The executive director of the group (GCEO), Revlinks Integrated Services Limited, Mr. Olanrewaju Ogunkunle says that innovation is the driving force to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Ogunkunle made the dissemination on Monday at Olabisi Onabanjo (Oou) University, Iwoye. He was the spelling speaker in the faithful of the Faculty of Sciences of 2025 on the subject, “Scientific innovation: a tool to achieve sustainable development goals”, held at the Tetfund Lecture Theater, Faculty of Science.
Student of the Department of Physics of the University, reiterated that the SDGs were aimed at reducing poverty, protecting the planet, ensuring prosperity for all, among others.
“We cannot achieve the SDGs without taking advantage of innovation, without improving what we have been doing,” he emphasized.
Ogunkunle provided a clear perspective on how technology, innovation and value are connected to productivity.
“There is a clear difference between knowledge and understanding. Without knowledge you cannot understand. Without understanding, it cannot innovate.
“Scientific innovation is knowledge and scientific discoveries that we use to develop new technologies, products or systems. It is about creating something new of what already exists or collecting some new things to create something bigger. The objective is to improve lives, increase efficiency and preserve resources.”
Speaking about the role of education in the achievement of the SDGs, he encouraged students to go beyond the acquisition of knowledge to the practical application, emphasizing the need for collaboration.
“Collaboration is a very bright ability to build while you are in university. No matter how brilliant you are, no matter how exceptional it is, you will only see things in your perspective. Another person will see it in another direction,” said Ogunkunle.
He said that the Nigerian university system, particularly, Oou, teaches you to survive; Declating: “You will always think out of the box.”
Regarding the importance of building and cultivating relationships while I was in university, he urged students to develop significant relationships.
Citing how the relationships built over the years can be beneficial in the future, he mentioned some university students that they occupy high management positions in the company. These relationships were built over time.
“This is time to build those relationships,” he advised.
Ogunkunle urged students to be diligent in their academics saying: “Science changes the way you think. The purpose of being a student is to change your reasoning pattern.”
He shared ideas about how his understanding of science played a fundamental role in the creation of a software company, Revocube Technologies, more than thirteen years ago. This company has given birth to four other companies in several sectors of the economy, namely education (School), the media (media of Revocube), real estate (spaces of Revocube) and renewable energies (Revocube energies).
On how he ventured in the renewable energy sector, Ogunkunle narrated how seven years ago he could not budget the power of the company due to the lack of reliability of the national network and the high career and maintenance costs for the diesel.
Using his personal experience to install solar systems at home, he adopted the same in the office before embarking on an intensive search for knowledge to improve his understanding of the renewable energy sector. Not long after, Revocube Energies was born and could transfer this knowledge to help schools, companies and individuals solve their power challenges.
“Science and innovation are not just for the university walls. Please, let's take science seriously,” he concluded.