FULL TEXT: His excellency Hon. Bashir’s inaugural speech as SUG president

His excellency, Hon. Bashir Abdullahi Muhammad delivered his inaugural address today Friday, April 19 at the Faculty of Law auditorium, UofA.

Here is the full text. 

The Vice chancellor sir, Dean Students Affairs, Director development center, HOD Agricultural engineering, safety personnels, staff, students faculty and departmental leaderships, my fellow honourables and students, invited guests, gentlemen of the press, good afternoon.

Today, we are gathered here to celebrate the beginning of a new administration, an administration that will steer the affairs of our great Union for the 2023/24 academic session. We are not merely transferring power from one administration to another but we're transferring power from the previous administration and givng it back to you, the students.

My fellow students, you should have this crucial conviction that the Union exists to serve you. Have it in mind that your welfare is the highest aspiration of the union. While preserving the supremacy of our constitution and the good image of our University, we will negotiate for it, sacrifice for it, and we will not surrender for it now or ever. Because nothing is so powerful as the will and moral courage of free UofA students.

Your dreams, your hopes,your goals, are going to be the dreams, hopes, and goals of this administration. We will never negotiate out of fear but we will never fear to negotiate. We will pay any price, bear any burden and confront any hardship to ensure the welfare of the students. United there is nothing we cannot achieve, divided there is nothing we can achieve.

At this juncture,  I would like to appreciate the University management, the Dean Students Affairs especially, for how much you did to ensure the success of this transition process. By your affable cooperation, you have demonstrated to the outside world that indeed University of Abuja is an institution  pledged to maintain a students' political system which guarantees individual liberty. 

The affairs of our union goes forward. We must begin to act today in order to preserve tomorrow. Let there be no doubt that we are going to begin to act, beginning today. 

My fellow students from various constituencies, note that our union has no power except that granted by the students. The union did not create the constituencies, the constituencies created the union. So, there shall be no misunderstanding. It is not my intention to do away with the union, it is rather to make it work and stand by our side. 

It is time to bestir unionism, to get the Union back within its means and lighten our burden. And around these mantras, there will be no compromise. Let us begin an epoch of Union renewal, let us renew our determination, our courage and our strength, and let us renew our faith and hope. The price of these, now and then is high, but we will never be unwilling to pay it. 

For affiliates and those we share mutual interests, we will strengthen our bonds and affirm our firm commitment. We will reciprocate loyalty with loyalty.

My fellow students, together we will determine the course of our union. We will deliver the mandate against all odds and irrespective of any respective. We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly but always pursue solidarity. 

My pledge to you is that the Union must progress. Therefore, I will work, save, sacrifice, endure, will fight cheerfully and do my utmost as if the issue of the whole struggle depends on me alone. So help me God!