a learning opportunity.
The Summit also featured a rich slate of panel sessions featuring alumni, thought leaders, and professionals in accounting, enterprise, digital innovation, and sustainable finance who learnt their voices to timely topics such as: The Diverse Career paths in Accounting – Finding Your Niche; Navigating the Technological Evolution in Accounting; and Entrepreneurship and Business Beyond Accounting.
Drawing from their vast experiences and wealth of knowledge, the speakers guided the audience in reimagining what a career in accounting could mean and what it could solve.
With an audience spanning fresh and advanced university students, the event was as much about technical skill as it was about personal clarity. Discussions covered real-world transitions, the rise of soft skills, and the evolving demands of a globalised workforce.
The hall brimmed with curiosity giving room for minds to open and connections to be formed. In quieter corners, one-on-one conversations sparked mentorships, collaborations and paterneships. Across the stage and the aisles, one thing was clear; ACCESS 5.0 was not speaking at students, but with them.
If the role of education is to prepare minds for the world, then ACCESS 5.0 was a rehearsal in readiness. By blending technical insight with entrepreneurial drive, the summit went beyond giving students the usual career advice to giving them permission to dream big; with their eyes open and their minds alert.
Founded as an interventionist platform to bridge the theory-practice divide, ACCESS has evolved into a compass for students seeking relevance beyond traditional accounting roles. Now in its fifth (5th) year, ACCESS has impacted over 11,000 students across its editions.
ACCESS 5.0 notably expanded its focus to include fintech, consultancy, digital literacy, ethical leadership, and entrepreneurship. This has, indeed, played a significant role in shaping the perspective of students’ imagination of the accounting profession.
For many students and attendees who chose to learn, ACCESS 5.0 was a mirror and a map: reflecting the realities of the modern-day accountant, and charting new directions.
And as the final applause echoed through the Jelili Adebisi Omotola Halls, there was a vibrant awareness that the future of accounting stretches wide into innovation, impact, and human possibility; not merely confined to cubicles and calculators.
The magic of the Accounting and Entrepreneurship Summit for Students (ACCESS) is not tied to numbers but to the momentum with which it continues to gather young minds and challenge them to think differently. Such consistent upwards movement is a good reflection of the quality of the leadership of NUASA UNILAG Chapter and that of the Summit’s organising committee’s doggedness.
In truth, it all amplifies the quality of the brilliant minds being produced by the University of Lagos, the University of First Choice, and the Nation’s Pride.
Were you at ACCESS 5.0? If so, what was your key take away? If not, how will you better position yourself to leverage the vast learning opportunities that abound on the UNILAG campus?
Remember, while the University of Lagos management is poised to building a future-ready campus and producing globally competitive individuals with top-notch critical thinking and problem solving skills, the onus lies on individual students, alumni, and staff to strive for development and excellence in their various endeavours.
Author: Nike Ogunshakin
Photographer: Michael Joshua
