Firm seeks applications for career reality show

A career development initiative, BJUMP, has opened applications for the fifth cohort of its flagship programme, MET Stars Academy, as it seeks to expand access to practical learning, industry mentorship and career opportunities for emerging professionals across Nigeria.

The initiative said the career reality show would continue to build a quality talent pipeline for Corporate Africa through structured mentorship, learning programmes and real-world exposure that support personal and professional growth across industries and borders.

Since its inception, BJUMP has focused on equipping young people with practical industry experience, mentorship and access to professional networks. Through its programmes, it has built a community of emerging and experienced professionals and created opportunities for participants to engage with leading industry practitioners and organisations.

Speaking at a luncheon recently in Lagos to mark the initiative’s fifth anniversary, the founder of BJUMP and Chief Executive Officer of WhyFinite, Bolaji Junaid, said the organisation would build on the progress recorded over the past five years.

“Five years ago, we started with a vision. Today, we have a foundation to build on. But growth, to me, is not just about getting bigger.

It is about becoming better equipped to do the work we set out to do, reaching more people without losing sight of why we started, and creating something that can keep delivering value long after the people who started it have moved on. In the next five years, we want to build an institution that can continue opening doors for young Nigerians, developing professional talents, and creating opportunities for generations to come,” Junaid said.

He added that BJUMP had become a registered non-profit organisation with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

“Our work is driven by a mission to develop talents for corporate Africa. We are not building BJUMP to distribute profits to owners or Trustees. We are building it to create impact that can be sustained and expanded. And that’s why we’ve assembled trusted persons and voices across professional divides to become our founding trustees, chaired by Mrs Aishah Ahmad, a global finance advisor and former deputy governor of CBN,” he stated.

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A key highlight of the anniversary celebration was the spotlight on MET Stars Academy, BJUMP’s flagship programme and Nigeria’s first career reality show, designed to prepare emerging professionals for careers in marketing, entertainment and technology.

Applications for Cohort 5 opened on October 15 and will close on November 15, 2026. The programme aims to attract applicants from across the country’s six geopolitical zones, expanding access to practical learning, industry mentorship and opportunities to gain relevant professional experience.

A member of the BJUMP Board of Trustees, Taopheek Babayeju, said the initiative was addressing a major gap in the Nigerian business ecosystem.

“We need to have an honest conversation about nation-building. A balance of Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship is important. We need people who will build businesses, create jobs, and develop solutions, while on the other hand we also need skilled professionals who can strengthen organisations, lead teams, build expertise, and contribute to the growth of established industries,” Babayeju said.

A BJUMP co-mentor and Chief Executive Officer of FSJ Company, Folake “Steaze” Johnson, described the programme as novel.

“It’s the intentionality and robustness of the initiative that has been an attraction to me in the last 5 years, from the cohort recruitment to the selection of mentors and the entire MET Stars Academy programme is novel,” she said.

The founder of Expose Marketing Solutions, Abayomi Ayoola, said the firm had adopted BJUMP as a key partner in talent sourcing and development.

“We have adopted BJUMP as one of our key partners in talent sourcing and development in the last two years. Moreover, we recently updated our organization’s standard operating procedures based on lessons learned from BJUMP.