Fayemi made this known in a lecture titled ‘The Successor-Generation: Reflections on Values and Knowledge in Nation Building’ at the 2017 UNILAG Convocation Lecture in Lagos, Monday.
Fayemi: I am ready to defend my actions
Fayemi who went on memory line told the graduating students of his Alma Mater that as a UNILAG graduate and a post-graduate student in the United Kingdom for him to survive he drove taxis and worked as a security guard, amongst several other menial jobs.
He said ‘the last lesson I want to talk about is the debilitating entitlement mentality that is commonplace among young people today. The earlier we realise that no one owes us anything, the better for us, and the more prepared we would be to face life’s challenges.
‘Don’t think you are entitled to a job, just because of your parents’ influence or what they have. Don’t think things would be all rosy because you graduated from UNILAG with good grades. Be prepared for surprises and disappointments because life is bound to hand you a couple. The only guarantees you have in this life is what you do for yourself with the grace God has bestowed on us all.’
We need to get off our high horses, quit whining and start doing — for ourselves and for our country. If something angers you so much, instead of whining, think hard about possible solutions and do something about it. Doers have a way of finding each other out, and before you know it, you are in good company with progressive minded people that exude positive energy — comrades with whom you can challenge the status quo, fight together, and succeed together. Some of the closest friendships I have kept to this day are from my UNILAG days — people I can actually trust to surmount challenges and get things done.
So also, complainers have a way of finding each other out, to indulge in very depressing rhetoric about why things can’t work and who is at fault. From their comfort zones they criticise without offering any solutions and always end up frustrated — run away from such people.”
Read text of his lecture below
Greatest Akokites!
Greatest Akokites!!
Greatest Akokites!!!
Introduction
It is with great pride that I participate in the 2017 Convocation ceremony of my alma mater – the University of Lagos – UNILAG. It is always fascinating to return to these scenic and historic grounds of learning, situated in one of the most dynamic cities in the world. I am most grateful to the authorities for honouring me with this hallowed platform to share a few thoughts with this set of graduating students in particular and the university community at large as this year’s convocation lecturer.
When the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Rahamon A. Bello first notified me of my being selected to deliver the 2015/2016 convocation lecture, the first thought that came to my mind was “what would I say?” Convocation lectures traditionally have a defined structure. The university authorities usually invite an individual that has attained some measure of success in life, to share his/her story, with the hope that the graduating students can learn a thing or two about what to expect in the ‘real world’, as the larger society is often called.
So I assume I am expected to speak about my experiences in life, in the more than three decades since I graduated, with the hope that those whose turn it is today can have an idea of what to expect out there. I am also supposed to dispense some hope about the bright prospects that the future holds, and offer some useful advice that would guide them going forward. Considering these expectations of the traditional convocation speech, I must apologise in advance if peradventure I don’t live up fully to this billing. This is because my presentation today would dwell more on pointing you back to some of life’s key lessons that are available within a university, which are enough to prepare you for life after graduation.
Many years ago, I matriculated into this university, thrown into a whole new universe, not knowing what to expect. As a naïve and unassuming youth, all I came to UNILAG with was eagerness to learn and zeal to explore. At graduation, I was undoubtedly a different person. This institution provided the conditions for me to discover myself; find my voice; and hone my worldview and core values.
I must therefore start by expressing my gratitude to my lecturers in the Department of History in the Faculty of Arts, who all contributed in no small measure to the man that I am today. I was blessed to learn at the feet of some of the finest minds in the history of academia in Nigeria such as the late Prof. Ade Adefuye, Prof. T.G.O. Gbadamosi, Prof. Anthony Asiwaju, Prof. G.O. Ogunremi, Late Prof. B.A. Agiri, Late Dr. Nina Mba, Dr. Ram, Dr. Kehinde Faluyi, Dr. J.J. White, and Dr. Garvey.
UNILAG’s commitment to a multi-disciplinary university education made it mandatory for me to take courses in other departments like Political Science, English and Philosophy, towards fulfilling the requirements for the award of a degree. I was therefore also privileged to have been taught by other legends such as Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Prof. Alaba Ogunsanwo, Prof. Oye Oyediran, Prof. Remi Anifowose, Prof. Moyibi Amoda, and Prof. Derin Ologbenla in the Department of Political Science. In the Department of Philosophy, I was tutored by Dr. Sophie Oluwole, Dr. Ezekiel Ogundowole, Dr. C. S. Momoh and Dr. Omoregbe, while in the Department of English, some of my lecturers were Prof. Theo Vincent, Late Prof. Biodun Adetugbo, Prof. Ebun Clark, Dr. Funso Akere and the then freshly minted Dr. Karen King-Aribisala.
All these great teachers lit the candle of knowledge on my path, and laid in me the foundations of scholastic curiosity, intellectual acuity, and passionate commitment to a life of service – values that remain with me to this day. I have had cause to maintain a close relationship with a good number of them, and I would forever be grateful for their impact on me in those formative years in UNILAG.
Like me, many thousands of people from across the country and beyond have passed through this institution since it was established on Monday, October 22, 1962. A university can never be said to have accomplished her mission, as it is meant to exist in perpetuity to be, in the words of the President of Harvard University, “stewards of an unbroken and endless chain of inquiry”, (Faust, 2012). As I have argued before, as the summit of higher education, the university as a community of teachers and scholars, is the veritable instrument and institution of social transformation. The work of a university is never done. “The true value of a university represents the totality of our common humanity and the possibilities of our collective progress as a community.”
Thus, through each and every one of us associated with her, UNILAG continues to justify her perpetual existence. Her positive impact can be felt in every sphere of human endeavour across the world, and all Akokites – past and present – guided by our motto – “In Deed and In Truth” – continue to ensure UNILAG lives up to this idea and ideal of a university.
The Role of Educational Institutions in National Development
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘Alma Mater’ as “a school, college, or university which one has attended, or from which one has graduated”. The etymology of the word is from the Latin language, and literally means, ‘nourishing mother’. This explains our deep emotional connections to the institutions we have attended – just like the love a child has for his/her mother. Correspondingly, this gives us insight into the crucial role of educational institutions in grooming the next generation of leaders and citizens in every society – just as a mother raises her children. Therefore, in thinking of the university as a person, a possible definition of the soul of a university would be “nothing geographically or temporally fixed, but the mark left on the alumnus’ mind, which stays with them all their lives (Deboick, 2010).
Permit me Mr. Vice Chancellor sir, to point out to the graduating students, as some may know already, that the certificate they would receive in the course of the convocation proceedings, and which bears your signature, is being awarded to them for fulfilling the requirements in ‘Character and Learning’...
As far back as the independence epoch of our great country, our founding fathers held that intellectual emancipation was one of the pillars of sustainable national liberation. The patriarchs made the achievement of freedom from ignorance through universal education an urgent national priority during their time. As late Chief Obafemi Awolowo said, “In normal circumstances, the greatest guarantee of the liberty of the citizen is an educated and enlightened society.” The same holds true today. Functional Education is absolutely vital to our economic, social and political progress.
Retooling the University for National Development
Universities, like the people within them, must embrace change, re-imagine possibilities, and revitalize continuously (Faust, 2012). In contemplating the challenges of leadership and development in Nigeria therefore, we have to critically reappraise our educational institutions and make necessary interventions to ensure they not only have adequate funding, world class physical structures, and functional teaching equipment, but also the right social environment that supports the education of the total man. In the words of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, “Whether we are conscious of or acknowledge it or not, the fact remains stubborn and indestructible that poverty, disease, social unrest, and instability, and all kinds of international conflicts, have their origins in the minds of men … It is only when the minds of men have been properly and rigorously cultivated and garnished, that they can be safely entrusted with public affairs with a certainty and assuredness that they will make the best of their unique opportunity and assignment” (Awolowo, 1967).
As I said earlier, I would be highlighting certain life lessons that must be learnt in the university environment that promotes the inculcation of progressive values, and the development of sound character in young people. If we are to improve the quality of our country’s human capital and invariably have better national development outcomes, we have to pay attention to the factory that produces the most important segment of our work force that we expect to drive development in every sector, and which is the crop from which our future leaders would arise.
These crucial lessons are present in the ideal university setting, and some of you have done well to imbibe them. Some others have ignored them in pursuit of “more important matters”, and are thus deficient in some of them. The misplaced emphasis on certificates – that is to say the sole concentration on obtaining a certificate as the end result of your 4/5/6 years of study here, has stopped some of you from imbibing critical life skills that ought to have been learnt concurrently with your academic studies.
Year-in, year-out, thousands of young people graduate from our universities. Many of them end up swelling the ranks of unemployed or underemployed people, leading to a massive youth unemployment crisis that has calcified over the years, with grave socio-economic portents for the future. How are our universities addressing this and other strategic national priorities? Are we paying enough attention by ensuring our graduates are well equipped to respond to this and other challenges of our time? We also have the tragedy of academically sound graduates that have no fibre of ethical awareness, locus of control, or moral judgment in their beings. These ones are cannon fodder launched into the larger society to complicate already existing socio-economic malaises – disasters waiting to happen.
My thesis is that knowledge alone is not enough; neither is character by itself sufficient. A fit and proper UNILAG graduate is one that has successfully straddled the obligations of being found worthy in both ‘Character and Learning’. I would now be sharing with you from my own personal experiences, six key lessons and life skills that UNILAG taught me, which I would be commending to you.
Knowledge is Power – Learn How to Learn
The university offers the opportunity for serious minded young people to acquire knowledge. The centrality of academics to university life is such that, your ability to prove that you have learnt what you ought to, in accordance with the curriculum, is the singular criterion for progression from level to level till you graduate. However, some people mistake passing exams for acquiring knowledge – they are two different things.
As a student, you have to learn how to learn. That is, you have to learn the principles behind actually acquiring knowledge. When you receive information via lectures, books e.t.c., the first impulse should not be to commit it to memory for the purpose of ‘dumping’ on exam day, or to go on social media to display your familiarity with certain subjects. You should meditate on new information and study more deeply and widely, allowing it to truly illuminate your mind – that is what new information is supposed to do after it has been thoroughly processed.
Sometimes, new information dislodges dated ones in your mind, at other times; it reinforces what you already know, and gives you greater depth of perspective – one thing it never does is to leave you the same. As futurist and philosopher Alvin Toffler once wrote: “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”
So, you have to decide, do you want to merely pass exams or do you want to truly acquire knowledge and prove this by passing exams? This generation is one that is increasingly characterized by quick fixes in every area of life. We see it on social media every day, where oftentimes the most influential and most vocal, are those with the quickest fingers to type out bunkum...
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