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This Special Award was instituted by the College Management under the stewardship of College Principal. This award seeks to encourage and reward excellence in academics. As the Germans say “To aim is not enough, you must hit”.  The principal wishes all students to not only dream about success, but they should work to become the best among their peers.

Upon receiving the award, Mr. Nyande Abraham Gbande (overall best-graduating student) in his Valedictory Speech said “ We can all attest to the fact that we faced challenges, both individually and collectively. As the first batch of the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed) programme, the Covid pandemic and strike actions caused a bump in our academic journey and cast a shadow of uncertainty over every part of our lives. However, God has been faithful to us. He has been on our side through all the financial challenges, academic struggles, late-night studies, lectures, overwhelming assignments, various presentations, ailments, and personal battles. And now we are here. How true it is that only crushed grapes yield wine! We give God all the thanks.

Now, this is a noteworthy achievement for all of us. We succeeded against all odds. However, actual success lies outside the walls of college when we fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. We are all here as unique individuals and God has so much in store for us. When we are connected to the source, we can unleash our potential and make our continent a place that is known for phenomenal feats, a land that moves from dependence to self-sufficiency. It starts with us; we are those the world has been waiting for. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” Sitting here in our gowns, we are an army, we are uniformed soldiers who have to go out there and possess the nations. We have to excel in our fields and never settle for mediocrity.

In view of this significant milestone, it is important for us to acknowledge that no one is an island and we did not achieve this without the help of others. Our gratitude goes to the Management of the college, the lecturing staff from all departments, all the administration staff who helped us out, our benefactors, families, friends, and other loved ones. Personally, I consider the people in my life, my loved ones, and benefactors as my guardian angels. To be honest, I am quite stunned to stand here because this naturally shouldn’t happen when I consider all the disappointments and challenges, I have faced these past years. This would not be possible without your help. I am indebted to every one of you.

On behalf of my fellow graduands, I wish to thank our lecturers who served as mentors and role models in helping us appreciate the relevance of our individual subjects of study. Indeed, they taught us that there are opportunities wherever we find ourselves and they gave us tutelage on practical survival skills.

Our appreciation also goes out to our parents and guardians for their immense support and encouragement. We could not have come this far without their help. We know that today they stand proud, rejoicing with us as we celebrate this victory. We cannot forget to thank the college Management for opening the doors of this institution to us. To you all we say, may the good Lord bless you.

Now to my fellow graduands, let me say congratulations to all of us. We all have fought a good fight and we must be proud of ourselves. But this is just the beginning of another journey. The knowledge we have acquired would not be effectively harnessed if we do not use it to effect any change in society. The world is anxiously waiting to see what we have to offer. We have everything at our disposal and there is so much we can do if only we set our minds to it. May we not put to waste the vigorous academic exercises to which we have been subjected. Amidst all of our celebrations, let us not forget that there are equally successful graduates out there and the competition gets tougher every day. Whether we will make it or not depends on how well-equipped we are and our ability to identify opportunities. As we move out of this auditorium, let us remember today with fondness and look forward to the future as we strive for excellence in our endeavors. ”