*A bite of the loaf*

Hello dear reader, how have you been?

This may be my first time of writing to you, unless you have seen my works somewhere before now, any which way, it feels good to be writing to you.

To start with, I want to firstly congratulate you for having coming this far, even though it’s just a semester out of 10 or 8 as your curriculum may have it. (that is why i titled this tract “a bite of the loaf “)

The journey started just like yesterday with series of registration processes, ranging from making payments to uploading of documents, to hostel accommodation, medical clearance, I. D card registration and lots more. The evergreen scenery of the campus environment that captures the eyes of any beholder. I’m sure you’re have grown to the adaptation of funaab’s lawns and her mantra of “ don’t cross the lawn “ those funny students who can use a pen after they might have used their bags and books to secure spaces for their friends who is probably not in school yet, the movement from one lecture theatre to another, from laboratory to class and after the stress of the whole day, you still have to struggle at the car park to avoid someone who wants to shunt in front of you and every other scenes that unfold in the school environment.

Now let’s get talking, you might be wondering how the semester started and ended so quick. This is how your subsequent semesters on campus will be and of course come to an end someday and you will tell the world that “I am now a graduate “
But within those years, who would you grow to become?
What will make the difference in you apart from your increase in body size, shape, academic grades and social wellbeing?
What will happen to your intellectualism?
Your spirituality?
Your purpose in life and talent?
Your financial and money sense?
Your inter-personal relationship with people around you, and many other facets of life?

Esteemed reader, if you desire a successful life, it is a doctrine of necessity for you to ensure you’re leaving no stone unturned in respect to your life and what you do with it.
You might be wondering that what is he saying, I know series of questions are running in your head as you read, don’t worry, follow me, let’s read on.

Let me start by letting you understand that the university is the best avenue to get free or relatively free things. Because, right there in your nose, maybe your class, hostel, church group, mosque and other associations, there is always someone in the aforementioned sects that is ever ready to offer you whatever you want for free. I do not mean you should go about to start seeking for free stuff from every Tom, Harry and Henrietta. What i meant is that whatever you wish to learn in academics, vocation, religion, life, business and career, there is always someone who is ever ready to serve your needs if you will humble yourself to learn. For instance, if you desire to become a writer, poet, public speaker, stylist, a learned in the field of religion, keyboardist, guitarist, hair stylist, and so on. There is always someone who will be willing to take you through the journey for little fee or absolutely free. If you search well within your coast, you will find that someone.

The above might not interest you but i will like to remind you that the availability of jobs in the nation for graduates is ridiculously low compared to the population of unemployed and Idle graduates out there, and of course the population increases day by day. You as an undergraduate, you have the luxury of opportunities right before you, if only you will dare to recognise and grab them. Don’t rely on that uncle of yours who has promised you a job at the ministry after your graduation, many a times, such promises are not fulfilled, not because they don’t want to fulfil it, but because the situation at hand is beyond their control.

You may say “ that will not be my portion “ but I want it to stick in you that the best way to get a job is to create one for yourself. By so doing, you won’t be exposed to any story that touches from your uncle that has promised you job somewhere, you won’t have to go under the scorching sun moving from one kind of interview to another, and all other sorts that has to do with seeking of job.

Don’t be fooled by the title “ student “ that you carry, it is not a profession, it is a phase of life which anyone who desire to have a university degree must pass through.

I will like to quote Fela Durotoye when he came to speak in funaab some months back, at the ignite conference where he said “ you are not a student, you are a leader in training “
Do you know what training means? It means getting your hands dirty, working hard on something in order to achieve a certain goal. Don’t live in the mirage of studentship for too long, adulthood is tasking! Stay woke! Before you know it, the four or five years journey you signed up for will come to an end and some new realities that don’t correlate with what you are been taught in school will begin to set in, your monthly allowance as a student will no longer be there, and you will have to source for resources yourself. As if that is not enough, your siblings, parents, relatives, street sisters and brothers will begin to look up to you, expecting what will become of you. I’m sure you don’t want to fail them.

In the flow of my ink, let me quickly point this out, know well that the fact that you are a student doesn’t mean you have arrived, in fact, it is the most dangerous path to thread, because as a student, you are an endangered specie, because at this point, failure is not even an option.

The morals that have been instilled in you right from home shouldn’t be degraded. Rather, they should grow more in you. It saddens my heart every time I see students throwing away caution and sanity all because they are students, they care less about how they speak to elders, especially those that engage in the petty trading and menial jobs.
Beloved reader, make it an upfront task to uphold your moral standards, never bargain to compromise any of them.

Think before you act, the cleaner you insult today might be the only person in the world that can get you a befitting job, the security man you abuse today might be the person that will place you before Kings and policy makers. Who told you life is straight?
Learn to accord respect and regards to everyone you come across with, regardless of their profession. We are all humans before any other identity we carry.

I also want to remind you that what they usually refer to as “forming” has become obsolete, it doesn’t have a stand in today’s world, learn the be real always, by so doing, you will go far, farther than you can imagine.

With the present economy situation of the country, any sponsor, be it parent, uncle, cousin, relative or whosoever that has deemed it wise to ensure you get schooled is giving you a lifetime entitlement and as such you owe them a lot. In fact, they deserve your all, the fact that they are your parent doesn’t mean they must send you to school. At least, you must have seen some parents who are well to do just as or even more than your parents and are not concerned about getting their children a university education.

I want to admonish you that as you go home after this exam, go and appreciate them, give them heartily hugs, let them understand that you appreciate what they do and you aren’t taking that for granted, help them with their trade, jobs or profession, assist them in every way you can, even if your mum sells locust beans, help them in selling it shamelessly, you are not here to look uche’s face.

Dear colleague, I have a lot bottled up inside of me which i will like to write to you but this tract won’t be able to contain.
Inshaa’Allah i will keep writing to you in our subsequent tracts, but till then, i wish you a casualty-free semester break and i pray that the Lord Almighty will provide all of your needs.

With love,
Toheeb Bisiriyu