VC Adedimeji tasks new students on time management

T The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics (The Pan-African University of Excellence), Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has charged the new students of the University to make a judicious use of their time, noting that the present is a fleeting moment that soon becomes past.

Prof. Adedimeji gave this charge in his address, “Your Present Is Your Present”, delivered at the second matriculation ceremony of the University held on Wednesday, April 8, 2026 at the University Auditorium.

According to the Fulbright scholar, who congratulated the students and their parents on the momentous occasion, the journey to the matriculating students’ desired future had just begun. “You are just starting and before you are terrains to be explored, depths to be reached and treasures to be discovered. The opportunities are vast and your responsibility is to utilise them by maximising the use of your time. All you have is the present of the present to guarantee your future,” he said.

The Vice Chancellor clarified that he was not being repetitive but was only using the semantic relation of homography where the same spellings have different meaning. “While the first present refers to a period of time, the moment we are in, the second refers to a gift. In other words, the moment you have now or the opportunity of life you enjoy is your gift or present to transform your world. Your present or presence here is a gift that has been denied other people like you. Use it well on your studies and preparation before your present becomes past. Commit yourselves fully to your primary assignment in the university as that is the key to your success and avoid distractors or distractions,” he noted.

Prof. Adedimeji welcomed the students to the university community and encouraged them to learn vertically and horizontally everyday both within and outside the classroom, stressing that while a fool learns from his own mistakes, a wise person learns from the mistakes of others.

He encouraged them on goal setting and skills acquisition as part of their training while advising them against being contented in their comfort zones. According to him, “It is your responsibility to identify and harmonise what you love and what you are good at with what the world needs and what you can be paid for. You are welcome to the university and I encourage you to never rest until you always become better than the best elsewhere.”

In his lecture on the occasion, “University Education as a Catalyst for Poverty Eradication”, the Guest Speaker, who is also the Kwara State Commissioner for Education and Human Capital Development, Dr Lawal Olohungbebe, commended the university on its approach to university education noting that he had been following the progress of the institution since its inception in Nigeria two years ago.

Dr Olohungbebe, who is also the Chairman of the State Commissioners of Education in Nigeria, encouraged the students to take advantage of their unique institution by acquiring research skills to bridge the existing gaps in the society and vocational skills through which they could generate income and get lifted from poverty.

As a way of escaping poverty trap, Dr Olohungbebe emphasised the importance of hands-on competence while encouraging the students to cultivate financial literacy early, live below their means as a lifestyle, avoid unnecessary debts and build strong professional networks right from now.

Goodwill messages were delivered on the occasion by Prof. Tunde Akanni of Lagos State University who along with Alh. Najeem Jimoh, former editor of The Punch newspaper, represented the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Emeritus Is-haq Oloyede, as well as the founder of ASE, Prof. Leonard Wantcheckon of Princeton University and Dr Foluke Aliyu-Ibrahim from the University of Ilorin. They all commended the management of ASE on setting the university on the path of global excellence and urged the students to be hardworking.

Highlights of the occasion included the presentation of award to Dr Olohungbebe by the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr Obinna Obiwulu, and administration of matriculation oath on the new students by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Adedimeji.