These our teachers here did not get here by mere wishes, they work hard , burnt candles, passed through several pains and now you see them shining. By God’s grace, you too will shine and become leaders some day, the future starts now
By Damola Kadri
The beauty pageant of Offa, Miss Amidat Oluwaferanmi Mustapha popularly called MOB commenced her mentoring visits to schools and colleges in Offa, Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State on Friday, starting with Adeola College Offa.
Miss Amidat Mustapha in her charge to teenage school girls in the secondary school advised them that there is always enough time to play around after success has been achieved in their academic pursuit.
In her charge titled: “THE FUTURE STARTS NOW” Mustapha emphasized the place of the girl child in the society stating that the girls must know their value and place it on themselves before others can place any value on them.
In her words “You all as students here are representing your parents: Whatever you do is what will determine the judgment people will pass on your parents at home.”
“As young girls, we have to be extra careful and be future conscious. The mistakes that a boy will do and people will laugh over it, when a girl does same mistake, the whole Offa will hear. If you say you are feeling sick now, the question they would start asking would be, hope she is not pregnant? See what I mean?
“These our teachers here did not get here by mere wishes, they work hard , burnt candles, passed through several pains and now you see them shining. By God’s grace, you too will shine and become leaders some day, the future starts now.
“When we talk about a future, I am not talking about a long period far away, I am talking about few years, few months and few days from now.
“To achieve success is not difficult but you need the following
1. Believe that you are capable and strong: Believe in yourself and your capabilities. The people can say what they feel about you, what you say about yourself matters most.
2. Your education is your power: Learning is key to unlocking your potential and creating a brighter future. When you learn new things, it opens your brain, gives new ideas and empowers you towards your desired goal in life.
3. Dream big and set goals: Identify your passions and aspirations, and work towards achieving them.
4. You are not alone: Surround yourself with positive influences, supportive friends, and family. Any friend that will not see a bright future with you is not your friend, chase them away. Two good heads are better than one.
5. Your voice matters: Speak up, express yourself, and advocate for your rights and interests. There is power in ability to speak boldly and courageously wherever you find yourself.”
Arewa Mustapha highlighted ways through which success can be made with ease in legitimate ways which included
“1. Create a study routine: Create a plan of when and how to read. It’s not until you read for ten hours before you can grab, if you read for just two hours and can assimilate well. You have achieved something. Do not say that because you have many things to do, you want to do all at a time, you won’t achieve any by so doing. Set priority on what you want to do, what comes first and in that order.
2. Ensure that you set achievable goals: Break down larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks to maintain motivation.
3. Seek help when needed: Don’t hesitate to ask teachers, mentors, or classmates for support when struggling with a concept.
4. Stay organized: Use tools like planners, calendars, or apps to keep track of assignments, deadlines, and schedules. Many of you have android sets, these features are on it.
5. Take care of your physical and mental health: Regular exercise, healthy eating, and sufficient sleep are essential for maintaining energy and focus.
6. Explore your interests: Engage in extracurricular activities, clubs, or volunteer work to discover your passions and develop new skills.
7. Develop a growth mindset: Embrace challenges, learn from challenges, and view mistakes as opportunities for growth. Challenges are like examinations, they are meant to be passed.
The Offa pageant however warned that no one is above mistake and that once a mistake is made, the wisest thig is to shake up the feelings and move on
She said “In life, one is bound to make some mistakes, if you are running and you fall down, quickly stand up, clean up your mess, start running again, in no time, you will cover some distance. Those who run and fall down and remain down will never rise. Your place is not the down, keep moving, the future of our nation lies in the hand of the girl child. You and I will rule this nation someday, remember, THE FUTURE STARTS NOW.”
In his welcome address, the Vice Principal of Adeola College Offa, Mr Anthony in his welcome address appreciates Miss AREWA for counting it worthy to pay an advocacy visit to their school and charged the students to pay rapt attention to the advice for the pageant.
The climax of the visit was a presentation of a laundry basket to the school by Miss AREWA of Offa as a token of her appreciation to the management and staff of the school.
The Principal of Adeola College, Mr Paul Olawale, giving vote of thanks appreciates the time spared by AREWA to visit their school and also charged the students never to forget the golden advice taken from AREWA’s speech to them in her admonition.
It was indeed a successful outing for AREWA in her planned visit to all schools in Offa town and its metropolis.