By Ameh Gabriel
Graduating students of Command Day Secondary School, Abuja, have been urged to face the future with boldness, inquisitiveness, and strong moral character as they transition into the next phase of their academic and personal lives.
This charge came during the school’s Annual Speech and Prize-Giving Ceremony, held on Thursday in Abuja a long-standing tradition that celebrates academic and non-academic excellence, while inspiring future leaders with a message of resilience, service, and ambition.
Delivering the keynote address, Commander of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Adebisi Onasanya, applauded the students for their achievements and urged them to remain steadfast in discipline and integrity as they step into the wider world.
“Your achievements today are a testament to your hard work and determination,” he said. “But this is only the beginning. The world outside these gates awaits your innovation, courage, and character. Be bold, be kind, and always strive for excellence.”
He praised the teachers, parents, and school leadership for their unwavering dedication to building the next generation of Nigerian leaders and reminded the students that challenges and setbacks are part of life’s journey.
“Let every failure be a lesson, and every success a stepping stone. Go out there and make a difference. Your future is bright—and the world is watching,” he concluded.
Also speaking at the event, the Special Guest of Honour, Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Major General Maxwell Dangana, described the ceremony as “a celebration of excellence, discipline, and the unbreakable spirit of community.”
He congratulated the graduating class for their academic and moral achievements and encouraged them to pursue their dreams with confidence and curiosity.
“The world beyond this school will test you but it will also reward your courage and perseverance,” he said. “Develop the right mindset. Believe in your potential. Overcome every challenge with resilience.”
Earlier in his welcome address, Commandant of the School, Lt. Col. Ovie Akise, urged the graduates to be worthy ambassadors of the institution by maintaining discipline, dedication, and the values they had been taught.
“Let us not simply wait for the future to happen let us shape it,” he declared. “In every lesson taught, in every challenge faced, we are nurturing leaders. May today’s celebration of excellence renew our commitment to raising a generation that will not just inherit tomorrow but lead it.”
Delivering a stirring lecture titled “Empowering the Future”, the Guest Speaker, renowned academic Dr. Longman Sambo, encouraged students to be “bold dreamers, courageous learners, and compassionate leaders.”
“Leaders don’t wait to be perfect they act, they show up, they innovate, they care,” Sambo said. He challenged the students to choose creativity and development over destruction in their use of technology and social media.
“Will you use tech to disrupt or to develop? To design or to destroy? The choice is yours,” he cautioned.
In a heartfelt message, Father of the Day, Retired Brigadier-General Mustapha Onoiveta, commended the Nigerian Army for its strategic investment in quality education through the establishment of Command and Army Children’s Schools.
He described the initiative as a game-changer in the lives of soldiers’ children, allowing them to receive top-tier education within a disciplined and secure environment.
“The decision by past service chiefs to bring education closer to the barracks was one of the best ever taken. It has empowered thousands of children to thrive academically while being nurtured in an atmosphere of patriotism and order,” he said.
The ceremony was filled with cultural performances, awards for academic excellence, and emotional tributes, highlighting the legacy of Command Day School in producing disciplined, morally upright, and high-achieving students prepared to lead in Nigeria and beyond.
