The month of October is the month to remember. For me, some memories will never end, they are lifetime. They make you want to cherish life forever. The month of October did not come to play in my family because it left us with beautiful memories. We witnessed the call up letter of one of my nieces for her National Youth Service, the passing out of one of my nephews from National Youth Service, and the convocation of one of my nephews as well. I would like to talk about the convocation ceremony of my nephew from one of the prestigious universities in my country because I was there live and direct.
My nephew and his parents
My sister had already informed me about the convocation ceremony, and to prepare ahead of the event, I took a three day casual leave to rest and prepare for the event.
On October 29th, I left my house for hers and got there in the evening. She had already booked the popular Nigerian jollof rice, drinks, and small chops. On the exact day, being the 30th day of October, we left for my nephew’s school with a few friends and family. On arriving at the school, we went straight to the chapel where a service and programme of events to celebrate the students in the cadre was held. Those with outstanding performance and other achievements of the school were all celebrated in colours.
Meanwhile, there are a lot of other side attractions like the drummers, photographers, and dancers who were beating drums and celebrating the day. At twelve noon on the dot, the school declared the event closed at the chapel. Each student dressed in their full regalia marched out in queue to the waiting hands of their loved ones, dancing and jubilating. Some became emotional while others were just dancing around, showing gratitude to God for the journey so far. The Vice Chancellor also did wonderfully well by joining to usher them into the greener pastures of life in a beautiful oratorio style.
At that point, I beheld my nephew beaming with smiles and happiness like a bird that has just been set free from the cage. We hugged, hugged, and exchanged pleasantries while I also congratulated him over and over. From there, we happily marched to the photo stands and took as many pictures as we could.
After the whole dramatic and emotional time out, came the moment for refreshment. We went to a canopy that was previously booked for the event and settled down to celebrate the young man. Though, he had previously warned us to come with enough food for his friends and some workers around. We were fully prepared and loaded for that event.
The free for all style open space at the convocation ground
Before I could say jack, I started hearing blasts of music with a crowd of students gathered, celebrating their success from every nook and cranny of the stadium. That was when I realised that we were in for a big event. Students danced, ate, and drank to their satisfaction. I was beaming with smiles and excitement throughout the event.
At the end, we held our hands and showed our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the great achievement while trusting that the journey for greatness in his life has just begun.
Images used in this write-up are mine