THE JOURNEY TO GRADUATION

One day, it shall be a blissful remembrance of how you passed through that beautiful entrance, into this excellence, discipline, and self-reliance globe, with your dreams wrapped in a big brown envelope. The administrative staffs that embraced you with radiant joy, the non- academic staffs that took you as pleasant darlings, the banks that saluted you as buoyant mayors and the lecturers that became your constant mentors. Indeed, the journey of your lifelong dream has just began; your quest to be genuine giants in this citadel of excellence.

By now, a lot of people who think they have stayed in this school long enough to be called ‘elders’, would walk up to you to say a whole lots of discouraging ‘shit’ all in the name of advice. Worst still, they would preach to you how hard the department is and how difficult it is to make a First Class. What a false preaching! Anyway, they presume you to be a novice so just sit and listen.

By now, you must have received a dozen fliers containing some kind of irritating and useful information on different aspects ranging from Campus fellowship days, politics, how to excel, timetable, job opportunities and many more. Don’t worry, you are bound to receive more, but in case you want to discard any of them, like I know you might naturally want to, please don’t litter the campus, be a good citizen, you can learn some basketball skills by throwing them inside the nearest waste bin. It is called free-throw, and no one will harass you for that.

By now, they must have told you that you can’t cross the Campus gate or attend lectures, if you are indecently dressed. They might be right, but the girl sitting next to me at the moment is flaunting the cleavage of her round orange ‘breasts’, and I bet her lingerie must show if she bends to pick a pen. Gracious God! Maybe, She didn't use the gate, she probably used the fence, or maybe the lecturer hasn't noticed her or maybe she is decently dressed, after all, indecent dressing is just a dress code you morally perceive to be bad. That would be a business for another day.

You are bound to hear a lot of advice, even from psychopaths that need rehab; they shall all advise you, because they regard you as “freshmen”. But only the fools among you shall heed to all the advice, the wise ones will simply scan and sieve the best.

Like I have always said, never fall prey to the whims of the stereotype bullies, who think they are in a better position to advice or determine your future, nobody has the right to set the moral path for you. You are the one to decide the path you wish to follow in this journey to Graduation.

Be careful with the number of courses you may wish to carryover, so as to avoid staying behind after your mates leave for ‘sambisa forest’ to serve our fatherland.

Today, you feel privileged and delighted to embark on this journey to graduation. I hope you leave the institution with wonderful legacies that will blow your trumpets after you must have graduated at the right time from this campus of Excellence. Remember, you must be found worthy in ‘LEARNING’ and ‘CHARACTER’. Until then…

Comrade Anthony Aniebo, MNAMMES, MINFOSCOPE

Public Relations Officer, National Association of Materials and Metallurgical Engineering, Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo state.