The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics (The Pan-African University of Excellence), Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has charged new students of the university to make judicious use of their time, noting that the present is a fleeting moment that soon becomes the past.
Prof. Adedimeji gave the charge in his address titled “Your Present Is Your Present,” delivered at the second matriculation ceremony of the university held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at the University Auditorium.
According to the Fulbright scholar, who congratulated the students and their parents on the momentous occasion, the journey towards the matriculating students’ desired future had just begun.
He said, “You are just starting, and before you lie terrains to be explored, depths to be reached, and treasures to be discovered. The opportunities are vast, and your responsibility is to utilise them by maximising your time. All you have is the present of the present to guarantee your future.”
The Vice Chancellor clarified that he was not being repetitive but was employing the semantic concept of homography, where the same spelling carries different meanings.
He explained, “While the first ‘present’ refers to a period of time, the moment we are in, the second refers to a gift. In other words, the moment you have now, or the opportunity of life you enjoy, is your gift or present to transform your world.”
“Your presence here is a privilege denied to others like you. Use it well in your studies and preparation before your present becomes the past. Commit yourselves fully to your primary assignment in the university, as that is the key to your success, and avoid distractions.”
Prof. Adedimeji welcomed the students into the university community and encouraged them to learn both vertically and horizontally every day, within and outside the classroom, stressing that while a fool learns from his own mistakes, a wise person learns from the mistakes of others.
He also encouraged goal setting and skills acquisition as part of their training, while advising against complacency and comfort zones.
According to him, “It is your responsibility to identify and harmonise what you love and what you are good at with what the world needs and what you can be paid for. You are welcome to the university, and I encourage you to never rest until you become better than the best elsewhere.”
In his lecture titled “University Education as a Catalyst for Poverty Eradication,” the Guest Speaker, who is also the Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr. Lawal Olohungbebe, commended the university’s approach to education, noting that he had been following its progress since its establishment in Nigeria two years ago.
Dr. Olohungbebe, who also serves as Chairman of the State Commissioners of Education in Nigeria, urged students to take advantage of the institution by acquiring research skills to bridge societal gaps, as well as vocational skills that would enable them generate income and rise above poverty.
As a strategy for escaping the poverty trap, he emphasised the importance of hands-on competence, financial literacy, living within one’s means, avoiding unnecessary debt, and building strong professional networks early in life.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Prof. Tunde Akanni of Lagos State University, alongside Alhaji Najeem Jimoh, former editor of The Punch newspaper, who represented the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Emeritus Is-haq Oloyede.
Others included the founder of ASE, Prof. Leonard Wantchekon of Princeton University, and Dr. Foluke Aliyu-Ibrahim of the University of Ilorin. They all commended the management of ASE for positioning the university on a path of global excellence and urged the students to remain hardworking.
Highlights of the event included the presentation of an award to Dr. Olohungbebe by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Obinna Obiwulu, and the administration of the matriculation oath on the new students by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Adedimeji.
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