By Jamiu Folarin
Abeokuta, Oct. 15, ’25 (TNZ) Congratulations to all my students who graduated today at the 14th convocation of Crescent University Abeokuta.
TheNewsZenith reports that the convocation, held at the main campus of the institution along Abeokuta-Ayetoro road, on Wednesday. It was a celebration of “Town and Gown” collaboration between academics and professionals, especially in the Nollywood world.
Since joining the university seven years ago, today’s convocation is remarkable for number of reasons:
Teaching my professional teachers
By the virtue of my academic career, I have been constantly overwhelmed standing in front of many of my professional mentors as their teachers.
The experience is the same with the 2022 set of graduands from mass communication department at today’s convocation ceremony.
Congratulations to Egbon Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji Dimeji Kayode-adedeji, Bebe Musiliu Sanni, and host of others.
Teaching my childhood teachers
I was over three years old before attempting to talk. I was almost declared dumb. I was still struggling with uttering meaningful words even after my younger brother and sister (twins) had almost perfected their talking training.
As I gradually got healed from my dumbness, I pick lot of words and developed my vocabulary from nollywood movies especially the Yoruba movies. This really form an important part of my socialisation process as a child.
Early this year, I recalled this incident with nostalgia when my boss, Dr Kola Adesina allocated a course (Issues in Communication Law and Ethics) to me as part of the courses expected to be taken by our students taking Diploma in Theatre, Film and Communication Studies.
Lo and behold, I was standing before my childhood teachers, who through their movies, I partly leant how to talk. Notably among them was Lukman Ebun Oloyede (Olaiya Igwe), Olufunmilayo Olajumoke Sonola (Iya Sapon), Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin) and host of others. Congratulations to my childhood teachers.
Leaning from my students
The privilege of teaching my professional and childhood teachers had remarkable impact in my academic sojourn. As I stand to regurgitate what they taught me and how well I have improved since leaving their tutelage, I still learnt more and more from them.
So it is still a teacher-student relationship but there is thin line between the two classifications when I stand before my teachers/students. Thank you for further teaching me how to be humble by exemplifying humility in your academic sojourn at Crescent University.
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Reward of hardwork is more work
Riding on the wise counsel of my boss to continue giving my best in whatever I do and with good intention, the reward of hardwork is more work leading to success. I was billed to attend four different events today and my participation in all were really important.
I eventually attended two and missed two. As a member of ceremonial committee of Crescent University, I compelled myself to be present.
As the president of The Standard Bearers, I had no other option to be present at Adire/Kampala market at Itoku in Abeokuta to organise enlightenment programme to mark the Day’s Global Handwashing Day (Oct. 15).
But I missed the State Congress of The Muslim Congress (TMC) being the PRO as well as the presentation of CEREDEMS-Africa/PAN online discussion of our report on the 2023 Presidential election campaign monitoring project.
Last year, it was only two programmes that I had to participate simultaneously but this year it was four. In fact, the reward of hard work is more work!
“Education is light without which you remain perpetually in darkness”
This was the takeway from the speech of Olaiye Igwe whose daughter graduated at Crescent University in 2019 and in 2022 he attain the same feat.
I continued to reflect on the above quotation and the stage (convocation) play (Ko Pe Ju – Never Too Late) featuring Olaiye Igwe, Mr Latin and other stars.
And the same was re-echoed by the best graduating student, Ustaz Hamzat Semiu Biola that we learn from cradle to grave.
It was indeed a remarkable experience today as I rejoice with my students who light up their ways in life through knowledge.
The life of significance is best exhibited by adding values to people’s life. Congratulations once again to my students. (TNZ)
Folarin (PhD) lectures at the Department of Mass Communication, Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
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