I am very glad to be here today to the
very institution that has made me who am
i today as I came through the university
ground this morning I couldn't help but
to travel down memory lane attempting to
relieve the interest in time I had while
in this noble and great institution and
as I came in front of the remote hole I
[Applause]
remembered with great nostalgia they
been that occurred about 20 years ago in
that Ramat home
my roommates and my friend was
contestant for the position of president
of the Student Union government and they
were many student then allow us acts to
introduce him to everyone there I
mounted the podium with confidence and
pride and I started with the usual
chance and pamper of students Tanner's
greatest mookaite greatest blahblah
greater to do I want to say I wanted a
spell attached
I want to elucidate I want to prepare I
want to that's a relief my tongue was
talk to the top of my mouth I was
speechless
I was visibly shaken my confidence were
down what's wrong my self-esteem was
shattered I couldn't continue have you
ever been asked to speak in public and
after speaking you barely recognize your
own voice
please indicates you see there is an
adrenaline rush associated with public
speaking and even if you have ever been
cold and you lost your voice you are not
alone ladies and gentlemen you see it
beats my imagination how even the most
sophisticated most educated people from
this part of the country are not
attaching importance to one skill one
skill down pulled them out of a crowd
and put them ahead of their fears very
seriously the public speaking skills
there was a research recently by
LinkedIn and about 1675 efforts in
learning and development
we're asked to select the three best
skills that every worker should learn in
2020 for them to develop and grow in
their workplace and many options were
given to those efforts including coding
skills including many others artificial
intelligence but surprisingly they came
up with three sub skills
that they believe they are the highest
priority schemes that every worker
should learn number one is leadership
and management
number two is creative problem-solving
and number three is communication skill
talking about communication naman and
number three a leadership and
communication they are inextricably
connected there's no way you can be an
effective leader without being an
effective communicator as a leader you
are expected to share with your
subordinates with your team you our
vision your ideas your objectives
effectively talking about communication
let me share my experience our forty
five years ago my former director called
me to the corner one day and he told me
a lesson
I want you to Alko the program the up
common Central Bank of Nigeria customer
forum in kisana I was threatened I was
settled and I was all settled I look her
in the eyes I remember giving him
thousands and one excuses on why I was
the wrong person to take up the role but
he persisted peels down the line the day
of the customer form arrived because I
was terrified I arrived the place very
neat
I was hoping and praying someone would
have taken that responsibility
unfortunately for me and I tiptoed
inside the hole and my boss sighted me
and called me to come forward and take
over from where he stopped I was
humiliated I was all shadow fears
It was as if the ground should just open
and swallow me but I mounted the podium
grabs the microphone and that was the
beginning of my public speaking journey
immediately after the forum I realized I
needed to hone my public speaking skills
I committed to investing heavily on
personal development I oughta turn of
books on leadership on communication on
public speaking
books by Jim Rohn Zig Ziglar John
Maxwell dr. Norman Vincent pain Les
Brown and many other authors that was
the best decision I had made and I don't
trust masters club
it's a 95 year old nonprofit market
organization that's official eise's and
empowering people to become effective
and compelling speakers and leaders and
we must after that I was representing my
club in division and areas which
contests I was winning trophies it was
an unbelievable it was phenomenal and a
monumental experience for me
I was having many speaking engagements
in my organization and outside I
wouldn't have been able to do that if I
had known conquered my fear nobody could
have convinced me not in just three to
four years I could be able to alcohol a
high-profile event including customers
forum central bank branch controllers
conference departmental retreats and
many presentations and lectures within
and outside my organization ladies and
gentlemen here is not a deformity it is
your body telling you that you need to
acquire new skills for the next phase of
your life of course I wouldn't have been
here if I had not overcome my peers
ladies and gentlemen what is it that you
fear the most is it the fear of a crowd
or is it the opinion of others are you
afraid to pursue your dreams let's
browse a you can achieve you have
greatness within you you can be able to
do more than you can ever begin to
imagine I had a conversation with one of
the most experienced Toastmasters in
this country and he told me computer can
be able to do and can do coke
engineering design architectural design
and others statistics are so but
computer
cannot become a public speaker and I
urge you the best gifts you can give to
yourself is to believe in yourself don't
ever doubt your capacity and ability to
be great read widely for readers are
leaders invest heavily in yourself
there's no cost too much a price for
personal development I will encourage
you to dine mingle and wine with only
quality people people that will add
value to you not negative people people
whose right attitude Zig Ziglar was
right when he said it is not you are it
is your attitude not your aptitudes that
determines you our altitude bill later
of bill connection but on purpose many
people they have a love network because
your social capital base will take it to
places that you cannot go alone record
events and stories they will be handy
and useful in a day like this we are a
challenge of public speaking I challenge
you today think about it and pick six
thank you
[Applause]