A retired director and presidential honours award recipient, Chief Gabriel Ojo Alonge, has named discipline as a core attribute someone aspiring to reach the peak of his or her career must possess.
Alonge made the declaration while addressing the 2024 Batch ‘C’ (Stream II) corps members deployed to Ondo State and their counterparts dislodged from Lagos State.
As part of his motivational lecture to the members of the service corps at the Multipurpose Hall of the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp, Ikare-Akoko, the one time State Coordinator in Abia State challenged them to study the patterns of those who attained greatness to confirm the veracity of his claim.
“My dear children in the national service, I want to admonish you to study religiously the lives of great Nigerians such as Aminu Kano, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, General Aguiyi Ironsi and even the founder of the National Youth Service Corps, General Yakubu Gowon (retd), you will agree with me that discipline played prominent role in the lives of these great statesmen, and I want you to emulate and make them your role models,” he said.
He said discipline was the bedrock on which orientation course content was designed.
“The regimented nature of the three weeks orientation course you are undergoing, apart from preparing you for leadership positions in the nearest future, is equally exposing you to basic requirements a leader must possess in an ever-changing environment such as the one the country is passing through,” he added.
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He enjoined the corps members to do away with whatever would make their anger rise, saying that people who could not control or manage their anger risked high blood pressure and potentially destroy their reputation on the long run.
“My dear treasured children, my assignment is to motivate you and share my life experiences with you, but I will not be fulfilled as a father and administrator if I fail to let you know those things that will assist you to develop to full potential. Your intimidating credentials and certificates are good, no doubt, but you need life coaches that will serve as springboard to catapult you to the top, hence the need for you to effectively cage your anger and manage it for your own good,” he said.
He inspired them to take to heart, all the life lessons various speakers had dwelt on since the beginning of the orientation course, such as being their brother’s keepers, promoting love and unity through their various platoons, and coming together to proffer solutions to the nation’s challenges through Drama presentation and other inter-platoon activities.
He appealed to corps members not to follow the way of the multitude, which would hamper their growth and capacity but to persevere and take one step after the other, while also shunning all vices which might truncate their dreams.
In her brief welcome address, the State Coordinator, Mrs. Kuburat Omowumi Bakare congratulated the corps members for being extremely lucky to have personality of Chief Alonge to come over and interact with them.
“Gentlemen corps members, your set is lucky to have an experienced and all-round administrator to come and share his personal life experiences with you. You will do yourself a lot of good if you listen with rapt attention and take note of invaluable seed he will sow into your life today. Most of us are beneficiaries of his immense tutelage and sound mentorship and I hope you will take advantage of this golden opportunity,” she advised.
Bakare ppreciated the goodness of God in the life of the guest speaker, saying that despite advancing in age, he was still very active, agile and had a very sound mind.
She applauded the top management of the NYSC for factoring such life-changing programme into orientation course contents, asserting that corps members would benefit beyond what mouth could express.
She wished the senior citizen the best in his community work and safe trip back to his base.
