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4TH COMMENCEMENT LECTURE: RUNNING TO WIN: IS THE PRIZE WORTH THE PRICE..?

Introduction
As part of its strategy in nation building, Nigeria has invested in tertiary education to cultivate the intellect and character of its work force with the view to raising the banners of excellence higher and higher in Nigeria. Year after year, the number of tertiary institutions keeps increasing. To date there are 139 Universities in Nigeria[40 Federal, 40 State, 59 Private] (NUC, 2015).  In absence of up to date data, it is reasonable to assume that this year alone, more than 40,000 students will be given admission to train in various professions nationwide.And not without reason; the aim is to swell the human capital of the nation and translate this into national development. The question is,whether this goal will be achieved.
Welcome to the Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB), a great University renowned for the high quality of its learning with laurels to show for its mettle. FUNAAB is running to win.It’s so easy to see that this is a great place to be and believe it or not, you have just entered into a race with other fresh undergraduates as you hunch on your marks over the starting blocks to begin your raceto excel in learning and in character in FUNAAB. As you do so one wonders how many of you will stay on the tracks? How many will complete their course of study on schedule and in good standing? How many of you will acquire the required competences graduating to become agents of development required to usher in a better life for Nigerians? How many will allow the University to pass through them and go out to be veritable agents of change who make the world a better place to live in; not just because they posses head knowledge of facts, but top it up withskills to match. What’s more, they have acquired a good sense of distinguishing between right and wrong which has resulted in sterling character which is not swayed by the lure of ill gotten wealth or cheap applause. Sucha person is not running aimlessly; he or she is running to win. You becomea veritable ambassador of FUNAAB, spreading the news that FUNAAB is the place to be if you want to learn to run to win; if you want to be a star.

What does it mean to run to win? Why must I run to win?
But what does it mean to run to win? This metaphor is coined from the world of an athlete involved in competitive sports. In all modesty I have had some experience in competitive amateur athletics, so I can speak to what it means to ‘run to win’. It means living with and pursuing a specific dream to excel in life. But if you stop at dreaming and do nothing more, your goal will remain a mere dream, like many New Year resolutions that evaporate before February of the year runs out. You must determine in your heart to turn your dream in to reality. What does running to win mean in your circumstance? As students it means setting the goal of academic excellence; keeping the prestigious First Class degree in your sight and pursuing it with all vigour. Furthermore it means broadening one’s mind, learning new patterns of thinking, of stretching one’s mind, of having new ideas and experiences, of meeting people from everywhere, of making new lifelong friendships, of learning better, deeper, more intensely, thinking critically and acquiring the skills to solve problems. You must view your goal like the gold medal every Olympian covets and the World cup that very national football team covets. You must run your race to win because excellence opens doors to further achievement and greatness. Winning puts you in line for opportunities to help yourself and help others too. Excellence (all things being equal) brings riches and lasting rewards of satisfaction, fulfilment and influence. Those who excel are often in the news for the right reasons; the world takes note of what they say and do and celebrates their achievements. Think about what a joy it would be to your parents if on graduation you excel. Then their sacrifice to train you will seem almost like nothing; eclipsed by the resounding joy of your accomplishment. What’s more, a very top government officialrecently remarked that one of the greatest hindrances to rapid development in Nigeria is the shortage of professionals who combine competence with virtue. Wouldn’t you rather help make such a statement become history bybeing a celebrated winner rather than Mr or Ms. anonymous, passing through this great University unnoticed?

Strategies to run to win
Do you have a goal or are you groping around, drifting and living life as a gamble hoping that somehow by chance or stroke of ‘good luck’ your dreams will come true and you will win the prize?Far from it.Are you running to win? Do you realize there is aprice to pay and that others aspire to win as well,and that there is only one gold medal for your event?
What makes the difference between dream and reality? Strategy; perhaps you would like to consider the following tips and certainly add to the list:

Princess TejumadeAlakija (1925-2013), was not born poor.  She was the daughter of the famous Ooni of Ife Oba AdesojiAderemi. Although she could have strutted around, brandished her father’s credentials and settled for a life of ease and opulence,  she rose beyond the trappings of royalty, worked hard to earn degrees from University of London and Oxford University and became the first female Head of Service in former Oyo State [Oyo, Ogun, Ondo and Osun States]1980 -1983. That was no mean feat.Do you know that you do not have to pay extra school fees to have a first class, that it costs just as much to finish with a third class? If you know people who are not running to win, keep your distance from them or they will recruit you into their team.

Success is much more than a happenstance.  Success has a price tag; there’s no cheap success.There is a price to pay for everything in life both success and failure.In success you pay before hand; in failure you pay afterwards. What price are you willing to pay for in the pursuit of your dream to win? What are you willing to forgo? Determine to pay the price.  Every athlete who aspires to win knows there is a price to pay; restricted diet, rigorous training even in inclement weather and other aspects of personal discipline. Enefiok Udo-Obong one of  Nigeria’s gold medallists in the 2000 Olympics said he trained 7hours daily, pushing his body to the limits of endurance. You will need to set your priorities on what is important, avoid what is not, and stick with your list even when it hurts. For instance, is turning up for classes dressed like a model more important than being punctual for lectures? If you were down to your last Naira, would you rather download a few important journal articles for your6 study or buy a bottle of soft drink?  Would you rather spend time writing your term paper to submit it on schedule than attend the ‘ladies free’ party that weekend?Certainly, you will need to cut out time from sleep and spend more time in the library or the virtual library doing extra reading beyond what the lecturer has taught in the limited space of time allowed by the time table. That Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (1909 – 1987) is quoted to have said ‘Those who desire to reach and keep their place at the top in any calling must be prepared to do so the hard way’(i.e pay the price).

This is the strongest indicator that you are determined to win. God in his infinite wisdom allotted only 24 hours to a day. Many things will compete for these hours. It is so easy to fritter away time, yet time is a non-renewable resource: once you’ve spent it (or wasted it), it’s gone forever. There will be more things competing for attention than there is time to attend to. Therefore you will have to make a choice as to what to do, suspend or avoid. To make good choices you need to set your priorities afore hand. What are the most important things in your race to win? What will help you reach your goal? Spend more time at them. Having a personal time table to guide your use of time is a worthy strategy. It helps you to stay focussed, evaluate your progress and be balanced. Having a diary or year planer is a worthy investment in time management. Being in school is not only about reading; you need to intersperse this with times of relaxation; fortunately, FUNAAB has many avenues for wholesome relaxation and socializing. Directorate of Sports will certainly be glad to assist all who would like to be involved in games and sports.

Every athlete knows the value of having a good coach. The coach may not be young and beautiful (or handsome), but she (or he) has tasted both success and failure. Coaches are blessed with years of experience and know how to help you succeed byconverting your raw talent into that of a champion. Listen to the counseland correction of the coachand follow them. In this instance, the coaches are your teachers. Submit yourself to mentoring. Without being disrespectful, cultivate a wholesome relationship with your lecturers, watch their style to seek what you can borrow or adapt. Seek clarification and advice on grey areas, pick their brains; you’ve paid for it.  In retrospect, I think most students do not take advantage of the opportunities for mentoring and profiting from the experience of their lecturers. They come to class unprepared and thus cannot process information fast enough or sustain a meaningful academic discussion.  Many are self opinionated and lethargic and just waiting for the class to end. They do not revise their notes or do extra reading required to migrate to the A class of studentship. Even if you are not an exceptionally bright student, you can take advantage of the experience of the coach, stand on the shoulders of the coach to walk taller than you otherwise would have been. Fortunately, what the teachers teach can after be augmented by searching the internet, take advantage of that. If in spite of all attempts you are finding it difficult to run to win, seek help with the Counselling Unit.

Some have been reckless in their pursuit of the success and disregarded the rules. I once knew an athlete who ran the 400 meters. This athlete (gender withheld) usually took the outerlane and thus was placed far ahead of others in the start off. The athlete took advantage of this when the race started, but in addition when running the curves of the track far from spectators’ view cleverly crossed the lanes to reduce the distance and often won the race and even broke records. This went on until this trick was discovered and you can easily tell what the athlete got for such an endeavour; disgrace. You probably know a few international athletes who have been stripped of their medals after they failed the drug tests. Similarly, in this University, some students have been caught cheating during examinations in their bid to ‘run to win’. FUNAAB considers this unethical- the culprits have been made to face the Students’ Disciplinary Committee and received the full penalty of cheating according to the university regulations. The law is no respecter of persons; the only prize you get for cheating is disgrace. Even when you have repented of this vice, in years to come the only thing your colleagues may remember about you is that you cheated in an exam. Is that your desire? 

Perseverance is sustained action or belief in pursuit of a gaol even in the face of attendant difficulties. It is difficult to imagine success without perseverance.Many potential champions stop just short of success because they gave up too soon. The lives of great heroes like Dr. Nelson Mandela (1918 -2013) the first black president of the Republic of South Africa, Mahatman Ghandi of India (1869 – 1943), Mother Theresa of India (1910 – 1997) and Louis Pasteurof France (1822-1895 )show us that perseverance pays rich dividends. Other examples of people who persevered and9succeeded include the current president of Nigeria His Excellency, Muhammadu  Buhari (1942 –  ) who ran for the presidency in 2003, 2007, 2011 before finally succeeding in 2015. Similarly, George Foreman achieved the near impossible; he won the world heavy weight boxing championship the at the age of 45; 10 years after he lost title the first time.ChiomaAjunwa-Opara (1970 -) became the first  Nigerian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. She won it at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia after suffering a 4 year ban for doping. It was the fruit of perseverance. If you want to run to win, you must add perseverance to your list other virtues. Keep the goalin view and work persistently towards it. If you do not succeed the first time, it’s not enough reason to give up. Try again. Do not give up!

Faith in God is not an excuse for lazy or sloppy work. Rather, having done all your part in the attempt to succeed, it is an opportunity to submit to a higher authority your imperfections and limitations in spite of your best attempts and seek favours and help to run to win. Faith in God and cultivating a relationship with God puts help beyond your natural capabilities which would otherwise been inaccessible at your disposal.It makes life’s good things better and the better best; not just for you but your neighbours as well. Our nation is in dire need of men (and women) who not only mouth pious ideals of religion, but follow through with incontrovertible non-partisan righteous acts. Perhaps you will choose to become such men and women.

Hindrances and distractions
Good intentions are not enough, in spite of your desire to run to win, there are distractions and barriers which could scuttle your dream  and it is worth the while to know a few of them and be prepared to overcome them.

 Far too many young people believe that success is not possible and do not even try to succeed. They are rather laid back and suffer from self imposed inferiority complex. They think they are not bright or rich, come from a poor obscure background, disabled and so on and so forth. They are content just to get by with a pass mark, or take the same exam over and again and have no desire to excel. They have no reason not to aspire to run to win. They do not understand that it costs the same school fees to make a first class or a third class degree, and that the university does not offer discounts on school fees to students who have overstayed. The stories of the lives of great men and women show that many of them were not born with the silver spoon in their mouths. They did not have success served to them in the cafeteria. They overcame lethargy and other obstacles in their desire to win the prize of excellence. They worked their way up to success. Here are a few examples of winners who did not buy stock into lethargy:
General Colin Luther Powell is a United States statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. His parents were poor Jamaican immigrants yet he persevered and rose throughthe ranks in the army to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In retirement, he defied all odds to become the 65th U.S. Secretary of State (2001 – 2005). He was the first African American in the history of America to be appointed to the position.
Dr. Ben Carson went from being a poor student, raised by a half literate mother to receiving academic honours and eventually attending medical school. As a doctor, he became director of paediatric neurosurgery at the world famous Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33. He is a world famous neurosurgeon. He has written many motivational books.
Samuel Ajayi Crowther (1807-1891) was a rescued African slave originally from Osogun in Oyo Sate, Nigeria. He was settled in Sierra Leone and later became the first African Bishop of the Church of England famous for his exploits in linguistics and evangelisation.Dr. Mae Jemison (1956 – )overcame racial prejudice to become a physician, NASA consultant and the first female African American astronaut.

 It may or may not surprise you that in FUNAAB, there is no morning bell to wake you up. No prefect to yell at you to make sure you go to the dining hall and be on time for the morning assembly. Those who take that as liberty to loaf around, or stay in bed until the sun is high in the sky will soon find out that, whether you are present in class or not lectures will hold, assignments will be issued, continuous assessments tests will hold. The clock is always ticking. Before you know it, it will be time for the semester exams and you can be sure none of the questions set will ask you the scores oflast night’s football match or how many parties you have attended to date. Those who fail will be required to repeat the course. If it happens to be a second semester course, then they spend an extra session in schools and graduate behind their set. Furthermore, the results will
bereleased and published; everyone will see clearly whether you have been running to win or just taking a stroll in the university. No story of saying ‘I passed, but goats ate my card’. So what will you do with your time in the University?

Although FUNAAB is a citadel of learning set to excel in all that is of good report, there are a few reprobates stalking around to recruit people into their club of ‘never do wells’. Such students who have lost their way, they like it so much in this University and they plan to stay as long as the university allows them. They do not attend classes and love to hang out at joints doing everything except studying. They do not plan to graduate with a degree;they would be satisfied to earn a ‘Certificate of attendance’, frame it and hang it on the wall to advertise their failure. What’s more they are looking for company and will soon come recruiting. Flaunting ill gotten wealth of posh cars and nice clothes, they promise heaven on earth on campus if you join their league of ‘big boys’ and ‘cool babes’. Those who are greedy and love to live above their means, ‘keep up with the joneses’, like free meals and drinks, big gifts and short cuts to success and fame often fall easy prey to them. Watch the company you keep. Watch out and be on your guard for them. They may be drug pushers in disguise, hecklers, pimps or members of exclusive clubs called cults who excel at vices and violence. If you join their league, you’ll be weighed down; you will notbe running to win.Remember that if such people come soliciting, you have a right to say no! If they persist, the Students Affairs Office will be able to help you file a report there. Those who are running to win the prize of excellence cannot split their attention between serious study and servicing membership of such associations.

In spite of the attempt of the university administration, FUNAAB is not a perfect community. It does not function like a 5-star hotel. There are power cuts and outages, down times on the internet, water shortages, long bus queues, shortage of accommodation on campus, there is much to achieve within tight deadlines.The good news is that administration is working hard within its limited means to improve the situation. In between now and the El Dorado, you must still run to win. And who knows, as part of your academic endeavour you may invent new ways of making the campus nearer the ideal.  In any case, no number of excuses for poor performance ever tallies into success. So determine to succeed in spite of the less than ideal conditions. When you graduate, a similar world awaits you in the world of work. So rather than bemoan your situation, strive to excel in spite of the limitations. Thank God for what you have and trust him for what you need. In any case your parents did not send you to FUNAAB on vacation but to learn and excel.

Conclusion
In closing, I must paraphrase the words of  Paul of Tarsus (AD 5-67) “Do you not know that in a race, all runners run, but only one gets the  (first) prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize”
Having laid out before you the facts and the merits of running to win; having articulated the price and the hurdles to overcome; being fully aware of the state of the nation as we all pine for a positive turn around in our circumstance, it is time to ask the question again; Running to win: Is the prize worth the price..?
Thank you all for your rapt attention

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