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In a powerful message challenging traditional career expectations, Professor Nasir Hassan-Wagini of the Department of Biology, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University (UMYU), Katsina, has urged Nigerian youths and students to embrace entrepreneurship and self-reliance rather than waiting endlessly for white-collar jobs.

Speaking during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at a weekly market in Batsari, where he personally sells vegetables he cultivates, the professor underscored the value of humility, hard work, and the dignity of labour.

“I was born by a farmer, grew up as a farmer, and went into produce business at an early stage,” Hassan-Wagini revealed. “I’m a professor of plant resources at UMYU. I want youths and students to look at me, know my rank and position, and I still engage in small business of this nature.”

The professor, whose profile gained renewed attention following his promotion to full professorship, said he hoped his example would dismantle the stigma many educated young Nigerians attach to small-scale enterprises.

“My call to the NCE, Diploma, and degree graduates is that they should feel free and start small businesses in their communities instead of staying idle. That may clear their minds because they feel shame and are too big to go into such small types of businesses,” he added.

“What matters is what you are contributing to society. So, stop staying at home doing nothing when you did not get a job. Start with small businesses like this one.”

Hassan-Wagini further urged youths to invest in agriculture and vocational skills as viable means to achieve self-reliance and economic stability. “Our youths should stop going to other places looking for a job.

“They should get into farming and other small businesses to become self-reliant. Self-reliance is key to a successful life. Try to merge your education with vocational skills for your good,” he advised.

The professor’s grassroots involvement has also earned him admiration in the local market community. One of his fellow traders, Malam Uzairu, described him as a model of humility and integrity.

“We enjoy staying with the professor in the market,” Uzairu said. “We respect him and he respects us. In fact, he is a nice person who knows how to relate to all categories of people.”

As Nigeria continues to grapple with high youth unemployment and underemployment, Hassan-Wagini’s example offers a compelling call to action, signifying that dignity, success, and social contribution are not exclusive to offices and academic titles but can be found in the honest labour of one’s hands.