FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH with Abdulhafeez Oyewole (Part Three)

A very good day to you our esteem readers, my name is Abdulhafeez T. Oyewole, the Editor-in-Chief of this great Club in Ahmadu Bello University, Pen Club. This time’s edition cruises to the Department of Economics to host the President of the Nigerian Economic Students’ Association (NESA), ABU Chapter, Comrade Umar Yusuf.

He is of the conviction that it is the responsibility of lecturers, congressmen and the entire students to rise up to the challenges of their time by being devoted and committed to whatever they are doing which by so doing they shall by God’s willing achieve it.

Enjoy the drops from his ends >>>> 

Pen Club Editor (P.ED):- Who is Comrade Umar Yusuf?

 

Comrade Umar Yusuf- ABU NESA Pressident

NESA President (N.P):- Okay, as you’ve said, my name is Comrade Umar Yusuf, the President of Nigerian Economic Students’ Association (NESA). I was born in Bauchi State and I grew up there. I did my primary school in the Sa’adu Czungu Model Primary School in Bauchi and I also attended Sky Crest High School, Bauchi. Then in the year 2010, I came into the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to study Economics and eventually by the year 2014 (this year), I became the President of the Departmental Association (NESA). Thanks.

P.ED:- That’s very brief. From what you’ve just said about yourself, I can’t actually sense any route or linking factor to the title Comradeship that goes along with your name. So, please release us a bit about the name.

N.P:  Okay, hmm (smiles), I derive the name comradeship or comrade as the name implies actually because of my love for participating in any activity that will lead to alleviation of suffering of the people generally. So, I have been engaged in some Unions or Associations even before coming
into ABU. For instance, I was the State Secretary of Anti-drug Free Club in Bauchi State between 2008 and 2010. I was also the Secretary General of Students’ Debating and Quiz Club in Bauchi Local Government (during my stay) in Secondary School from my SS1 to SS2. So, since then, I have been engaged into students’ unionism and I was the Head-boy of my school. So with all these, I think that added to my being call a Comrade.

P.ED:- Yes I see, it really attests to your being address as a Comrade. As the President of this great Association, NESA, what are your experiences like since ascension?

N.P:- Ah.., as a President of this students’ union. Uhmm, one thing is that students union in Ahmadu Bello University is a very tasking one and very challenging indeed. But with God by our side, we’ve been able to succumb on the pressures, the tensions and the challenge. Actually with my experience as the President, it has taught me to be patient with people and it’s in admiring the activities of the people that I actually learnt a lot.

P. ED:- What are that lessons you learnt?

N.P:- The lesson of leadership can actually not pass humility, patience and commitment to the service and your responsibility as a leader. So the service of steering the affairs of a Department which is actually challenging, considering the cosmopolitan nature of the people we have. I learnt all these things and also ways in which we students are supposed to make things better for our society and in which if God permits, we can be able to replicate these things in the outside (of this) society.

P.ED:- That’s really great, so you have the vision for the future itself?

N.P:- Oh yes, because even though it starts here, I don’t pray it stops here. So even in the future, we pray we should do some things that will impact on the lives of our people.

P.ED:- As the President of NESA, what are your success stories so far?

N.P:- We have really achieved a lot within the short period we’ve stayed in the office even though this tenure of my administration will not be enough for you to do everything but we’ve been able to bridge the gap that existed within the students and the lecturers.

Just of last year, the Department didn’t accept any complain concerning any examination problem. But when we went to the H.O.D, we were able to smooth that thing and by this year, all students that have one issue or the other concerning that and exams were able to have their results rectified. That’s one.

In terms of textbooks, economy has one of the worst stocks of textbooks in the library that is Faculty library. The undergraduate students don’t have access to the Departmental library. So, we were able to purchase some textbooks and put them into the Departmental and Faculty libraries. We were also able to convince the management of the Department to put some of the textbooks that existed in the Departmental Library into the Faculty Library so that undergraduate students will have access to them.

In terms of sports, we were able to buy a complete set of sporting facilities for football such as: jersey, First Aid box; so as I am speaking to you now, we have one of the most standardize sporting equipment in ABU. So I can bet you on that.

ABU NESA Editorial Board

And on our Editorial, we are able to buy a new board and it is always updated with Economic and Social stuffs and that has actually impacted well on the lives of the people.

Also, during our short stay, we just of recent organized a Public Lecture where lecturers were invited from outside ABU to educate students especially of Economics as future policy makers on how Nigeria ought to be and not how it is now. So, we’ve done that and currently we are planning to install a wireless service and Academic Garden all in the Department. So, that’s part (smiles) of the success stories I can share with you and I think there are others.

P.ED:- All said and heard about your led-admission success stories, what about a challenge or nothing of such at all?

N.P:- Not just a challenge, we have many challenges?

P.ED:- Okay, share them with us.

N.P:- First and foremost, when we came on board, the students’ union which is actually being run, (can I say) by politicians or students’ politicians, I don’t know the world to use but some of them lack the commitment to the service of the Associations. They just like the position without the responsibilities. So we came to meet NESA (Nigerian Economics Students’ Association) without any goodwill. In a nutshell, the Department doesn’t even recognize NESA’s dues. So, we encounter that Financial problems due to the bad-will our predecessors left. But despite this great challenge, what we’ve started so far has made the Departmental management to reverse their earlier decision that henceforth, every student must pay for our dues because of the goodwill we now have.

In terms of support from the management, there is mistrust and suspension that always exists between the students and management either in the Department or at the Faculty level. So, that mistrust always doesn’t allow the office holder to do even what they desire to do. Even, if they commit to do that at the end of the day, that was a great hindrance to our administration because, some of the things, they were disallowed of doing it and stuffs like that and these two are actually the greatest challenge and sometimes, the students who always see us as being corrupt because some students’ unionists are actually like that. If I can say the major challenge I encounter is the bad wills of the Association from the outside and secondly, the lack of support and finances. So, those are the great challenges.

P.ED:- So what should NASESITES be expecting from your led-administration within the period of time remaining for your tenure?      

N.P:- The other things we intend doing before living the office actually just as I started outlining to you include things like the internet (i.e wireless service) we want to have in our Department. Because of recent, only Economics has no wireless service in the entire Faculty of Social Sciences.

We are also planning to make NESA an independent Association, because we are tired of relying on dues, we might not benefit from that but students and the new Exco should benefit from that.

We want to establish Business Center for the Association that would generate revenue for it.

We also plan to erect academic garden to be named after Professor Mike Kwanashie. So, Professor Mike Kwanashie Garden is one of the project we intend to embark upon and if I may gist you a little about him, Prof. Kwanashie is one of the longest serving lecturer in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria; having served for over 44 years in ABU before he became a Vice Chancellor in another University (i.e Veritas University). So he really deserves it. And he was the most senior Staff of (the) Faculty of Social Sciences. So that is why, we intend to name the academic garden after him because of his service to ABU and to humanity.

P.ED:- Alright what are your watchwords for everyone?

N.P:- Okay. We should always strive to look forward. We should be committed in whatever we are doing. And because, regardless of any hindrance or obstacle, we will always achieve greatness if we are committed to do it. So both the lecturers, the congress men (that is Association’s students and Exco), we should rise up to the challenges of our time. Let’s be devoted and committed to whatever we are doing, be it academic, social or students’ unionism. Let’s rise up to the expectation and we shall achieve what(ever) we want God’s willing.

P.ED:- Alright, thank you for the time you afford us, we do hope to see you when next we call for you.

This is where I will be drawing the curtain on this edition of “FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH with Abdulhafeez T. Oyewole”.  I will be right here with you with a new guest by God’s grace. See you then.