Fashola’s Convocation Lecture at LASU, revealing of his high IQ
By Modestus Umenzekwe:
Speaking on the topic, “Embracing the Future: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Humanity” a Convocation Lecture of the Lagos State University, Ojo, which was held on Tuesday 4th of June, 2024, His Excellency, the Former Governor of Lagos State and immediate Past Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fshola (SAN) was revealing of his high intelligent quotient.
After the lecture all and sundry in the hall were in agreement that he made mincemeat of the topic and received several outstanding standing ovations. The paper containing his speech was a mere formality as Fashola spoke extemporaneously, looking at neither books nor papers. That was not the first time he was doing it but has become his trademark and tradition in the likes of the former President of America, Bill Clinton and maybe Barack Obama, another former President of America.
Fashola is such a man who shows dedication in all he does, even as a renowned politician who is always very busy with numerous schedules for meetings and all that, he still finds it imperative to make time for study and research. How he does it and combines these programmes and activities and still comes out a champion is still a mystery to his contemporaries and friends.
As a graduate of Law, Fashola has seen it all, his courage, soundness, achievements and soaring and towering ascension in the world of jurisprudence earned him the national honour of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He was also the Governor of Lagos State between 2007 and 2015. During his time, Lagos witnessed its highest transformative era in terms of implementation of the grand master-plan for the development of Lagos State as envisioned by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The journey to transform Oshodi was initiated by Fashola, major roads in Lagos were either built or reconstructed under him, the lit up Lagos mantra was his initiative whereby after construction of the roads or rehabilitating, street lights would be installed. The Lagos Badagry expressway redesigned and implementation was started by him, during Fashola era who are you to park vehicles indiscriminately on the roads, or block roads in the name of party or religious activities? He cleared the gridlock around Amuwo-Odofin, believing in free-flow of traffic; he was not against party but event planners must provide parking space, these and other projects too numerous to mention are there for everyone to see, there was no environmental concerns, drainages were cleared on time. When a skyscraper caved in on Lagos Island, and there were fears that the building would cause additional damage to the environment, Fashola deployed an implosive technological device that brought the building down seamlessly with no harm to either man or environment. He was a gentleman governor, yet a no nonsense one for that matter.
As the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Fashola showed class. Even though he was not an Engineer, he did the work of an Engineer with extraordinary zeal and perfection. The work he did in road construction and mass housing remained indelible, his hand work signposts the Nigerian landscapes including the Second Niger Bridge, the Zuba mass housing, Abuja, just to mention but a few of his signature infrastructural projects.
In fact a book on Fashola would exceed the volume of an encyclopaedia but it suffices to say that he is a man who knows his target and knows how to go about it; now to the lecture.
His coming to the Lagos State University (LASU) was a home coming. Between 2007 and 2015, as the Governor of Lagos State, Fashola was automatically the Visitor to the University; he was the institution’s benefactor. No wonder the ovations that created his arrival at the school, not to talk about the extraordinary welcome salutation that greeted his entry into the Buba Marwa Auditorium of the university. Why not? The university scenery bears his imprint and imprimatur of the infrastructure which he bequeathed to the institution while he was at the helm of affair in Lagos; the Babatunde Raji Fashola Senate Building stands tall as a landmark and effigy of the university.
After the usual pleasantries, Fashola did not waste time to delve into the discussion of the day, bringing message of hope and encouragements to the graduands. “To all graduands I say, wow. What a moment. You did it. Against the odds, the long days and nights, examinations, funding challenges and everything that could stand in the way, you were not to be deterred.
“If you are stuck in celebrating one achievement, you may be creating obstacles to the next achievement. This in part is why I have chosen to speak about ‘Embracing the Future: Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Humanity.’
In focusing on the theme of the lecture, Fashola created a sub-theme of self-discipline as yardstick for success in life. He said,
“Partly the education you have received here will take you someway on your journey but it will not be enough. You will require many more things, including continuing education in the formal and informal way. Life becomes meaningless the day we stop learning. But over and beyond skills and education, you will require self-discipline.
“This was the subject of the induction speech on the night I was called to the Nigerian bar in 1987 and I remember it till today. I considered it a priceless ally in my journey of life and I will pass it on to you.
“Self-discipline will be the element that completes all the work your parents and guardians have done and what your lecturers have done. It will concretize your character and define your reputation. It will be the compass for your integrity. It will determine whether you are worthy of trust. As you will find out, talent and education alone will not be enough on this exciting journey of life. Many talented people have failed or have been passed by because their attitude was bad; and people who are less educated, talented or skilled have excelled simply because of the right attitude. Therefore, let me advise that you should not become an educated relic.
“I implore you, after all the celebrations, to reflect and remember only this part; self-discipline. It will show you the way away from drugs, crime, belief in wealth without work and search for miracles of wealth. There are none. Only hard work provides sustainable wealth; not rituals, not fake pastors or imams and not trafficking illicit drugs,” he said.
Speaking on the importance of Technology in today’s world, he stated, “You are graduating into a world of technology at a time when Talent is being rewarded at an unprecedented level. One generation ago, there was no internet as we know it today. Google Maps today was a story I read in the Newsweek or Time magazine in my second or third year in 1985 to 1986 of a plan to digitally map the surface of the Earth.
“Today, I use the platform to find locations and it is now helping to predict travel time because something new has been added to it- artificial intelligence- based on extensive supercomputing powers. That is the world that awaits you, a world where human beings have developed enormous machine learning capacities. Some things as you know it today will not exist in a few years’ time. Some jobs that you aspire to may be gone before you know it. Trust me, whatever the losses, the gains will surpass them.
“Your world and the future it promises will be more exciting and more prosperous. The early foretaste of the impact of artificial intelligence is that it is positive for mankind. It portends for example savings in energy consumption as a result of reduced time to get things done. It is helping to discover new uses for existing drugs and may be the shortest route yet for us to respond to anti-microbial resistance. It is also offering increased diagnostic capacities for disease detection and may offer additional years and longevity to your generation.
“But and this is a big but, humanity and human civilisation, and intrinsic values that have kept us at the apex of all things that exist on planet Earth must be preserved in spite of technology.
“I will conclude by urging you all to step forward today, embrace the future with your skills and self-discipline, embrace a season of technological marvel and prepare for enormous possibilities of prosperity that elevate the human race as a whole,” Fashola stated.
