TRANSITION FROM RESTRICTION TO DISCRETION: SURMOUNTING THE

CHALLENGES OF LIBERTY
A GRADUATION LECTURE PRESENTED BY EZE IBEKWE, LANGUAGE PRACTITIONER AND
LECTURER, DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT, AT THE
6TH GRADUATION CEREMONY AND 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF TRINITATE
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL IGWURUTA, IN THE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM ON 8 JULY 2016.

PREFATORY REMARKS

I would like to begin this lecture on a note of gratitude and thanksgiving first, to the
Almighty God for the gift of life, health, strength, and for enabling our students to smile
through the miles and graduate with flying colours. To borrow the immutable words of
Apostle Paul, it is in God that the graduating students, and indeed all of us, “’live and move
and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we are indeed His
offspring’”.1 A million thanks to the school management for organizing this incredibly joyous
and epoch-making occasion; I’m delighted that you invited me to be part of this intellectual
feast.

Furthermore, thanks particularly to you, the teaching staff for sharing your time and
knowledge to demonstrate that a burning candle loses nothing by lighting numerous other
candles. I’m certain that you did your job professionally by addressing what the Father of
Modern Pedagogy, Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi calls the 3 Hs of Complete Education, namely
the HEAD, the HEART, and the HAND. A very seasoned Nigerian educator, Professor P. A. I.
Obanya articulates the 3 Hs thus: the Head refers to the faculties for thinking and reasoning,
or the mental or Cognitive Domain. The Heart, otherwise known as the Affective Domain,
encompasses the faculties of emotions, values, attitudes, as well as psycho-social
adjustment to the realities and challenges of life. The Hand has to do with manual or
physical skills; it is also known as the Psychomotor Domain. 2 In this connection, J. A.
Akinpelu suggests strongly that “complete education [is a] many-sided one combining
practical with moral and intellectual activities—the hand, the heart, and the head.” 3 My
dear comrades-in-the-classroom in TRINITATE, your diligence and dogged determination to
cultivate the 3 Hs went beyond the normal call of duty. That’s why we can proudly say that
our graduating students are not only literate but they are educated in every sense of the
word. Don’t ever forget the immortal words of Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity; he
can never tell where his influence stops.”

Much thanks to the non-teaching staff, most especially the hostel guardians, for
helping to instil discipline and camaraderie (that is, the feeling of friendship and trust) in
these students of ours. Taking charge of teenage students is not easy; it is a daunting task
and a demanding business. All things considered, without your concerted efforts, perhaps
some of these students may have been sent packing and so may not be on the graduation
list today. Thank you, thank you, and thank you everyone!
 Now, let me address the students for whom this lecture is intended.

THE 6 Ds OF SUCCESS

Stories are great teaching tools. I’m convinced that all students love interesting,
inspiring stories. I think every teacher does too. Therefore, I’m going to anchor this
graduation lecture on Professor Chinua Achebe’s famous saying. Achebe, a teacher’s
teacher, master craftsman and storyteller par excellence says, “It is the story...that saves our
progeny from blundering like blind beggars into the spikes of the cactus fence. The story is
our escort; without it, we are blind.”4

Listen up, my dearly beloved students, ladies and gentlemen! I am going to tell you
two stories. The first story issues from my personal and vicarious experiences while the
second is anecdotal. Whereas the first story serves as part of the introduction to this
lecture, the second story is a conclusion. In some measure, the stories contain what I
consider the principles of success: dream, decision, diligence, determination, discipline,
and destination (the 6 Ds).4 As you well know, the title of this lecture is’ “Transition from
Restriction to Discretion: Surmounting the Challenges of Liberty.” Discretion here means the
power or ability you have to decide what to do in a particular situation, especially now that
you’ve graduated from high school. Essentially, you need discretion and the 6 Ds as you
transit from hostel-life to house-life; you need the 6 Ds as you get poised to overcome the
challenges of after-school life and unfettered liberty/freedom. The following operational
definitions of the 6 Ds will serve as a backdrop for my stories.

DREAM has both denotative and connotative meanings. It denotes a series of images,
events, and feelings that take place in your mind while you’re asleep. On the other hand, it
connotes a picture of your future; a mental picture of a future reality.

DECISION refers to the judgment or choice that you make after thinking about what is the
best thing to do or the best course of action to take in a particular situation.

DILIGENCE simply means hardwork. It has to do with a careful and thorough work or effort,
that is, a sustained effort which you put into a job or duty so that you can do it well.

DETERMINATION is that quality that makes you continue trying to do something even when
it is difficult. It has something to do with the drive, the organized effort to do something; the
strong, tremendous desire to do things well to achieve success. It also has something to do
with doggedness, the ability or trait of not giving up easily.

DISCIPLINE is the ability to control your behaviour or the way you live, work, talk, act, and
react. It refers to a controlled behaviour that issues from the training or instructions you
have received. It ties in closely with self-discipline, the ability to make yourself do
something, especially something difficult or unpleasant.
DESTINATION denotes the predetermined end of a journey or voyage or the ultimate end or
purpose for which something is created or for which you are destined. It has to do with
where you are going, a place that you reach at the end of a long journey after stopping at
several places on the way.

The first story: EZE GOES TO SCHOOL (apologies to Onuora Nzekwu and Michael Crowder)

On a beautiful day like this, I’m reminded of my own high-school graduation in 1994,
when I had a dream that that I’ll one day become a lawyer, or a lecturer, and a motivational
speaker. Then, along came my father’s dream. The dream was that I would become a
chartered accountant. Dad got a JAMB/UME form and chose for me to study accountancy in
University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I bought into my dad’s dream and worked really hard at my
studies, even though I knew I was not very good at mathematics. When the result was
released, my efforts could not push me past the cut-off mark for admission. Bye-bye to
dad’s dream. Enter Eze’s dream.

According to Walt Disney, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to
pursue them.” In 1995, with borrowed money, I got a new JAMB/UME form and chose
English as Course of Study at University of Port Harcourt. You see, my indigent mother had
to borrow the money from a neighbour because dad refused to give me any money since
my dream was not in sync with his own dream of having a chartered accountant in the
family. Like all good fathers, he meant well for me.

When in late 1995, University of Port Harcourt sent me a letter of admission, mum
had to borrow some money again from an Akawo Group, a petty trader’s Savings and Thrift
Society (to which she belonged). Madam Alice Ibekwe borrowed N4990 to ensure that “Eze
Goes to School”; her aim was to place my right foot firmly on the first rung of the ladder of
university education. She took a loan to stoke the fire of my dream. Today, thanks to mum,
two of my dreams have come true. At present, I lecture Communication Skills in English,
Grammar and Composition, Advanced English Composition, and English for Specific Purposes
at University of Port Harcourt. In addition, I’m a motivational speaker; I speak at personal
development seminars and huge conferences to motivate and inspire youths in secondary
schools, churches, and different university campuses.

Remember, the story is our escort; without it, we are blind. My aim of telling you this
rather short story of mine is to inspire and dare you to dream your own dream. After all,
dream is your mental picture of your own future reality; dream is a mental picture of your
future. My aim is to urge on you that dream is a personal thing. Dream is a strictly private
affair. Listen to this: your parents, teachers, pastors, mentors, school counsellors, and even
unforeseen circumstances can help to push you in the direction of your dream(s).
Nonetheless, it is only you who can dream your own dream and have the courage to pursue
the dream.

ADVICE TO THE GRADUATING STUDENTS

 Most of you enrolled in this school as children but are graduating as adults, ready to
launch yourselves into a glorious future. Most of you will go to university, some may go into
some vocation, but each must travel their own paths. Whether on the pathway of tertiary
education or other career paths, bear in mind that you’ll encounter challenges, negative
influences and such dream-killers as: pornography, premarital pregnancy, illicit drugs-taking,
gangsterism, cultism, armed robbery, gay practices, pipe-line vandalism. These vices are
real. They pervade the Nigerian socio-political space. As you move into the world, there may
not be any teacher or hostel attendant to restrain you from linking up with such dream-
killers. Nevertheless, you must determine to face these vices or negative influences or
dream-killers with discipline, one of the 6 Ds. Discipline refers to the ability to control your
behaviour. TRINITATE taught you how to be disciplined. Go out there, practice self-discipline
and self-control. Say NO to vices; say YES to virtues! Say YES to the principles of success
encapsulated in the 6 Ds: dream, decision, discipline, diligence, determination, and
destination!

As you get ready to launch out into the world, remember that the As and Bs and Cs
you got in high school are important. But, those grades are not as important as the
education you received. Perhaps, you earned a high grade in Chemistry; but you got an
education for understanding that certain chemical combinations can cure cancer or sickle
cell anaemia. Go out there and find the cure for certain ailments terrorizing mankind! You
may have earned a good grade for writing a well-reasoned essay entitled, “What humanity
needs is kindness”; but you got an education for showing that one little act of kindness can
go a long way. For instance, when you give out #5000 or #7000 of your ‘pocket money’, you
can encourage an inner-city kid who dropped out of primary school to go back to school and
drop in again. In this connection, always bear in mind that money is not necessarily for
inordinate accumulation but for judicious utilization. Don’t ever forget that a candle loses
nothing by lighting another candle! You don’t need to live a life of self-centred mediocrity.
Instead, live a life of productivity and philanthropy. A tiny ray of light in a big dark room
serves a great purpose. You are a burning candle; go out there and illuminate your world!

Another thing to remember is that graduation is the end of one long interesting
journey and the beginning of another one. This after-secondary-school journey is equally
going to be interesting and eventful depending on the size of your dream and your decision
to be disciplined, diligent and determined to get to your destination. Whether you’re
heading straight into a university in Nigeria or overseas or you’re pursuing some other
vocations, “you need to dream with your eyes wide open. Then, to your dream, add a
sprinkling of decision spiced with diligence and mix thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a
giant-sized pot of discipline. Set the pot on the blazing fire of determination. Cook for some
time, and then dish up on the dining table of destination. That is it: the recipe for success!”
(from my book, Grab the Wheel and Drive your Dream).

CONCLUSION
 Let me quote Achebe for the last time, “The story is our escort; without it, we are
blind.” Permit me ladies and gentlemen, to give you a final push with an interesting story.

Once upon a time, an aged king invited to his palace all able-bodied young men in his
kingdom. He led them to a swimming-pool behind the palace and announced:

“My only daughter wants to get married to the bravest man in my kingdom. That’s
why I invited all of you. Now I want the lion-hearted amongst you to jump into this pool and
swim across.”

Nobody moved. There was a pin-drop silence. The pool was infested with a million
milling crocodiles! Only the king knew that they were animated crocodiles.

Suddenly, a man was in the pool. His screams were ear-splitting as he kicked and
swam for dear life. It was a life-and-death struggle. Soon, he swam to the other side of the
pool, out of breath. The king went right round to congratulate him.

“You’re indeed the bravest man I’ve ever seen! You’ve won my heart. You’ve won
my pretty princess. You’ve won half of my kingdom. I’m so excited that I’ll give you any
other thing you want. Now, brave heart, what do you want?”

Still panting for breath, Brave-heart replied, “I don’t want half of the kingdom. I don’t
even want to marry the drop-dead gorgeous princess.” Everybody was taken aback. There
was a deathly hush.

Then, Brave-heart continued, “My King, what I really want, the only thing I want to
know is this: WHO PUSHED ME? Who pushed me into the swimming-pool?”

Graduating students, ladies and gentlemen! Is it not clear to you that this graduation
lecture has been put together to give you a push? A push so that you will dream your own
dream and take a decision to be disciplined, diligent and determined to get to your
destination. A push so you could swim through the crocodile-infested rivers of after-school
life! A push so you could swim across the failure-infested rivers of success! A push to the
other side so that you will look back and ask, “WHO PUSHED ME?”

For being a wonderful audience, thank you, thank you, and thank you!

NOTES

1. Acts of the Apostles Chapter 17, verse 28 (Revised Standard Version)

2. P. A. I. Obanya’s Teaching and Cheating (1982, pp.2-3)
3. J. A. Akinpelu’s An Introduction to the Psychology of Education (1981, p.60)
4. Chinua Achebe’s Anthills of the Savannah (1988, p.124)
5. Eze Ibekwe’s Grab the Wheel and Drive your Dream (2012, pp.xvii-xviii)