Dogara
Immediate
past speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara,
has charged youths on the value of patriotism, adding that the
greatness Nigeria yearns for will only manifest when citizens place
premium on the pursuit of freedom, rather than the pursuit of
personal happiness.
He,
therefore, urged them, as the future of the country, to support
Nigeria at all times.
Dogara
disclosed this while speaking at the 8th and 9th Convocation Ceremony
of Achievers University, in Owo, Ondo State where he was also
conferred with a honorary Doctoral Degree of Law and installed as the
Chancellor of the University.
Congratulating
the graduands, he stated, “As you leave this hallowed academic
ground, I admonish you to take to heart, two things Mark Twain, ‘the
father of American literature’, once said. The first will help you
to realize and release the genius in you and the other will help our
country in our quest to deepen governance.
“The
first is, ‘A person who won’t read has no advantage over one who
can’t read’. The second was his definition of patriotism:
‘Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your
government when it deserves it’.
“Nigeria
needs true patriots – those who will place premium on the pursuit
of freedom rather than the pursuit of happiness. This is true if
Nigeria would be a great country, especially now that demagogues who
are immune to the norms of established society litter the political
landscape.”
He
also felicitated with his fellow honorary doctoral degree awardees,
noting that the honour done to them is in recognition of their
“little achievements and contributions to the Nigeria project and
humanity in general.
Going
further, he charged Nigerians to take the honour as a call for
greater service, saying, “We must continue to work hard until we
achieve the Nigerian state of our dream.
“It
is said that Rome was not built in a day, implying that the Romans
did not stop working any day until Rome was built. This must be our
culture in Nigeria. The culture of going to work without let until we
build a nation that serves our collective aspirations.”
Hon
Dogara also thanked the Board of Trustees and the Council of
Achievers University for finding him worthy of succeeding his
“amiable and education-loving” predecessor, Senator Dr. Bode
Olajumoke, and pledged to discharge all his responsibilities to the
best of his ability.
“My
acceptance of this responsibility as the chancellor of this
university bestows on me to be more present in the university, at
least once a year during the convocation ceremonies. In accepting
this academic title, I recognise the fact that it is a great
responsibility to step into the very big shoes of my predecessor,
Sen. Bode Olajumoke, who has made a great impact in providing quality
leadership and mentorship to generation of students in the
university.
“My
solemn pledge today is to join hands with the council, Senate and
management of the university in lifting higher the bar of academic
excellence for the benefit of humanity. As Rev. Dr Martin Luther King
Jr. reminded us, “When education flourishes, we all flourish.”
Earlier,
the pioneer chancellor of Achievers University, Sen. Dr Bode
Olajumoke, disclosed that the choice of the former speaker and other
awardees was purely based on merit as the “university’s awards
are not for sale but offered to those who deserve it.”
He
further explained that Rt. Hon Dogara was nominated to succeed its
outgone chancellor and take over as the 2nd chancellor the school has
had since inception, in recognition of his outstanding qualities and
track record, and for his contribution to the development and growth
of education in Nigeria. He also noted his commitment to the
university in spite of his tight schedules, such as he demonstrated
when he delivered the 4th convocation lecture of the institution in
2016.
“The
university is happy to have you as it will benefit largely from your
benevolence, goodwill commitment and sense of purpose,” he added.
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