1
Here are 25 great quotes ‘culled’
from FREEDOM FROM FEAR,
CHOICES BEFORE THE NEW
GENERATION – being a speech
delivered by Babatunde Raji
Fashola, SAN at the 4nd
Convocation ceremony on 25th
of November, 2016
from FREEDOM FROM FEAR,
CHOICES BEFORE THE NEW
GENERATION – being a speech
delivered by Babatunde Raji
Fashola, SAN at the 4nd
Convocation ceremony on 25th
of November, 2016
“The boys and girls of yesterday
have become the men and women
who define the developmental
character of our nation and they
are waiting for you all to join them
to play your role”.
have become the men and women
who define the developmental
character of our nation and they
are waiting for you all to join them
to play your role”.
“ We are now in the realm and
reality of constant expectations of
miracles and divine intervention.
Superstitions have taken over
reason and logic”.
reality of constant expectations of
miracles and divine intervention.
Superstitions have taken over
reason and logic”.
“ When we pass examinations, win
football matches, conduct
successful elections, or achieve any
feat, we seem all too frightened and
unsure of ourselves to take credit
for even the most modest of
successes attributable to our
efforts. The first thing you hear is
God did it. For the avoidance of
doubt, I believe in God, and only He
can question my faith”.
football matches, conduct
successful elections, or achieve any
feat, we seem all too frightened and
unsure of ourselves to take credit
for even the most modest of
successes attributable to our
efforts. The first thing you hear is
God did it. For the avoidance of
doubt, I believe in God, and only He
can question my faith”.
“There is nothing Divine in money
making. It is entrepreneurship,
production and hard work”.
“Sometimes of course, working
hard does not always bring the
expected results but it is better
than not working hard”.
making. It is entrepreneurship,
production and hard work”.
“Sometimes of course, working
hard does not always bring the
expected results but it is better
than not working hard”.
“Yes, God is a miracle worker. I
believe, but he is not an unjust God
who rewards those who make no
effort at the expense of those who
do”.
believe, but he is not an unjust God
who rewards those who make no
effort at the expense of those who
do”.
“However, I do not see how
sacrifices are solutions to dreams.
Dreams are scientific events
occurring as a result of the Rapid
Eye Movement during sleep at a
stage when our brains are most
active”.
sacrifices are solutions to dreams.
Dreams are scientific events
occurring as a result of the Rapid
Eye Movement during sleep at a
stage when our brains are most
active”.
“Let me reiterate again that I have
no quarrel with faith. What I seek
to advocate is the lack of FEAR,
and the resort to faith out of
conviction rather than as a result
of FEAR. Fear takes choices away,
and choices can and must be the
product of conviction”.
no quarrel with faith. What I seek
to advocate is the lack of FEAR,
and the resort to faith out of
conviction rather than as a result
of FEAR. Fear takes choices away,
and choices can and must be the
product of conviction”.
“A mind taken over by fear cannot
express free will and will therefore
not fully optimize or benefit from
the other freedoms”.
express free will and will therefore
not fully optimize or benefit from
the other freedoms”.
“Let us remember, that at least the
two dominant faiths are not
original to us. They are inherited.
The propagators of the faith have
made them personal affairs and
not public ones”.
two dominant faiths are not
original to us. They are inherited.
The propagators of the faith have
made them personal affairs and
not public ones”.
“Sadly, back home, the head of
Governments, heads of ministries,
and businesses, devote early
mornings at work to prayers with
their staff while productive man
hours tick away, they do the same
at home and on weekends, we
socialise. In effect we spend a lot of
time praying and socializing. How
can this lead us to prosperity? If
this is not faith influenced by fear,
I do not know what it is. Again I
reiterate, I do not criticise
worship, but I am challenging you
to think through the choices you
will make”.
Governments, heads of ministries,
and businesses, devote early
mornings at work to prayers with
their staff while productive man
hours tick away, they do the same
at home and on weekends, we
socialise. In effect we spend a lot of
time praying and socializing. How
can this lead us to prosperity? If
this is not faith influenced by fear,
I do not know what it is. Again I
reiterate, I do not criticise
worship, but I am challenging you
to think through the choices you
will make”.
“We will not pray our way out of
recession, we will plan, and
produce our way back to
prosperity and out of recession and
you are the freshest, youngest and
most energetic workforce we will
have to work with”.
recession, we will plan, and
produce our way back to
prosperity and out of recession and
you are the freshest, youngest and
most energetic workforce we will
have to work with”.
“You are the new batteries to
power the engine of growth of our
country. Your choices must be
clear, free from fear, not reckless
but driven by analytical thought,
questioning and probing and
ultimately determined by
convictions”.
power the engine of growth of our
country. Your choices must be
clear, free from fear, not reckless
but driven by analytical thought,
questioning and probing and
ultimately determined by
convictions”.
“In order to test the consequences
of choices based on faith influenced
by fear, I advise you to look at the
world map and 2 (TWO) Island
nations who are situated on the
Northern Hemisphere. I will not
tell you their names. You find that
out. But I will tell you they are
close to each other. One believes in
God and works hard. The other one
is the home of voodoo and spends
all time practising this. If you
follow their history, the first one is
prosperous and the second one
seems to have made a permanent
contract with poverty. This can be
changed if and when they make the
right choices”.
of choices based on faith influenced
by fear, I advise you to look at the
world map and 2 (TWO) Island
nations who are situated on the
Northern Hemisphere. I will not
tell you their names. You find that
out. But I will tell you they are
close to each other. One believes in
God and works hard. The other one
is the home of voodoo and spends
all time practising this. If you
follow their history, the first one is
prosperous and the second one
seems to have made a permanent
contract with poverty. This can be
changed if and when they make the
right choices”.
“We must choose to work our iron
ore to produce steel and build
skyscrapers, machines and tools
like others do instead of
worshipping the god of Iron”.
ore to produce steel and build
skyscrapers, machines and tools
like others do instead of
worshipping the god of Iron”.
“We must probe the treasures of
our forests and depths of our
oceans as bastions of possibilities
that we must manage and
dominate instead of worshipping
the god of the sea”.
our forests and depths of our
oceans as bastions of possibilities
that we must manage and
dominate instead of worshipping
the god of the sea”.
“If we continue to fear the sea,
oceans and waters we will
perpetuate the practice of sacrifice,
instead of undertaking the
enterprise of understanding; and
dominating them for energy and
transport”.
oceans and waters we will
perpetuate the practice of sacrifice,
instead of undertaking the
enterprise of understanding; and
dominating them for energy and
transport”.
“We must approach our rock
formations as treasure troves of
building materials like marble, tiles
and granite rather than treat them
as totems of salvation that require
animal sacrifice”.
formations as treasure troves of
building materials like marble, tiles
and granite rather than treat them
as totems of salvation that require
animal sacrifice”.
“I fully understand that some of
you who have been raised in an
environment dominated by your
fear, may have been adversely
affected by it. But let me assure
you that freedom from fear is not
the same as courage. Instead while
fear is an emotion, freedom from it
is the ability to overcome it by
refusing to surrender to it. It
comes from developing an ability to
question things, to challenge the
existing order and create a new
order. It has been done before. It
requires us to know our choices
and beliefs and dispense with
culture that is not dynamic”.
you who have been raised in an
environment dominated by your
fear, may have been adversely
affected by it. But let me assure
you that freedom from fear is not
the same as courage. Instead while
fear is an emotion, freedom from it
is the ability to overcome it by
refusing to surrender to it. It
comes from developing an ability to
question things, to challenge the
existing order and create a new
order. It has been done before. It
requires us to know our choices
and beliefs and dispense with
culture that is not dynamic”.
“If you surrender to fear, people
less educated, less intelligent and
less qualified than you will take
over your minds, your homes and
your decision making powers.
less educated, less intelligent and
less qualified than you will take
over your minds, your homes and
your decision making powers.
Many of such people are confidence
tricksters who will prosper at your
expense by preying on your fear”.
tricksters who will prosper at your
expense by preying on your fear”.
“Therefore, let me say to you that
while your education may not be
perfect, while there may be
challenges, there is room to
improve on it, because your
education does not end here.
Indeed, your education has just
started”.
while your education may not be
perfect, while there may be
challenges, there is room to
improve on it, because your
education does not end here.
Indeed, your education has just
started”.
“What you have learnt in the
controlled environment of
university classrooms will be
subject to the test of real life
situations. How you improve and
educate yourself depends on how
you use your minds”.
controlled environment of
university classrooms will be
subject to the test of real life
situations. How you improve and
educate yourself depends on how
you use your minds”.
“There are now driverless cars,
and men have landed on the moon
and have communicated back to
Earth on missions driven by
freedom from fear, sheer
dedication, hard work and an
indomitable spirit that refused to
surrender to divination, but
persevered against the odds of
failure before success was
achieved”.
and men have landed on the moon
and have communicated back to
Earth on missions driven by
freedom from fear, sheer
dedication, hard work and an
indomitable spirit that refused to
surrender to divination, but
persevered against the odds of
failure before success was
achieved”.
“How do you free your mind from
impossibility, improbability, and
unlikelihoods? The answer is
simple. Remember always, that
those words are negatives. Replace
them with positive thoughts and
actions. This is what frees your
mind from fear and helps you to
choose, to see solutions and to look
for opportunities, instead of
dwelling on and surrendering to
problems. So, please look for the
positive angle of a difficult
situation, because there will be
one, if you look hard enough”.
impossibility, improbability, and
unlikelihoods? The answer is
simple. Remember always, that
those words are negatives. Replace
them with positive thoughts and
actions. This is what frees your
mind from fear and helps you to
choose, to see solutions and to look
for opportunities, instead of
dwelling on and surrendering to
problems. So, please look for the
positive angle of a difficult
situation, because there will be
one, if you look hard enough”.
“I urge you to free your mind from
fear, reach for the skies, choose by
conviction and not by fear; trust in
your abilities and God given talent,
take responsibility, work hard and
pray if you believe”.
fear, reach for the skies, choose by
conviction and not by fear; trust in
your abilities and God given talent,
take responsibility, work hard and
pray if you believe”.
“Yes, Sango is the god of lightning
and thunder, but all the sacrifices
made to Sango has not generated 1
(ONE) kilowatt of electric power.
Electricity is produced by using
nature’s gifts , such as gas, water,
solar and wind, harnessing their
capacity through turbines made
from steel to serve our energy
needs, not by making animal
sacrifices”.
and thunder, but all the sacrifices
made to Sango has not generated 1
(ONE) kilowatt of electric power.
Electricity is produced by using
nature’s gifts , such as gas, water,
solar and wind, harnessing their
capacity through turbines made
from steel to serve our energy
needs, not by making animal
sacrifices”.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Honourable Minister of Power,
Works and Housing
Honourable Minister of Power,
Works and Housing
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