‘Poor counselling, peer influence could jeopardise academic success’

President of Ansar-Ud-Deen College Old Students’ Association, Lagos State (1978 set), Abdulrasheed Subairu, has cautioned pupils of the school to be wary of factors that could derail their academic successes.


Subairu, who spoke at forum where the pupils were counseled on making career choices, urged them to hold fastidiously to ideals that would make them excel in their academic pursuits.


He enumerated some of the pitfalls young people encounter on their way to success to include poor counselling, loss of parents, drug abuse, sickness, negative influence of peers, natural disasters, change in status, pregnancy, and failure in examination.


He noted that the pyramid of success include: ambition, adaptability, resourcefulness, fight, faith, patience, integrity, reliability, honesty, and sincerity.


He further identified some pitfalls on the way to success as poor counselling, loss of parents, drug abuse, sickness, negative influence of peers, natural disasters, change in status, pregnancy, and failure in examination.



National president of the college’s old students association, Air Vice Marshall Sikiru Smith (rtd), who spoke on career in the military profession, urged the students to be hardworking if they want to excel in the military.



According to him, “the Nigerian military is divided into the Nigerian Army, navy and air force. The military training initially may look rigorous, but in the end, it is rewarding.”



Similarly, Dr. Umar Sanda, who spoke on career in the medical profession said, “To be a doctor is not an easy task.” The medical practitioner said the profession was as old as man, adding that one has to be good in sciences to be a good medical practitioner or to even be admitted to study medicine.



Fatai Bakare, who spoke on career in finance and accounting profession, said: “Developing a career is a process not a destination. You must also ask yourself: what are my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? You must be determined. To be an accountant, you must also have the right personality, and the person must be of high integrity and prudent in resource management.”



Principal of the school, Alhaji Tajudeen Olarenwaju expressed appreciation to the Secretary to Lagos State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, for landscaping the school complex just as he urged government to allocate more funds to education. According to him, “education is a key sector for the development of any nation.”