Delivered at the 吃瓜爆料 Commencement Ceremony 鈥� May 17, 2025 By R. Brian Deaver, CEO, African Medical Centre of Excellence听
Good morning, distinguished graduates of the Class of 2025. Good morning to your听 proud families, the dedicated faculty and inspired leadership of this university, AUN鈥檚听 Board of Trustees, Governing Council, and honored guests who have gathered to celebrate听 this important milestone. It is a privilege to share this occasion with you today at this听 pivotal moment in your lives and in the life of this great institution.听
It is truly an honor to be standing here. Preparing my thoughts on what I would say to听 you has been both a joy and a responsibility 鈥� a chance to reflect not just on the听 significance of this moment, but on the message that might serve as a lasting compass as听 you step into the next chapter of your lives. Today, I will offer more than just encouragement听 鈥� I will offer a challenge, a call to rise above the average, and to never settle for less than听 your exhaustive and passionate best.听
I mentioned this day being an important milestone. In ancient Rome, stone markers听 were placed along roads to show the traveler the distance traveled. The stones were听 typically one mile apart鈥攈ence the word "mile-stone." As your University President and听 your Provost have both stated over the last couple of days, your graduation today was never the destination, but rather a mile marker to celebrate and acknowledge your achievements听 and preparation as you now continue your journey and take this rather large step into life.
Today, we will talk about a phrase that has and will continue to follow you into every classroom, conference room, boardroom, courtroom, hospital, studio, and startup that听 you enter. A phrase that sounds innocent enough, even comforting. But be very careful, this听 is a trap. It is a quiet assassin of potential.听
That phrase is: 鈥淕ood enough.鈥澨�
鈥淕ood enough鈥� is the voice that tells you to turn in the assignment before checking听 it one more time. It is the whisper that says, 鈥淲hy push harder when no one is watching?鈥� It is the satisfied shrug that kills innovation, poisons relationships, and buries dreams.听
鈥淕ood enough,鈥� my friends, is the enemy of excellence.听
The Danger of 鈥淕ood Enough鈥澨�
Let鈥檚 make this very clear: 鈥淕ood enough鈥� is not about effort 鈥� it鈥檚 about surrender.听 It鈥檚 what we say when we decide that convenience is more valuable than growth. That听 comfort is better than greatness.听
Some people believe that excellence is an unattainable ideal. They say, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛听 be excellent all the time.鈥� But I will share with you a little secret:听
Excellence is not perfection.听
Excellence is not genius.听
To quote your outgoing President of the AUN Honor Society, Israel Curtis-Dike鈥� 鈥淓xcellence is not just a goal, it is a habit.鈥�
What does that mean? It means that excellence is not something we put on in the听 morning like a hat we wear to work and remove on our way home. Excellence defines who听 we are 24 hours a day. It is how we think and act in our personal lives as well as the听 workplace. It is choosing to demand more of yourself 鈥� even when no one else does. It is showing up 30 minutes early, listening ten minutes longer, and staying committed long听 after the excitement has faded.听
San Diego Zoo Escalator experience听
One autumn day 30 years ago, I was in San Diego, CA for 3 days鈥� worth of meetings.听 Two days in I knew I needed a break. I left at lunch and took a taxi to the San Diego Zoo,听 easily one of the top zoos in the world.听听
The zoo property is a beautiful area with varying elevations and hills, some requiring听 escalators (people movers) to assist the visitors in moving up and down steep areas. I听 found myself stepping on a down escalator that would take me to a lower elevation when I听 noticed a young family in front of me. The father realized one of his children had not听 stepped on with the rest of the family and could be seen standing at the top. The father听 began climbing past the visitors as fast as he could to retrieve his son, but every time he听 slowed down to get past someone or stopped moving, the escalator would take him back听 down and he would lose ground. He eventually made it up there but the experience left a听 lasting impression on me. If we are not constantly pushing forward, then we are losing听 ground. There is no standing still. Either we are moving forward or we are allowing ourselves听 to be moved backward.
I once heard someone say, 鈥淵ou can coast, or you can climb. But you can鈥檛 do both.鈥� And that鈥檚 exactly what 鈥済ood enough鈥� invites you to do: coast.听
In 2020, a 22-year-old engineering student named Jerry Mallo from Plateau State听 built a low-cost ventilator during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. As hospitals听 scrambled for equipment and lives hung in the balance, Jerry developed a working听 prototype using locally sourced materials. Many told him, 鈥�This is good enough. You鈥檝e听 done well.鈥� But Jerry wasn鈥檛 satisfied. He declared, 鈥淚f this is going to be used to save lives,听 then good enough鈥� isn鈥檛.鈥澨�
He refined the design, integrated global safety standards, and produced over 200听 ventilators which were deployed across five countries in West Africa. His invention听 attracted offers of support from 14 hospitals, two national governments, and six private听 companies. He won three major innovation awards, including the African Engineering听 Award and the COVID Innovation Prize. Jerry鈥檚 journey didn鈥檛 end with applause 鈥� it听 continued with action. And that action saved lives. Today Jerry is building exotic sports听 cars鈥n Plateau State.听
Excellence is not about getting it right the first time. It鈥檚 about refusing to stop just听 because you got it right enough.听
Nigeria 鈥� your beautiful, vibrant country 鈥� is filled with incredible minds, bold听 ideas, and the kind of raw brilliance that can shake the world. Throughout the world, in听 every leading healthcare institution I visit, I find Nigerian doctors and nurses in the top听 echelons of medicine, surgery, research, faculty and leadership. One of my jobs in opening the African Medical Centre of Excellence is to recruit and bring as many of these great听 talents and minds home.听
But we must face a hard truth: for too long, we鈥檝e accepted 鈥済ood enough鈥� in places听 that demand excellence.听
In our infrastructure.听
In our healthcare.听
In our leadership.听
In many ways, Nigeria and AUN are kindred spirits. Both are places of extraordinary听 promise. Both have faced their share of challenges. And yet, both continue to rise in global听 rankings, proving that perseverance, vision, and an uncompromising pursuit of excellence听 can defy the odds. Like Nigeria, AUN is not content with just being known 鈥� it is听 determined to be known for being exceptional. I congratulate you the students and听 graduates, the faculty, the Governing Council, the Board of Trustees, and your generous听 and visionary founder for rising to be ranked the #1 University in Nigeria, # 12 on the entire听 continent of Africa.听
If this generation 鈥� your generation 鈥� is determined to abandon 鈥済ood enough,鈥澨� then Nigeria will not rise slowly鈥� she will rise like the morning sun: bold, bright,听 undeniable, and unstoppable.听
Now, you have the education, the exposure, the vision. But more importantly, you听 have the responsibility.
The Cost of Excellence听
Excellence comes at a cost but not the type of cost you are thinking.听
It will cost you excuses. It will cost you your ego. It will cost you comfort. And sometimes it听 may cost you extra time.听
But what it gives back is immeasurable: Respect. Impact. Legacy.听
The truth is, most people never regret trying harder. They only regret the moment they听 stopped. That moment when 鈥済ood enough鈥� felt safer than 鈥渨hat could have been.鈥澨�
Call to Action听
So what does the pursuit of excellence look like in real life? It means saying: 鈥� 鈥淭his project matters 鈥� so I鈥檒l rewrite it again.鈥澨�
- 鈥淭his patient鈥檚 life matters 鈥� so I鈥檒l double-check the diagnosis.鈥澨�
- 鈥淭his startup matters 鈥� so I will refine and present my plan again, and again, and听 again.鈥澨�
- 鈥淭his country matters 鈥� so I will serve it with integrity and excellence, even if no one听 else does.鈥澨�
My young friends, commit to yourselves that you will not leave this great institution with听 just your degree. Leave AUN with this decision:听
That you will not settle. Not for yourself. Not for your country. Not for your future.
听
You didn鈥檛 come this far to be 鈥済ood enough.鈥� You came to build something excellent, 鈥� something lasting 鈥� something that makes people say, 鈥淭hey did it differently.鈥澨�
Allow me to be the first to quote a young lady in this audience today, this graduating听 class, someone that I predict will provide us with a lifetime of inspiring messages and听 leadership. Phoebe Phillips said, 鈥淒o not listen to anyone when they say no one has done it听 before.鈥澨�
Now, as we near the close of this moment together, I will leave you with one last听 reflection.听
I have heard people say, 鈥淪hoot for the moon 鈥� even if you miss, you鈥檒l land among the听 stars.鈥� That sounds lovely, but let鈥檚 be honest: stars are light-years away and incredibly hot.听 If you aim without direction, you won鈥檛 land 鈥� you鈥檒l drift.听
Instead: don鈥檛 just shoot high 鈥� shoot with purpose. Excellence is not about reaching听 the stars by accident. It鈥檚 about setting your course with courage, with clarity, and with the听 quiet confidence, understanding, and conviction that even when no one is clapping, you听 keep going.听
Because here鈥檚 the truth: most of life鈥檚 defining victories, our greatest moements, happen off stage 鈥� when no one is watching, when no one is rewarding you. It鈥檚 in those听 moments, when 鈥済ood enough鈥� tempts you to stop, that your character is truly shaped.听
Enjoy the work but don鈥檛 be defined by applause. Be defined by your effort, your听 relentless pursuit. Let the quality and innovation of your work be your signature, your personal fingerprint on the world. Allow your excellence to speak for you and you will find it听 to be your loudest advocate.听
听
Closing Words听
To the graduating class of 2025:听
You are not the future. You are the present that will shape the future. Be excellent today.听 Execute your plans today. Do it now.听
Go forward. Produce excellence. Be relentless. Be kind. Be humble.听
And whenever life tempts you to say, 鈥淭his is good enough鈥� 鈥� I want you to remember this听 day, this setting, our little time together鈥� and say:听
鈥淣o. That鈥檚 not who I am. There is so much more that I am capable of doing, I will听 pursue nothing less than my very best, and my very best will change the world.鈥澨�
Congratulations my young friends, and may your journey be nothing short of听 extraordinary in your lifetime pursuit of excellence.