Special Assistant On Youth Empowerment to Gov Abdulrahman advises Students on Persistence and Perseverance

The Special Assistant On Youth Empowerment to Kwara State Governor Hon, Sulaimon Lekan Gadaff on the 4th of February, 2023 graced an event hosted by the National Association of Kwara State Student’s (NAKSS), Al-Hikmah University Chapter where he gave a lecture focused on Persistence and Perseverance among Youths.

He also advised the Students to be well prepared to make use of opportunities that come their way and apply what they are taught to their daily ways of life.

In his Statement he said…

I am enthusiastic about being present on this grand occasion. Quickly let me share with you a story. You will be able to learn a few lessons from it.

One day, my grandmother, having returned from the market, asked what I would like to eat. Happily like a baby, I jumped and said pounded yam and egusi soup. She smiled and said no problem. I was happy and ran quickly to the kitchen to bring out tubers of yam. She showed me the size to peel, and I gladly did that. After that, she asked me to set up the wooden fire. I started, but I needed help to achieve the desired result.

You know cooking with firewood is different from cooking with gas. I gathered some firewood together. I meant big logs of wood with the hope that the fire would ignite immediately once I put plenty of kerosene but reverse was the case.

Once I put more kerosene, the fire would go up, but after some times, it went down. I was sweating profusely already. In fact, I could not withstand the pains. The firewood’s smoke made me shed tears uncontrollably (funny, though). I decided to look for another set of firewood. Still the fire did not burn well. At a point I got tired.

I sat like a lonely child thinking of what to do. Unknowingly to me that my loving grandma was watching from behind. Her voice made me realize she was observing my attempts to set the fire. She said, “Well done. But don’t give up yet, ehn. If am not around, wouldn’t you find a solution to it? Next time, be patient. The first set of firewood was about to reach its pick before you abandoned it and started another one. “. She removed the big wood from the fire and set it again with small pieces of dry wood. Gradually the fire began to burn, and after some time, it increased and continued burning well.
One vital lesson I learned from this wonderful experience, which I also want you to learn, is the virtue of perseverance. In life, when we try to get things faster, just like I wanted the fire to burn quickly, we might spend much more time than expected. The key to achieving the desired result is being persistent.

We need to the art of perseverance. Not only that, when we fail to plan well and apply the right knowledge in certain situations, we might end up worsening the situation and, in the end, get disappointed. For example, I gathered the big wood that was wet to set up the fire. This act is called poor planning and the need for more knowledge.

Before my grandma assisted me, I was almost fainting because the worms in my stomach were already making sounds. At a point, I stopped. I could not persevere.
In essence, as youths, don’t stop seeking knowledge. Learn to persevere.

See correction as motivation. It would be best if you had the right expertise to solve any problem. When you have the right knowledge, you must be patient for it to work. A common adage goes thus: little drops of water make a mighty ocean. This is to tell you that in life, perseverance is an essential ingredient to be successful.
The real test comes when you have a personal stake in something or face problems. As youths, we want to be successful in our careers and be great men and women in society. I also understand that, as youths, we want the community to feel our impact and existence. This is the dream of every youth. However, when chasing our dreams, let us strive to be faithful, loyal, and honest. Let us be good-mannered and patient in all circumstances.
Also, prepare yourself well to utilize every good opportunity that comes your way. Learn to apply what you have learned in school in your daily activities. Improve your professional skills and enhance your ability to get things done. You can learn many soft skills online to give you an added advantage on the career front. In all things, remember to act morally and uprightly. This is why I am imploring you to imbibe the virtue of patience. When you are patient, you will be careful not to act immorally.

You will be conscious about doing the right thing. Let me conclude with the popular African proverb which goes thus: “that the patient dog eats the fattest bone.” Be persistence in every good thing that you are doing. Never get discouraged or dissuaded. When the time comes for you to harvest the fruit of perseverance, the world will smile and clap for you. It is just a matter of time.
Thank you, and God bless you.