ADDRESS BY THE OUTGOING STUDENT UNION GOVERNMENT PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF UYO CMR. KUFRE SAMUEL

Protocol.
Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, first, I give my utmost appreciation to God Almighty for making today possible,
for the strength which he has endowed me to start and to get to the finish line, for everything that has a beginning must have an end. As Apostle Paul said in the
Holy Book, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith", Ladies and Gentlemen, it has all been the Grace of God. I am only able to stand as a leader because of the most spectacular team I was favored to have.

By God’s grace, this administration had
the best presidential team including the very dynamic media team that was able to drive the message of “The New Deal” which was basically a call to every young
person to arise to the era of creativity, productivity and excellence and we, the Union, came together, to lend our support to life changing initiatives and created programs to enhance the progress of our school.

Before we go ahead to list all that we had achieved, I want to let us understand that this administration was only able to succeed because of the undying support and encouragement we got from every student here sited.

Thank you all so much for co-operating with us to succeed. I want to say a big thank you. Thank you so much. My fellow Comrades, let me take this time to
celebrate our father, an erudite scholar, a Professor of Commercial Law, Land Law, etc, a one-time best Graduating Student, Prize Winner in Jurisprudence and Legal Theory, Our Vice Chancellor, my father, your father, Professor Enefiok Essien, a man whose administrative and academic prowess has earned him a SAN Award, a compassionate father whose compassion
has made it possible for many students to still secure their studentship, as he responded sympathetically to our several appeals to elongate the period of registration in our portal of which he has consistently granted which is uncommon thus, availing a larger number of students, the opportunity to pay up their fees other than suspending studies which became a normal thing as the portal had remained open up until two days to
examination commencement.

We are proud of you and your team, Prof. To the mother of over 46,000
Nigerian students the one we refer to as Mama capacity, the Dean of Students Affairs Division, Dr.(Mrs) Isongesit Solomon we say thank you Madam for all your support to our administration and struggle.

One year ran faster than we could count but these months came with so much pressure on me as a person, when the “show me love” slogan became rampant, it became a case for us to ponder on. As we had signed and sealed the social contract with you months ago, we
promised to run a people oriented government, we promised to restore your confidence in our union, we promised to always defend, protect and project our
common interests as Nigerian students so we decided that the best way to curb this was to create a social reorientation strategy and we came up with the Security and Leadership Summit, which brought security professionals to treat this issue, and they also stood with
us to ensure a safe environment for every student. Let me also commend Colonel Nkana Efik(rtd) for working tirelessly to ensure our safety on our campuses.

When we assumed office, our first point of call was to handle the ravaging bedbugs crisis that plagued our hostels through the special intervention of our Vice Chancellor through the Dean of Students, all our Hostels, 13 in number,
were fully fumigated. Today you can remain at the comfort of your home and check your result without having to come to school and check the notice board as
usual with the use of Epromac, today you will agree with me that the infrastructures in our classes like the boards, sockets and lighting for night class reading and research has greatly improved, this wasn’t magic, it happened
because we placed a demand for a more conducive environment of learning upon resumption of office after we took a tour across the 53 classes within the 4
campuses of the university of uyo and made our reports and recommendations of which the Vice Chancellor, through the Dean of students executed this projects.
Today we won’t want to talk about our routine visit to our health facilities ,hostels and canteens and our special
interventions on a number of issues just to ensure that you have the best and that your plight is communicated appropriately to the various quarters and also to see to it that your right is never trampled upon evident in our special regulatory activities to ensure that the prices of goods within our community are stabilized amongst others.

Permit me to also mention a few of the programs we have been able to initiate within our stay such as the Solemn Assembly which had in attendance the Chaplain of Victory Chapel, Rev. Iniobong Udoh, the PFN Chairman of our State, Dr. Slyvanus Ukafia ,the
monthly essay competition, free classes for 1st year students, special weekly radio programs tagged ‘‘state of the Union’’, monthly sanitation exercises tagged
Operation Keep Uniuyo Clean, monthly keep fit exercises, monthly bulletin, monthly inspection of our shuttle buses
by the FRSC to ensure its road worthiness as we won’t gamble with the lives of our students on the road.

We have also hosted some capacity building, entertainment and empowerment programs such as; the Glo Campus Storm where 10 students were awarded scholarships, Welcome Back Party, The Rap Show, The Aspire
Program for Year One Students, the Be The Boss Summit, the Uniuyo/NURTW Mini-Bus Park by the Main Gate which takes students to all the districts across
Uyo Metropolis, a four day intensive vocational training for students on various crafts, a one day students
empowerment workshop where two students with the best business proposals got empowered, the empowerment
summit, town hall meetings(congress and the first of its kind in many years), a security and leadership summit, Cleaning of Use market as part of our CSR, donation of blood, we also marked; world cancer day, world aids day ,world malaria day and world sickle cell day.

Fellow comrades when we signed this social contract, it was my promise to dwell with you, and this I did by staying
together with all of us in the same hostel blocks without getting any preferential treatment, drinking, eating and sharing the same basic amenities with all of us, this I did because I wanted to be a part of you so I can speak on your behalf as on my behalf. I won’t fail to acknowledge
the challenges we have faced as a people as regards accommodation even as I remain hopeful for better accommodation facilities in no time. I want to use this medium to call on well-meaning Nigerians, alumnus, corporate bodies and the Akwa Ibom state government to come to our aid by approaching the school to donate
hostel facilities.

Let me use this medium to specially
appeal to the managing director of the NDDC to come to our aid by ordering an immediate commencement of work
on the abandoned 1000 bed-space NDDC hostel project in the University of Uyo main campus.

Let me use this medium to thank His Excellency, Deacon Udom Emmanuel the dynamic Governor of Akwa Ibom
State, for letting us have a feel of his lofty programs through his special intervention in our transport system
by the flagging off of the 3.2 km Dual Carriage inlet road in our University main campus which is in a very poor state and as such destroying our shuttle buses and keke on a daily basis. We are hopeful of its conclusion in no time.

Fellow comrades, today we can boldly say that Uniuyo is not just a brand but a premium brand evident in our recent successes in various competitions within and outside Nigeria. I wont fail to mention our success in the just concluded technical conference of the society of petroleum engineers in which the University of Uyo SPE chapter in
collaboration with the Students’ Union Government hosted 42 schools within Nigeria and Africa and came first in the petroquiz competition after defeating
UI,UNILAG,UNICAL,UNIBEN,OAU,FU
TO,COVENANT,FUPRE,IGBENEDION,AFEBABALOLA amongst others and we would be representing Nigeria and Africa at Texas, USA this year for the finals of that competition, likewise in the just
concluded NUGA games the university of uyo students won over 20 medals.

University of uyo was awarded the
school with the best portal services in Nigeria in the just concluded national association of computer science student
conference held at unilag, the first prizewinners in poetry in the just concluded south south linguistics students
conference also came to the Universty of Uyo. We also hosted the most dynamic students union week which included programs ranging from academics, sports, health, empowerment programs and social events. We had the interfaculty debate, Health seminar, Lunching of Project first by the director of health, One day seminar for final year students on preparing them for the world
ahead, Rally against domestic violence, Interfaculty games which last took place in 2014, rally against domestic violence, Burn fire night, and the uniuyo night.

We also ensured that this was a lecture free week for all the students. Also, the very insightful skills empowerment program for the girls, a one day entrepreneurial summit by the treasurer, a visit to the orphanage, our monthly
bulletin and the campaign against defacing the walls of the University of uyo, launched by the director of
information in collaboration with association of beauty queens. All these were achieved because we were strengthened by God and all glory will ever go to His name.

However, we have undoubtedly encountered challenges, one of which was bringing Banks to mount an ATM in
the main campus, we hope that this project would soon be implemented. My great tuskites, I won’t fail to reflect on
our travails on issues bordering our collective interest (safety) in our university community of which we have
enjoyed a relative calmness within our community. I won’t also fail to reflect on the February 12 crisis which almost destabilized our system and almost threw the university into a state of turmoil but not for the intervention of the Almighty God and the display of our spirit of comradeship. We regret in totality the
occurrence of such an ugly incidence within our community even as we trust God that it would be the last time ever it would happen.

Let me also commend Colonel Nkana Efik(rtd) for working tirelessly to ensure our safety on campus. Let me also commend all of us for our total resolve to see to it that never again would hoodlums
and enemies of peace enjoy a free ride within our community.

Today, I pass the baton to my brother in the struggle, Comrade Duff Gabriel. I lay on you the grace that was sufficient for me and I hope to be available if I am needed at any point to assist in the running of the affairs of this institution, and to other officials, this is a great
responsibility that has been put in your hands, you must nurture it and put in your all to preserve the aluta spirit.

On behalf of the students and past officials, I say, welcome on board.
Uniuyo is a brand, a very premium brand and we must work personally and collectively to protect it and to always project the best image of this school. It is the responsibility of every student to make this school a better place.

It is better to try to do something about a
situation than to sit and complain about it. We must all take our progress very personal.

Once again thank you all so much for your co-operation in the past one year and for standing together in the spirit of the aluta to seek the best for all of us. I could never have been a leader without you. I wish you all the best in your academic pursuit and use this medium to
congratulate the new graduates like me, go out there and make exploits in the world.

Beyond all the social programs and empowerment, I want you to understand that they are all a process of self-
improvement, but your education is the most paramount reason of your being here. According to the great leader,
Nelson Mandela, “Education is the great engine of personal development; it is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the
child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation”. I hope that you all have the best education in this institution and put in your all to be unique and extraordinary and to build a Nigeria of our dreams, and continually redeeming the image of the Africans in the civilized world.

God bless the Union
God bless the University of Uyo
God bless Akwa Ibom State
God bless Nigeria