Education
Hall Of Fame Award Ceremony: Read Address By DELSU SUG President

My heroes…
Do you remember?
The rust on those bunk beds that stained your uniforms—and your youth.
The cracks in lecture benches where you carved your dreams and the cracks in your spirit when the strikes never ended. Today, we induct 100 scars into this Hall of Fame—100 warriors who bled in the shadows so we could stand in the light. Your alma mater hasn’t forgotten. We remember the price tags on your courage:
– You were expelled so that we could have freedom.
– You were rusticated so that we could have classrooms.
– You were arrested, expelled, rusticated, and handcuffed so our departments could gain accreditation.
– You were beaten so the union could stand unbroken.
– You were teargassed and couldn’t breathe… so our voices could be heard.
– You spent extra years in school so that we could spend our normal years.
– You were kidnapped just for the struggle to survive.
And to the angels who never came home, whose blood watered the roots of this Great DELSU…
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If you’re listening today, your struggle gave birth to the liberty we enjoy now.
Today, I stand on the shoulders carved by your sacrifice. To the 100 legends we induct into this Hall of Fame: We remember. This moment is sacred. It is a testament to your sweat, your resilience, and your unwavering love for this great institution. We recall the strike nights when you wondered if this university would ever see your greatness.
You fought battles no one documented.
You blazed trails when there was no light.
And tonight, your alma mater whispers back:
We have not forgotten you.
To our non-alumni angels and every soul who lifted a Delsuite:
You didn’t wear our colors, but you clothed our dignity.
You didn’t write our exams, but you wrote hope into our futures. You are family.
When I read old SUG reports, I weep. I weep because I see your hunger, not just for food, but for opportunity.
I see loneliness not just in hostels, but in systems that didn’t believe in you. Your rage against fees you couldn’t pay, roads you couldn’t walk, and futures dangling by a thread. But look at what your courage birthed! Because you persisted…
We extended fee deadlines after 10 years of “no school fee, no exam.”
We trained about 5,200 students in digital skills you never had access to.
We secured road reconstructions, hostel renovations, and a new Eco Hall library—because you taught us to demand better. Brick by brick, just like you rebuilt your lives.
You are why a marketing student from DELSU now leads a national union.
You are why DELSU now has five executives in NANS JCC and holds national positions in NANS and Nadesstu, among many others.
You are why we won the battle against police extortion; your spirit was called upon. You are the reason we can attend class with light, you are the reason we learn with whiteboards, you are the reason most of our departments are accredited, you are the reason we have a school shuttle, you are the reason students cannot just be expelled for no reason, you are the reason the union stands tall against all odds. Your struggle will be forever remembered.
To our brave heroes who lost their lives in the fight for progress, wherever you may be now, take comfort in knowing that your struggles have yielded meaningful change. Let your spirits rejoice today, for your alma mater honors you as the very soul of DELSU. Their struggles and sacrifices have given life and shaped the future for many.
To those of you still with us, we gather here not only to celebrate your achievements but also to recognize the challenges you transformed into stepping stones for others. Your struggles were not in vain.
Today, I kneel before you, not merely as the President of the mother campus of Delta State University, but as a grateful child of your enduring legacy.
Two sacred spaces need your urgent support:
1.) Our Secretariat:
Where your first SUG meetings were held.
Where protests were planned. Where tears were shed. It stands half-renovated, so close to becoming a shrine of our history. ₦16 million is all that separates memory from monument.
2.) The Digital Center:
Where a child of a cleaner can print notes for half the price.
Where students will not have to choose between a meal and materials.
The cheapest in Delta and the South-South, if not in Nigeria at large—because dignity shouldn’t cost a fortune. I know your pockets aren’t bottomless. But neither was your hope when you sat in those dark hostels. Give us ₦50,000. Give us ₦500,000. Give us a prayer. But please give.
Let this Hall of Fame be more than plaques on a wall. Let it be the day DELSU’s children said: We finish what our heroes started. When a poor student prints her materials, she’ll whisper your name. That is immortality. I beg you… Do it for the ghost of your younger self—the hungry, brilliant fighter who never quit. They’re still watching. And they’re so proud of you.
Thank you.
Aluta continua…
Comrade Onovughegor Augustine
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