The Registrar of the Joint Admission Matriculation Board (JAMB) , Prof ls-haq Oloyede has urged policians and academics to be wary of the friends they acquired after attaining success warning that ” there are not tru friends” but friends of the office”
Delivering a thought-provoking Convocation Lecture at the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti,FUOYE), Oloyede argued that the reason most successful people fail after they have achieved success was the fact that they often abandoned their childhood friends or those who stood by them in the difficult times .
In the 8th Convication lecture entitled ” The Failure of Success ” Oloyede explained most friends acquired after attaining exalted positions are mostly not genuine friends but friends of the office.
According to JAMB boss , these set of friends are only loyal to themselves and the office .
“Success is sweet ,but sustaining it is sweeter .Sustaining success requires focus ,discipline, consistency ,and continuous self- development .As anything can happen at any time which compels the needs for mainstreaming uncertainty, there should no complacency in working hard ,trusting God and being good.
Oloyede,the former chairman, Association of African Universties therefore said one must learn how to manage news friends acquired while in office without necessarily sacrificing the old ones .
He said “One truth about life is that success and failure are two sides of the same coin, just like happiness and sadness, day and night, positive and negative. The two opposites dominate and animate life but when they are understood, the undesirable opposites could be minimized all together at individual, societal and national levels. It is all about doing the right things and doing things right.
” Being successful is a process but it is not a destination. Thecdestinstiin is impact. Success fails when it dies not impact on others and the society at large. It is remarkable that you are successful where others have failed but you should understand that success is a combination of sincerity, service and sacrifice..
Oloyede,also former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin cited highly successful people who had experienced failure in their life also as way to motivate the graduands. He mentioned the likes of Opray Winfrey, Bill Gates and Abraham Lincoln among others.
He urged the graduands to do everything to sustain success while he said that failure itself could be a stepping stone to success.
Another highlight of the ceremony was the conferment of honorary degrees of the university some eminent Nigerians, including the senate leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele ; chairman senate committee on appropriations, Senator Solomon Adeola and the Chairman House of Representatives committee on Navy, Yusuf Gadji.
Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, urged the graduands to ensure that they do not forget to hone their skills with their education and make the best out of it.
His words:” I congratulate graduands of today and your parents and guardians and the students of this great University. I join you to say arise and shine . I also must recognize the presence of today’s guest speaker, an erudite Professor , Professor Oloyede.
“Your lecture is as masterpiece everyone here today must have. I also greet all other VCs here today . I urge all of you to get a copy of Prof. Oloyede’s lecture and l pray for you that as you will be greater than this University. Like Prof Oloyede said, what makes a great University is the quality of the Alumni association, please come back and give to this university.
The Vce-Chancellor of FUOYE, Prof. Fasina who took the audience through his fruitful journey of three years, said the administration was planning on more laudable programmes to further out the University on a global map.
He added that his administration has succeeded in adding new academic programmes which included Medicine and Surgery, Data Science and Analytics, Agric Business Management, Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, Agricultural Extension and Rural Development; MBA, DBA, MFA, DFA, PDFM, M.Sc, Ph.D. (Business Administration), MSc. Ph.D. in Public Administration and Finance, MPA, DPA.
For Affiliated Colleges, Sandwich Programme, Part-time Programmes, Distance Learning Institute, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, FUOYE Business School, New Departments of Philosophy, Religious Studies, Nursing and Environmental Management and Toxicology.”