Students, staff, and faculty helped distribute floor mats and food to the families who are living at Damare Primary School in Yola.  AUN family members also donated their own clothes, shoes and other items to the families.

The Ward Head (local group leader), Mr. Umar Adamu said he’s glad AUN is helping and could use more assistance when it comes to rebuilding their community.

“Putting a smile on their faces puts a smile on my face. We’ll be back here tomorrow with mosquito nets and blankets,” said Mr. Abdullahi Bello, the AUN Assistant Dean of Students & Director of Athletics & Recreation, who organized the community service initiative. He also said he’d speak to the District Governor of Yola Rotary Club about obtaining a grant to aid for rebuilding efforts in Rugange.

President Margee Ensign addressed the audience, saying that AUN is not a University that is separate from its community. She said the University is here to share problems and solutions.

“We’ve come with supplies, food, and other resources for you. We want you to know that we are a part of your community and we are here to help you in any way that we can.”

Last week’s flood left the group of 160 homeless and with damaged farmlands. AUN will work on partnering with the Adamawa State Government to ensure that disaster victims receive everything they need when situations like this arise in the future.

Apart from Rugange, villages involved in this humanitarian crisis include Mandarare, Njoboli Fulani, Njoboliyo and other adjoining villages and hamlets on the Benue banks.

Readers of this column should accept this piece as a continuation of my series on “Destiny Love and Time.” I received a couple of comments in my mail box that suggest I have insufficient posts on “TIME.” I have therefore been wary about bringing my ideas to the fore; I have wished and hoped I will be able to share my ideology of time in the appropriate expressions.

Have you ever imagined the burring speed at which the world is moving?

I was tuned to CNN that very evening that the news of successful landing on planet Mars was broken.  Also, during the economic downtrend in UK, I came across a “news” that read something like over ten thousand industrial workers in the region were replaced with robots in order to cut cost.  I have followed with keen interest the latest developments in the world that are somehow mysterious.

I have a dream that a TIME is coming when the world will be revolving at 1050 degrees as opposed to 360 degrees. Already, it is possible to see a rainbow as a complete circle from the airplane!

The world will soon transit into what I call its best form. This is happening already; take a break and look at the world around you! Look at the incredible ways things are changing: the global economy has continued to grow at an incremental rate. Also, life expectancy across the world has risen dramatically due to rising life standards. If scientists’ words are something to go by, we gain five hours of life expectancy every day. Think about the “Third Industrial Revolution,” and the intersected and unimaginable opportunities it presents to humanity.

The world is moving at a very fast pace!

In the past years, men have done amazing things that were once imagined to be impossible: TCDD is a man-made chemical which is 150,000 times more deadly than cyanide. Further, we have had test tube babies, we have seen dry ice that vaporizes without changing into liquid state. In sports and athletics, records are being set and broken often and often like a switch board.

As a youth who should be reasoning in the same tempo as the evolving digital world, you should not have problems building your perception on this. No doubt, it is only people who are able to think fast that will play chess in the mainstream come the future. Do not allow anything kill your imaginations (not even formal education) as these are the things that will become in sync with the new world. In my usual words, the talent that conforms to the new world are found in the young ones.

The world is fast evolving into a new cloud of better opportunities, potentials and possibilities.

These are realities that are slowly but assuredly taking ground. Even though this has been made less-obvious by our current grim economy and other world daunting challenges. Yes it appears we are facing the slowest economic recovery of our time; apart from economic worries, what about the security challenge, terrorism, and even more appalling Earth warming? I have stay closed with the various heart-breaking reports that continually suggest that the world is running out of the vital resources needed to keep it sustained. But I think otherwise!

Of course we have growing challenges of all kinds. But human knowledge has continued to expand infinitely to meet the emerging world demands, and it will continue to. If you ask me, I will tell you that there will be cure to HIV someday, and the same can be said of all the seeming formidable challenges currently facing our society. The recent discovery of a cancer drug which has been proven to be capable of taking terminal patients five months longer has further evidenced my claim here.

The new world shall come and bring forth abundance like an imaginary land of ease. At that time all the things you have imagined and dreamt would be a standard—the height of human imagination would be a common reality. The old generations shall be wiped away like specks on the river side. Most of the challenges of the current world will not even make it to the new world. This is more of a reality than mere expectation!

If you need to be convinced further, just imagine how life was five centuries ago when the various smartphones and media you are using right now were in non-existence. Now imagine what it would mean without them now, study the improvement trend in technologies, and human discoveries, and see what future lies ahead!

Among the youths, only the fittest shall survive and fit in to the mainstream. How prepare are you for the new world? I know for students at American University of Nigeria, this question can be easily answered but it is a beckon that the entire youths should leap at!

Need I say more? Look at the sky and see how the beautiful clouds are transcending!  Right now, I will leave you to think critically about this but you can be rest assured I’ll always be there for you.

clouds are transcending into the new world! (image culled from Google image)

I am especially honored to be here because this remarkable university’s founder and principal benefactor, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, had a vision, rooted in his own personal experience, of how an education based on intellectual inquiry grounded in a community of learning and rooted in the values of service could have a transformative impact on individuals and indeed countries.

For their work in support of this innovative community service initiative, I thank the dedicated AUN faculty and the inspiring staff leadership by individuals like Dabo and Bello.

Given that the American University of Nigeria seeks to develop your commitment to service and your leadership abilities—I want to help you think about the next four years of your university experience by discussing service:  what it means, why it matters and what impact it can have.

H.E. Atiku’s own personal experience might mirror your own.  He came from humble beginnings.  Yet he was fortunate to have had a transformative educational experience leading him to a life of service to community and country, including establishing this University, a sterling example for all everywhere.

Service is a simple word.  But don’t be deceived by its simplicity.  Like many seemingly simple things, it has profound meanings and implications.  It comes from the Latin word, servo, which means to give to someone else.

Experts tell us that service, sometimes called volunteering, has three key elements.  These are:  1) a desire to contribute to the common good; 2) an act done voluntarily; and 3) an act done without the expectation of material reward or compensation.  Service implies that there is a recipient.

You probably know all this already.

So, the critical questions are:  why give service or volunteer, and what benefit does this provide?

Again, the answer to “the why” is seemingly obvious:  there is evident need.

There are so many problems that face your country, similar to so many so called developing countries:  poverty, lack of access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunity, as well as challenges coping with consequences of environmental change, along with lack of peace and security.

Besides these needs, I suggest that there is a more fundamental need…humanity.  That is, we do not experience our fundamental human nature unless we find ways to put others before ourselves.  And one great way to do this is through service.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the pioneering Nobel Peace Prize-winning civil rights leader, eloquently suggests this in a 1959 speech in Washington, DC., “Make a career of humanity, commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights, you’ll make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.”

Dr. King urged us to serve a higher purpose:  promoting equal rights, ensuring justice, or combating poverty, giving service to something larger than ourselves.  This process of serving a higher purpose improves us and our world, and in large part, essentially makes us more human.

I believe that there has never been a better time or a greater need to engage in service or volunteering.  With unemployment high, especially among the world’s youth, growing concerns about the global economy, coupled with lingering uncertainty about our future and burgeoning skepticism about governments’ ability to address our challenges, this is a great moment to acquire through service and volunteering the fundamental experiences and skills that will prepare you for a much more globalized, interdependent and wired future.

I know that there are some times in our lives when we are more able to serve.  Many of you are studying technology, science and business and are heading towards professional or entrepreneurial careers.  That’s marvelous.

You might not have the opportunity to devote a significant amount of time to service.  However, what the University asks is that you understand the value of service and find ways to serve others in whatever path you chose.

Service is an act and an attitude.  There may be times when you can perform the act of serving others.  There may be other times when you can support others who are serving.  You should always, whatever you do in your life, develop the attitude of doing things that benefits others.

I also understand that giving service or volunteering is not always recognized or valued.  It is often thought of as ancillary to other activities, considered an afterthought or derided as a means of simply marking time.  It may also be perceived as primarily an American thing or a foreign activity.

No surprise to you, I fundamentally disagree.  I see service and volunteerism, much like the United Nations’ 2011 State of World’s Volunteerism Report, as “….a highly effective way of building on people’s capabilities in all societies and at all levels… and an essential component of programs designed to promote citizen participation and social well-being.”

I believe that notions of service can be found everywhere and at all times in human history.  This includes notions like Ubuntu in southern Africa, philanthropy in ancient Greece, and community service here at the American University of Nigeria.

I also understand that there is considerable interest in Nigeria in what is called, “service and character education.”  Nigeria also has its National Yourth Service Corporation (NYSC) program.  This is based on an understanding that national and community service can help bridge regional, ethnic and tribal divisions and promote more of a national identity.  Similarly, service can promote ethical values contrary to many international perceptions of Nigeria.

So, today, I want to speak about the growing service opportunities in these challenging times, including what these may offer you.

There are many invaluable ways to serve your community, country and world.  These include public service, military service, community service, and other forms of volunteering.  However, to make a few essential points I am going to concentrate on the Peace Corps because I know well it because I served as did five of your Professors  and staff here at AUN, Professors John, Emily, Tristan, Meghan and Karon: .

And I have one central point to make:  Peace Corps and other forms of volunteer service experiences change lives, help develop global citizenship and create what the French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville calls  “habits of the heart” that are likely to lead to a life of service to community and country.

Let me share a little history.

President Kennedy’s Call to Service

The Peace Corps was established because of students like you.

During the last days of the 1960 closely contested presidential campaign, then Senator John Kennedy made impromptu remarks at 2am on October 14^th before approximately 10,000 students at the University of Michigan.

In a cold drizzle, he simply asked, “How many of you who are studying to be doctors would be willing to work in Ghana?  How many of you who are studying to be engineers are willing to work in Latin America?”

The students heard and responded to this challenge in a remarkable way.  Within days, nearly 1,000 students signed a petition saying that they would participate in this yet un-named international volunteer program if Kennedy created it.

During President Kennedy’s inauguration on January 20, 1961, he spoke of passing the torch to a new generation.  He gave people everywhere hope with a brighter and bolder global vision, and asked each of us to play a role in “a struggle against the common enemies of man:  tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”

In that inaugural address President Kennedy called all of us to service through his stirring query, “My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you:  ask what you can do for your country”

In the next line of that timeless speech, President Kennedy challenged you students at AUN and everyone everywhere else to participate in this effort by saying, “Fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America can do for you:  ask what we can do together for the freedom of man.”

With the benefit of time, we see that for Americans service in the Peace Corps is the clearest response to President Kennedy’s clarion call.  For Nigerians and peoples in other countries, service to their country and community is the best response to this call.

Sargent Shriver, the visionary and charismatic founder of the Peace Corps, in his 1994 Yale Class Day Event—an event much like this one—gave an eloquent argument for service and volunteering by saying:

“You ought to believe in something in life; believe that thing so fervently that you will stand up with it till the end of your days.”  “…And I have one small word of advice, because it is going to be tough:  BREAK YOUR MIRRORS!  Yes, indeed—shatter the glass.  In our society, which is so self-absorbed, begin to look less at yourself and more at each other.  Learn more about the face of your neighbor and less about your own.”

How do you break your mirrors?  Shriver suggested that the best way to do this was through service to others.   He suggested that, “…When you get to be thirty, forty, fifty, or even seventy years old, you’ll get more happiness and contentment out of counting your friends than counting your dollars.  You’ll get more satisfaction from having improved your neighborhood, your town, your state, your country, and your fellow human beings than you’ll ever get from your muscles, your figure, your automobile, your home or your credit rating.”

I completely agree with Sargent Shriver.  And I think we are witnessing a new moment when the torch of service is being passed to another–your–generation.

Peace Corps service is not unique.   Many political leaders like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan speak eloquently about how service is a core part of the human experience.  Just last week, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said, “Individual acts of service can spark global results.”

These and innumerable other civic leaders understand that citizenship conveys a set of rights and responsibilities.  Political thinkers like Locke, Hobbes, and Mill understood that there is a social contract between the state and its citizens.  And under that social contract, one of the state’s main tasks is to defend the rights of its individuals.

That defense incurs obligations. One way to fulfill your responsibilities to your community and country is to serve.

As part of this growing awareness of the importance of service, it is not only the governments and AUN encouraging you to serve, best of class multinational corporations like IBM and Pfizer are also promoting innovative service programs.

Although there is a growing awareness that service is important you might ask:  why does that matter, especially for an AUN student?

One of the most significant parts of the just completed 50^th anniversary celebration of the Peace Corps may provide part of the answer.

Last September, my organization—the National Peace Corps Association, along with Senator Harris Wofford—an adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King and one of the founders of the Peace Corps, helped organized the largest ever independent survey of why individuals volunteer and what impact they think they had.

This survey, called “A Call to Peace,” tells us some remarkable things about service.  These include:

1.  98% of the respondents in this nationally representative survey would recommend Peace Corps service to a family member and/or friend.
2. 92% reported that it changed their lives.
3. 59% continue to volunteer in their community, which is more than twice the average for an American based on data from the U.S. Census bureau.
4. 39% of these individuals contribute to international projects, nearly four times the national average.

These findings suggest that service experience engenders a commitment to others.  In addition, once you serve, you are much more inclined to think of your world differently, as more closely connected, and as a consequence you will give service in a variety of different ways.

Altruism and philanthropy aside, what are the professional benefits from a service experience?

This survey revealed other important findings:

1. 60% suggested that it had a major influence on their career choice.
2. 88% stated that they got more out of the experience than they gave.

Thinking more pragmatically, looking through the eyes of your parents, they certainly ask:  how does AUN prepare you for the future?

By now requiring you to volunteer and perform community service. AUN may be the first university in Africa to take this bold step, and I wholeheartedly applaud them for this  move that will certainly change your life.

In doing community service, you will stretch yourself, which isn’t always easy, and learn invaluable lessons that will help you develop skills that are highly prized by employers, especially those active in international markets.

1. Volunteering is a highly effective means for developing, an understanding of others perspective—which is critical to success in any kind of negotiation, which is a lot of what life is about.

1. Through volunteering we also learn to work in teams, adapt to meet challenging circumstances, often using very limited resources.  Again, these skills are highly valued by employers.

The current issue of the Harvard Business Review suggests that employees who provide service to others, as little as 10 minutes a day, are much more efficient than those who don’t.

In addition to community service at AUN, there are myriad other options to serve whether through your place of worship, Non-governmental or community organization, or employer.

Participation in service programs can also involve significant numbers of individuals in these efforts, creating skill-building opportunities, as well as strengthening the bonds in Nigeria and other parts of Africa around some common goals and concerns.

Up until now, I’ve spoken about service, theoretically and generally, let me say a few words about my personal experience.

Like the others in the survey, I can emphatically say that “Peace Corps service changed my life,” maybe mirroring how the volunteer teachers influenced the Founder’s life.

Like some of you, I entered University not knowing what I wanted to study or do with my life.  So, I studied Literature, History and Religion.

Serving as a volunteer in a remote district on the Thai-Laos border in the mid-1970s, I saw the devastating consequences of the U.S.-Vietnam War and the chasm between the individuals I lived and worked with and others in their country and the world.

After my Peace Corps volunteer service, I returned to the United State determined to do something about it, but first I had to learn about politics and economics since bridging that chasm would require knowledge about both.  I also learned that peace is too important to be left to governments and making peace begins with understanding of others seemingly different from you.

Answering the Call

So, in conclusion, I urge all of you to serve.  All of us can play a part by answering the timeless call to service.

While there are few sure things in life, I can guarantee that a service experience will change your life.

While service is a gift to others, it is also an unending gift to our selves.  By helping us have new experiences and develop new skills and attitudes, the act of service enriches our life.  In other words, it is a gift that keeps on giving.

Service, whether here in Yola, in Nigeria or elsewhere in the world, is a vital way to use the world’s most important resource, its people, to promote peace and human betterment.

I sincerely hope that you will take full advantage of AUN’s  service programs since these help improve communities here and abroad.  As Dr. Martin Luther King clearly suggested these service experiences will enrich your life, strengthen your country and contribute to a better world.

And you, like those students at the University of Michigan who responded to President Kennedy’s challenge to serve, will also play your part in serving others in building a more peaceful and prosperous world.  Thank you.

Members of the class of 2016 outside the Lamido Musdafa Commencement Hall

DR. KEVIN F.F. QUIGLEY,

PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL PEACE CORPS ASSOCIATION IN THE U.S

[Dr. Kevin was keynote speaker August 28, 2012

When I received an e-mail from one of my instructors about a London 2012 Olympics job opportunity, I applied and landed the job few hours later. I was posted to the sailing center in Weymouth – a venue for the Games.

My AUN experience has given me the most solid foundation yet in my career as a budding broadcast technician. As an undergraduate, with the help of excellent instructors, I discovered and developed my hidden talents and skills, which are guiding me through my current endeavors.

After graduating in December 2010 with a BS in Communication and Multimedia Design, I did my mandatory national youth service at TVC (Television Continental) in Ketu, Lagos. I was a non-linear editor in the newsroom for one year. TVC gave me hands-on experience in the world of broadcast television and introduced me to the workforce.

As a newsroom operative (non-linear editor), my task was to edit news rushes (recorded video clips), and show major events in news stories. Other tasks included creating and updating templates for weather and news highlights.

I had no clue my one-year work experience at TVC would be useful in my postgraduate studies; I included my work at TVC in my portfolio for post-grad admission at Bournemouth University in the United Kingdom.

As expected, I developed skills that can fly in Hollywood, or anywhere else for that matter. State-of-the-art facilities found at the media school at Bournemouth University helped me to hone my skills and the knowledge base boosted my confidence. I have become a world-class editor. Today, nothing is new to me in the world of editing. The connections I made at Bournemouth led me to one of my greatest experiences and the best of opportunity I’ve had so far.

I was hired as a production and technical hand at the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS). In media terms, I was a runner, a utility person that can be posted to any department within the OBS, such as post-production, transmission, and audio. This gave me the opportunity to observe, learn, and, most importantly, make contacts with some of the best in the media world. It is a privilege to see what goes on behind the scene, and I must say that a great deal of work goes into transmitting quality, detailed images we watch on TV.

Generally, my experience at AUN helped me to understand aspects of British culture. For instance, keeping appointments (on time) is taken seriously here, unlike the typical mentality of “African time”. Just like AUN, facilities have been provided, such that every student is responsible for the outcome of his or her academic performance.

One major influence I learned at AUN is the integration of education and cross-platform technologies. Students are able to receive lectures and information from the Apple iPad and wireless iPod, Android devices, Blackberry phones, LCD monitors, internet (email, video conference), Facebook groups etc.

My experience at AUN was an eye opener and my postgraduate experience at Bournemouth University has placed me steps ahead in my career.   By Tijani A. Umar, MA (Bournemouth), BSc (AUN)

Development comes in many forms.

AUN launched its recycling program this summer with the goal not only of reducing waste but also fostering growing businesses that will create jobs and profits for local artisans and masons.

Here’s how it works. The nylon bags in AUN’s recycling bins will be spun into yarn for weaving into book bags and backpacks. The plastic bottles will be filled with sand or ground-up waste to make a new kind of eco-bricks for new construction. AUN is training members of our host community to convert our recyclables into valuable second-life products for sale in both local markets and export markets. So instead of winding up in a dump, your trash will help local people earn their living and Nigeria will produce useful products.

If you want to help, you can get involved in AUN’s Sustainable Resource Enterprise, where you can join in building a business that protects the environment and help the community prosper too.

Let me first of all congratulate the parents of the new students for their stake in this promising institution. American University of Nigeria breeds students to become leaders with enthusiasm, character, services and innovations through well directed, quality and high-standard academic pursuits.

It is no longer “news” that the school has turned to be the most preferred Nigerian University. The leeway of 24 hours uninterrupted electricity, wireless campus, sets of modern, attractive infrastructures with state-of-the-art facilities that facilitate learning are some of the unique features that set AUN apart.

To the “freshest” men, it is my pleasure to specially welcome you to AUN community through this medium. I guess it has been a wonderful experience so far.

I could remember exactly five years ago when I joined AUN. Having been to the aviation college, I was boggled with the question of what AUN has to offer me. Today, I am delighted to have taken the decision to be a member of this advanced community. Having come this far, I have always found motivations in my decision of five years ago to inspire young people like you who are determined to achieve.

I will not go all the way telling you all the good things about AUN because that will be too much of a cliché. This is an environment where success is a standard rather than an “accomplishment.”

Being an AUN student therefore, a lot would be expected from you. So you should be careful the way you live your live from now because you now represent a community of leaders. When you go to town and flaunt yourself as a student of AUN, people will keep quiet and listen to you speak; they are eager to emulate some of the characters you put to display.

AUN is literally the only school where students are immune from unemployment, if you know what I mean. An evidence based on anecdotal observation shows that more than 80 per cent of AUN products are doing exceptionally well in the labour market; this is the best figure you can find in Nigeria for now. Our very own Tijani Umar was the only black at the just concluded London Olympics Sailing Centre (2012) – Weymouth and Portland.

One thing that further distinguishes us as a family is our inclination to community development and our ideology of adding value.

Here in AUN, students model real life economic situation within and outside immediate community and work out modalities that touch lives. “Within my last four years in AUN, my orientation has changed completely. I have developed the sense of social entrepreneurship, I became more humanitarian and I developed the spirit of nationalism.” Those are some of the quotable words of Mohammed Santali, a distinguished member of the class of 2012. That significantly describe the kind of value AUN is implanting in its students making it a symbol of reassurance for hope and ethical leadership in Africa.

The American curriculum and system of education is tasking. As such, Professors would demand that you operate with precision at all time. Also, you will have the opportunity to work in groups; you will be saddled with real time global significant projects and big challenges that will afford you a vantage avenue to think critically, analyse, and work on scientific model. That is why AUN products are distinguished anywhere in the world.

All the professors teach with uncommon passion and enthusiasm. They are humble and approachable. If you ask any of the returning students around, they would probably have a lot to say about AUN’s students-professor close mentorship and how it has helped their personal growth. AUN professors are ready to solve your problem any time. Their strict and courageous, inexorable stance only comes to the fore against broadside of laziness, indulgence and other unacceptable practices.

AUN is inclined to being a dynamic agent of change, promoting civil society and economic development in Africa region. That is why the value of community services and developments is reinforced here. If you believe you can change your world, then it starts from here.

Once again, I want to say congratulations for your meaningful decision. One advice is to always remember where you are coming from, who you are, where you are and why you are here. Also, college life can appear so glittery, yes it is but the real deal is how you pass through the school and finish. Make the most of your early years and always ask for advice or questions when you don’t know. And finally, remember AUN has a lot to offer, explore as much as you can! But set your priorities right.

Congratulations

Let me congratulate you on your acceptance into the American University of Nigeria (AUN).  We are proud of your decision to enroll at AUN. The University provides high-quality education based on the American model, offering a wide range of undergraduate programs. The institution is IT-driven, focusing on being Africa’s “Development University”. At AUN we encourage students to participate in community service, teach critical thinking skills, and prepare students for successful careers within the larger aim of addressing Nigeria’s and Africa’s many challenges. .

Student Orientation is more than a cursory introduction to university life. It is a period when you will meet new classmates and roommates, learn how to get around the campus, and be introduced to campus life in a typical American higher education system. During orientation, students attend events and programs to get acquainted with coursework, study skills, residence hall living, student activities, and the University’s Code of Conduct.

Our excellent faculty and staff members are eager to help students achieve their educational and career goals. Many of our professors, numbering over 100, are American-educated and trained.

AUN has three academic schools: Arts & Sciences, Business & Entrepreneurship, and Information Technology &Computing.  The Board of Trustees that oversees the institution includes prominent local and international statesmen and academic leaders drawn from business, industry, and government service. They include Archbishop (emeritus) Desmond Tutu, former Ugandan Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, Dr. Eamon Kelly, former Chair of the US National Science Foundation, and Ambassador David MacRae of the European Union.

August 28 is the Fall 2012 Convocation and Pledge Ceremony. It marks the official opening of AUN’s new academic year (2012/2013). At this ceremony; all new students will be inducted into the University community and will make a pledge of integrity. They will also be decorated with the Class of 2016 sash. All new students and their parents are especially invited to attend the ceremony.  There will also be an opportunity to take photos with family and friends.

I am honored to extend to you and your family a warm welcome to the American University of Nigeria, Where Students’ Dreams Become Africa’s Future.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Student Affairs Office in the Arts & Sciences building (Room121).

Once again, welcome!

Dr. Margee Ensign

President

I woke up today and dressed for the office parole as usual. After I stepped out of my residence, I did not see the shuttle bus to pick me up, and I did not see anyone around. The sky was blue and I sensed a perfect decorum everywhere.  It appeared to me that the holy month of Ramadan will be perpetual….I later got to understand that the public holiday continues today. It was a mixture of excitement and disappointment for me.

The holy period of Ramadan has brought to me,  a lot of blessings and favour. First, I received a message yesterday from the CEO of Cash-payer NG in Germany discussing with me the new ways we could partner as the company will be expanding their services to AUN. I was a team member of Cash-payer until January this year and I was privy to the vision of the organization which is to become a key player in the future mobile economy of Nigeria. As nature has it now, I am the only founding member of the organization who is currently not part of the organization anymore. This decision was preceded by my will to incorporate my own company (stuffs2buy.com) which will provide packaging and delivery services in AUN starting next semester.  The partnership proposal will be another milestone in my business endeavours; I look forward to doing business with Cash-payer again; I look forward to more blessings of the Ramadan.

As a Christian by faith, I dint feel obliged to participate in the fasting but I followed through the period with holiness and abstinence. Further, I have two Muslim brothers and we live together in love and understanding of each other’s differences.

I want to use this medium to wish everyone a happy Sallah, especially to those that participated in the fasting. At this very moment, I can’t help but to mention names of those I consider very special to me: People like Mansur Abubakar Rimi, Ibrahim Isa, and Senator Bash. People like Mo Sani, Mohammed Santali and Sufiyan A.

Special wishes to my homeboys: Isqeel Walex, Haruna and Ismail “Smile” Olufemi Oyejobi the Great.

How can I ever forget to mention Usman Gambo, Mohammed Drake Drame, Babagana Mundu, and Ahmad Muhammad?

Also worthy of mentioning are Maryam Awaisu, Ibrahim Hassan, Nafeesa Ibrahim, Aisha Ibrahim; and of course a reserved special wishes to a very special friend– Zainab Al-Mustapha.

If I continue mentioning names, I will keep my readers here till dawn but I won’t end this without paying respect to my PR office people – AVP, Abba Tahir; Yusuf Mohammed; Ibrahim Ciroma; Mohammed and Abdullahi

Senator Mohammed Bashir Musa, a student leader @AUNigeria doing his traditional things during the Sallah festival in Daura.