ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST
Text of the Address Delivered by the Vice-Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Prof. Mahfouz A. Adedimeji, on the Occasion of the 1st Matriculation Ceremony of the University on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at the Aliyu Ahman-Pategi Hall, APU
Warm Welcome
It is my utmost pleasure and honour to welcome you to this epochal ceremony, the first of its kind in this promising university and historic city. I want to specially acknowledge His Royal Highness, the Etsu Patigi, for honouring our invitation and dignifying this occasion with His Royal presence. I also want to congratulate him on the fact that, to paraphrase the American astronaut, Neil Armstrong, when he stepped on the moon, this is a small step for us as a university but a giant leap for the great Nupeland.
I also appreciate the visionary behind this fledgling institution, our Proprietor and
community leader par excellence, Hon. Aliyu Ahman-Patigi, for altering the course of history through the establishment of this University. There is no doubt that generations yet unborn will continue to acknowledge the thoughtfulness and commitment that
undergirded the founding of this university and the choice of its location.
I duly recognise the Transition Implementation Committee Chairman, our distinguished Board of Trustees and Governing Council as well as the representatives of the Joint
Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Commission (HYPPADEC). When the history of the University is being written, the contributions of JAMB and HYPPADEC especially at this phase will be etched in gold.
I welcome the Executive Chairman of the World Institute for Peace and remain grateful to all our guests here present. We earnestly look forward to deepening the collaboration between town and gown in the years ahead. Once again, I welcome you all most heartily.
Today’s occasion is mainly for the students and I want to felicitate the lucky set, the matriculating pacesetters of this university. I also congratulate their families, especially their parents and guardians, on the uniqueness of their children and wards. It is apposite
that their names as pioneer students will be inerasable in the annals of the University as it takes divine grace to be among the pacesetters or pioneers in any society. I, therefore, want to encourage the lucky students, with their parents and our stakeholders at large, not to take the grace for granted.
The University
The Chairman, Your Royal Highness, permit me to recall that the journey of Ahman Pategi University formally began on February 3, 2021 when it was approved by the Federal Executive Council of Nigeria under the chairmanship of President Muhammadu Buhari. The University was subsequently presented with a provisional license to operate as a private university on April 7, 2021 by the Honourable Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the National Universities Commission (NUC), Abuja, where the Ag Registrar and I were present with the Proprietor. The University hit the ground running through the preparation of the remedial students for studies, which began on June 1,
2021, followed by the resumption of undergraduate students on October 18, 2021.
The University started with two Faculties, 10 Departments and 15 academic programmes, which are as follows:
A. Faculty of Humanities, Social & Management Sciences
1. Department of Languages & Literary Studies
i. B.A. English2. Department of Economics
ii. B.Sc. Economics3. Department of Accounting
iii. B.Sc. Accounting
iv. B.Sc. Taxation
v. B.Sc. Entrepreneurship4. Department of International Relations
vi. B.Sc. International Relations5. Department of Mass Communication
vii. B.Sc. Mass Communication
B. Faculty of Science and Computing6. Department of Biological Sciences
viii.B.Sc. Plant Science & Biotechnology
ix. B.Sc. Microbiology7. Department of Chemical Sciences
x.B.Sc. Industrial Chemistry8. Department of Computer Sciences
xi. B.Sc. Computer Science
xii. B.Sc. Cybersecurity
xiii. B.Sc. Software Engineering9. Department of Forensic Science
xiv. B.Sc. Forensic Science10.Department of Physics
xv. B.Sc. Physics with Electronics
Efforts are ongoing for the phased expansion of the University in line with the provisions of the Academic Brief as the University is poised to join the stars in the galaxy of higher education providers, discharging its tripartite mandate of teaching, research and
community service or development.
Matriculating Students
The Chairman, Your Royal Highness, the matriculating students today are the pioneer set of Ahman Pategi University admitted through the 2020 and 2021 admission exercises.
The combined 2021/2022 session started in October 2021 with the full commencement of academic activities on November 1, 2021 after the pre-orientation workshop of October
25, 2021. The first semester is coming to an end soon as we decided that we needed time to build a formidable foundation for the gigantic structure that this university would be through months of high-octane academic engagements with the students.
The number of our matriculating students today is 269 apart from the students of our predegree Ahman Pategi College of Advanced Studies:
Dear students, as today is your day and a definitive chapter in the book of your sojourn not only at Ahman Pategi University but also in life, it is important that you re-commit yourselves to the pursuit of excellence and embrace positivity in doing so. The University
is a small city when there are ideas, ideals and ideologies which are often in a state of flux. In the years ahead and perhaps even now, this university won’t be a difference. It is your responsibility to separate the wheat from the chaff and remain guided by always ensuring that you do the right thing. For example, you cannot succeed without adhering
to the rules and regulations and discharging your primary assignment in the university with utmost commitment.
Ancient Wisdom
My dear students, let me share with you part of the ancient wisdom of the Toltec people of Brazil as documented by Don Miguel Ruiz in his much-acclaimed The Four Agreements published in 1997. As emphasised by the author, what you do as an individual is based on certain agreements you have made with yourself, with others, with God and with life. You, therefore, have the capacity to influence your behaviour and transform your lives either as students or citizens regardless of whatever circumstances or external influences surrounding you by coming to terms with the four key agreements.
These four agreements that I want you to also appreciate, internalise or digest and
operationalise are:
a) Be impeccable with your word.
b) Don’t take anything personally.
c) Don’t make assumptions.
d) Always do your best.
The first agreement, which is “Be impeccable with your word”, is acknowledged to be the most difficult. It addresses the need to take responsibility for your action and the significance of speaking with integrity or choosing your words carefully before you use them. The second agreement, “Don’t take anything personally”, addresses how you respond to issues and people especially when they hurt you. The agreement emphasises having a strong sense of self and not allowing other people’s opinions to project your reality. In essence, by not taking things personally, you witness abundance as anger,
jealousy, envy and even sadness won’t take control of your mind.
Meanwhile, the third agreement (i.e. “don’t make assumptions”) is a way of avoiding suffering, stress and interpersonal conflict. Assumptions are not truths and many families and organisations have been destroyed just on the basis of assumptions. Rather than make assumptions, just ask questions and activate communication. As the Glorious Q’uran says,
“Avoid much suspicion. Indeed some suspicions are sins” (Q49:12).
By not making assumptions, you ultimately realise there is no need for misunderstanding and sadness.
Then, the last agreement, which is adopted as the title of this address, is that you always do your best in all circumstances by integrating all the agreements in your daily life. It is
by doing your best that you will be able to live a life of fulfillment that is free from selfridicule, regret and negative energy. The maxim is that you do your best and leave the rest but don’t rest till you do your best.
There is no doubt that there is a lot of wisdom that can help you navigate life in the Four Agreements. The success of the book and the profundity of the thoughts must have informed the writing of The Fifth Agreement, which Don Miguel Ruiz co-wrote with hiss on, Don Jose Ruiz. That fifth agreement is: Be skeptical, but learn to listen. In other words, you will be exposed to a lot of messages and influences even here in the university but the power of doubt will help you to challenge the types of messages you will deliver to yourselves. The world will tell you a lot of lies but don’t lie to yourselves and don’t allow the lies you listen to, especially from the ubiquitous social media, take control over you.
Agree with yourselves to allow the five agreements to shape your worldview and actions. By doing so, you are more likely to live a life of abundance right from the micro world of the university to the macro world of the larger society. I wish you all success as you become impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, always do your best and remain skeptical but learn to listen. Always remember the ancient wisdom of the Toltec that has contemporary relevance still.
Affirmative Action
It is well known that affirmative action is a set of policies and practices aimed at bridging gaps and providing equal opportunities. In this regard, I enjoin our distinguished stakeholders and the general public to take this affirmative action contextually by supporting the students of the University through scholarships and sponsorships. This
intervention will definitely assist us in providing educational opportunities for those who cannot afford it because quality education is costly though pathetic ignorance is costlier.
It is, therefore, gratifying to acknowledge that Ahman Pategi Foundation and Hydroelectric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC) have taken the lead in this direction by awarding full and partial scholarships to our students. The University is grateful to the Foundation and the Commission while it urges individuals and organisations to also join hands with the University in actualising its vision and
achieving its mission. The University is also open to partnerships in infrastructurally advancing its mandate of providing total education to the leaders of today and tomorrow.
Modest Efforts
Though Ahman Pategi University began just last year, it has recorded its few rings of success stories. Apart from starting academic work less than two months after receiving its provisional licence to operate, the University emerged the first Nigerian university to host the national beach soccer league, which was broadcast on Super Sports cable
channel late June last year. The University also gave a good account of itself at the 9th edition of the All-Nigeria Universities Debating Championship and 2nd edition of AllNigeria Universities Quiz Challenge hosted by the University of Ilorin between February 13 and 19, 2022.
APU is the only university established in the past six years to participate in the academic tournament. The University has also succeeded in networking with other institutions and organisations
both within and outside Nigeria while publications bearing the name of the University have appeared in international outlets. Soon, staff of the University will be engaging schools in the hosting community to add more value to their teaching and learning experiences and deepen the community service component of the University mandate.
Profound Appreciation
The modest efforts highlighted and those foregrounded could not have been recorded without the divine guidance of the Almighty Allah and the support of people of goodwill. In this regard, I am grateful to the proprietor, Hon. Aliyu Ahman-Pategi, for his trust and
sacrifices, and I am thankful to the Board of Trustees, ably chaired by Senator Isa
Mohammad, and the Governing Council.
Our regulatory agencies have been wonderful and helpful. Therefore, I cannot thank the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Is-haq O. Oloyede, enough for his unwavering commitment to the success of APU and the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, for his tremendous support. I especially acknowledge Ahman Pategi Foundation astutely led by the Proprietor and Pro-Chancellor while I duly recognise the contributions of HYPADDEC, where the Managing Director, Mal. Abubakar Sadiq Yelwa, and his Director of Community and Rural Development, Dr Mahmud Muhammad, have been fantastic. I also appreciate the Executive Chairman of the World Institute for Peace, Mr Lamina Kamiludeen, for coming and his recognition of those to be recognised in due course.
Meanwhile, I need not thank my colleagues in management and Senate, the Ag. Registrar, Mal. Mustapha Abdullahi; the Bursar, Alh. Misbau Oladejo; and our BOT member and Director, Dr Aminah Ahman, as well as academic and non-teaching staff who have worked with me committedly and selflessly. I said I needed not thank them but the truth of the matter is that it is evident that I really appreciate them.
Last but not the least, I am grateful to the Etsu Patigi and Vice-Chairman of the Kwara State Traditional Council, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ibrahim Umar Bologi, for being a father to the University. Right from my first meeting with His Royal Highness in February last year, shortly after my appointment was made, he has been unwavering in his support to the University while also offering us valuable advice and encouragement.
Your Royal Highness, I am profoundly grateful.
I congratulate the matriculating students once again and I wish you resounding successes in your academic endeavours. And to you all, distinguished audience and eminent personalities, on behalf of Ahman Patigi University community, I thank you for coming and I appreciate your rapt attention.
Thank you very much and may the Almighty Allah bless you abundantly.
