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| logo of Panache Class, OAU |
Sometimes, when itinerant journeyers
reach the crossroad of departure and nostalgia tours them through the lane of
memories they have perhaps proudly shared with people they never knew before, but
brought together by train of life, they feel the unusual urge of re-claiming those
indelible moments on the field where they were lost. But the expedient need to depart
is a must, since men are like water. We meet like rivers at a confluence with
remnants of touches that remain when we are gone on separate paths. Who are we-
innocent slaves of time; travellers at the end station- not to accept what
already written in the book of destiny, as we drop the baton of this race and
take another phase in the chapter of life?
I feel so honoured to address you great
men of good characters I may not have the second chance of meeting in the
future whether as individuals or group, as we reach our station of departure to
chase another destiny and mount the ladder of another stage of life. I feel so
humbled, not only because I am an active member of this wonderful Class which
I’ll always be and proud to warble its anthem with pure conscience of kindred
spirit and high sense of belonging, but also due to the fact that I belong to
the best ever class, PANACHE ‘14- the class of fecund minds and people of high
repute; the class of readers, leaders that raised my voice and shaped my philosophical
perspective of the world; the class of history!
A short glance at the back, first day on
campus as if the journey would never end. We were envisaging this day with
pride, and to God be the glory the day has come. Who then says the journey of four
years is a short journey? The lizard falls off the edge of fence and shakes its
body, the message lizard passes is not just of self-praise, but also of
self-encouragement prerequisite to further hard-working. We have indeed climbed
several hills and mountains, crossed many rivers and valleys. We toiled and
spoiled, covering long distance from our various halls of residence to the
academic area. There were times when we did fight for seat at lecture theatres.
What of the stress of examination, the fear of failure and the anxiousness that
came along with result? What of personal agonies and the hope that everything
good would come? Many rains have indeed fallen on ground for its gradual sip. This
moment is a defining for us, as we collectively made history and imprinted our
feet on the sand of time. We thank our Lord for all favour and blessing
bestowed upon. Our past on OAU was illustrious; we hope our future will be written
in gold.
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| OAU Convocation 2015 |
All well and good, the sky looks laden
with song of farewell. Twenty kids can never play for twenty years as a common
axiom says. The epiphany of parting has come to us, for tonight is the closing
glee of any theater we may desire to stage as a formidable group. But before we
say goodbye, permit me to say that being
a member of this class has been the most delightful experience on Obafemi
Awolowo University campus. The spirit that wombs us as one is great. We pray
the experiences haunt us like ghosts so that we will never forget the memories
shared together during the season of smiles and years of trials and turbulence.
Let us be grateful to the Lord, the
Omnipotent ‘present and Omniscient for sailing us through from the first day till
this last moment of the journey. The ocean oozed and the blizzard looked
frightening, but through His infinite mercy we fought through all odds to
achieve this uncommon victory. If not that God built the castle, all the
architectural frameworks and immense efforts of the naive builders would have resulted
to dust in the eye of the wind. Our Lord,
we are the most blessed and grateful. Make our tongues the sanctuary of hymnody
in praise of Your rare grace.
Our parents, respective guidance and
family members who have contributed to this course deserve our gratitude for
their bunch of prayers and for being there for us from the inception of the
journey. The passion from them is inestimable and their love unique and
unrivaled. It should be said that this significant benchmark in our life might
be difficult to achieve without their rare support and love. May God let them
reap the fruits of their laborious efforts towards building this temple of joy.
Let us also remember our lecturers and
spread the cloak of indebtedness to them for their persistent efforts geared
towards shaping our intellectual outlook of the world; their smile and sweat,
time and energy for saving us from the loin of ignorance, and for putting our
feet on the path of glory. They are not just only lecturers whom we met by
coincidence, but also academic fathers and mothers whose mentorship, intellectual
prowess and unbiased leadership qualities will be our guiding map at various
positions we may find ourselves in the nearest future. What else can we say than
to thank them for the knowledge passed across to us when we were under their
tutelage? The happiness of a father is to see his children soar. May our dreams
be real, so they can be proud of us and vice-versa.
Let us not forget this Department- the
source of our kindred spirit. Let us not forget Oluwasanmi library, the two
auditoria in Faculty of Arts, Amphi theatre and most importantly the serene sky
spread across for the greatIfe bats, flying in multitude of history. These
mentioned are pivotal bedrock of whatever we may be in the future. Our
department, besides being one of the aged departments that stand tall in in the
page of the citadel’ enviable history, is also a confluence of people from all
walks of life and consciousness of humanities. We are proud to have shared the
same source with great and proactive minds at the global limelight, who are
taking humanities into the height of fulfillment.
Of course, our mates are indeed
priceless jewels who deserve our deep gratitude as we reach our juncture of
departure. Yesterday was like a dream. We were all passengers in the bus of
destiny, and never knew one another before. But due to the love and care and
the need for the progression of humanity, we ended up being brothers in need to
one another, impacting meaningfully and filling the huge lacunas left by
distant relatives in times of despair and moments of grace.
Let it be said that where we come from
does not matter; the fact that someone studied Literature or Language does not
pull off any strand of difference- we are one! We all made history as
jinx-breaking class as our class never reported any casualty of death which was
and is a recurring misfortune that has successfully deluged classes before us.
This is not our doing, but God who has made this record easy. Let us then
remember our mates who, perhaps due to one circumstance or the other could not
scale through, or those who we all started the journey with but have bowed for
pressure in the smearing front of war. We wish them good luck and wish to see
them at the greater height.
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| OAU Convocation 2015 |
On final note, let it be re-echoed that our
society demands much from us. Our graduation from a first-class university like
Obafemi Awolowo University though comes with felicitation, should not becloud
our common sense to the enormous responsibilities ahead of us. Many generations
before us have failed but we must not! Moral decadence, modern and western
virus, coupled with the perpetual activities of men drunk to power have
cumulatively toured our society round the radar of ruin, but the only way to
bring things back on the right and positive track is to give back to the
society that has toiled in the hands of contemporary banes, left with indelible
marks of scars and sour memories of hope fading into forgetfulness. We may not
be able to change the past, but we can make the future greater and the whole world
a better place. The rebranding starts from here. The future belongs to people
who believe in it. Go out and continue to soar as my mild eyes follow you to
the direction of your greatness.
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