Posted by FRANCIS AWOWOLE- BROWNE on
There was pin drop silence at the campus of The Polytechnic Ibadan, yesterday as Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti held guests and students glued to their seats while narrating how he struggled...
There was pin drop silence at the campus of The Polytechnic Ibadan, yesterday as Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti held guests and students glued to their seats while narrating how he struggled during his two years academics programme in the institution by engaging in such odd jobs as selling ladies pants and under-wears within the campus in addition to a bus conductor's job to make ends meets
The audience nodded in appreciation of his struggles against poverty even when the governor said he later graduated from being a bus condutor to commercial danfo bus driver in The Polytechnic neighbourhood.
Teaching the youths that economic doldrum was not enough reason for them to turn charlatans, he recalled, " I was the most familiar face in the ladies hostel of Olori hall at the Polytechnic because I sold undies"
Governor Fayose who bemoaned the plight of the youths in the country made an appeal to those in position of authroity be guided by their conscience when formulating decisions and taking actions that have direct bearing on the youths.
The state chief executive who was delivering a lecture titled: " The Tomorrow of Our Youth Today" in Ibadan on the occasion of the conferment on him with the first distinguished Alumnus award of Excellence by the faculty of science of the Polytechnic Ibadan said, the situation in the country had dictated that youth must take their destiny into their hands.
Amidst thunderous applause by the guests and the crowd of students, the governor maintained that the situation had reached a stage where the youths especially the graduates should rather focus on how to be self employed rather than seeking white-collar jobs that do not exist.
"The future looks bleak for the youths in the country except they can liberate themselves. I am miffed at the teeming thousands of the youth corpers yearly posted to states because the prospect of their getting gainful employments is not there.
"And as I ponder over the situation, I keep on calling on those in position of responsibility to be guided by their conscience as to do that which will improve the lives of our youth and the society in general", he stated.
Mr Fayose whose lecture was punctuated by showers of praises from the students recalled how he battled to survive as a student of The Polytechnic between 1985 and 1987 by engaging in odd jobs such as bus conductor and later commercial danfo driver, having come from a large family and without the benefit of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He stated further that what he did was to break the barrier of poverty that would have prevented him from getting the victory he has, saying " I am proud to say this, I drove danfo and see the danfo driver is now being driven as a governor and I am proud to be graduate of The Polytechnic Ibadan."
The governor stressed that the youths could be what they want to be no matter the economic situation provided they did not themselves mortgage their today.
"You are the only one that can prevent yourself from realizing your potentials if you give your today to social vices like secret cult ,shortcut to get rich quick, armed robbery and gangsterism, then you don't have tomorrow" , he advised.
Earlier, Rector of the Polytechnic, Dr. J.A Adejumobi in his address as the chairman of the occasion said the life lived by Governor Fayose leading to his being honoured with an Alumnus award was a great lesson to the youth of today .
He said, " this will serve a beacon of light , diligence and good behaviour to current students", adding the youths should not see life as a bed of roses and when it did not turn out to be , they should not take to social vices which ultimately ruin their future".
On the development to science and technology, the Rector argued that the honour and respect given to a nation in the comity of nations depends on the nation's level of scientific and technological development.
He stressed that any programme of job creation, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and self employment could not be successfully implemented without adequate scientific and technological support.
"It is in the light of the forgoing that makes the faculty of science direct its effort towards producing quality scientist and technologist for the nations.