WHEN YOU ARE NOT AN ACCIDENTAL LEADER, YOU WILL
DEFINITELY BE AN ACHIEVER - ISHOWO
TEAM
G2G meets ISOWO (UNILORIN STUDENT UNION PRESIDENT)
CAN WE MEET
YOU?
Name: - AHMED
ISHOWO YAKUB.
MATH DEPARTMENT,
FACULTY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCES
HOW DO YOU FEEL AS THE NUMBER ONE STUDENT OF
UNILORIN?
There is no
special feeling. I contested and I knew if I emerge I will be called the name
MR PRESIDENT
WHAT POST WHERE YOU HOLDING BEFORE YOU EMERGE AS THE
SUG PRESIDENT?
I was once a
senate member of my faculty and a member of the house committee on academics
and the formal clerk of the senate council (the first clerk of the senate that
is a first timer) of the student union before I resigned and re – contested as
the president of the student union.
YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
I went to Pakata
Primary school then Ansaru Islam School Ilorin. Back in secondary school I was the Senior Prefect. After that, I went
to Kwara State Polytechnic to study Civil engineering at ND level. Then, I
applied into the University of Ilorin to study Mathematics.
WHY DO YOU LIKE WEARING NATIVE?
I started wearing
native in my 100 level because I had it in mind to be the SUG president, so I
had to bring up something that I will be known for. Wearing of native has
brought me a lot particularly during election period, people voted for me
because I was the only aspirant on native (with cap and sunglasses).
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR 2014/2015 AS THE SUG
PRESIDENT?
When I was
contesting, I contested with four point agenda. The first agenda is WELFARE.
Welfare of students in the university is water and electricity. Our electricity
supply in the university over – shadows all the universities in the country.
The electricity supply on campus is commendable.
The second agenda
which I campaigned is the “student – security relationship”. I took this as
part of my agenda because students do complain about security harassment. We
are looking into this problem because there is need for re – commandment of
relationship between the students and the security. The relationship will be
amended in such a way that there will be a FRIENDLY FORUM”. The forum will not
be to fight neither for it to condemn their actions but to amend the
relationship.
My third agenda
is concerning the issue of “hostels”. To our observation the available hostel
in the University of Ilorin is not encouraging. But the university is short of
lecture theatres. When priorities are been laid down, the most important task
is the construction of lectures theatres that the university has already
started with. The building of lecture theatres is primary while the building of
hostels is secondary, and primary issues are always respected than the
secondary issues. So for the university, providing hostels and neglecting the
issue of lecture theatres, then the university will produce quack graduate
because the lecture areas are not conducive. Between the last administration
and the present administration six lecture theatres had already been
commissioned.
In the absence of
hostels, the university has encouraged private investors to come on board.
Although, it might be expensive but some students are taking them and this has
really reduced the problem of accommodation. I am proud to tell you that at the
student Union level, we are trying to put something down that even if it can’t
be completed in my administration, I will be there to commission it. It's an
approved project of 75 rooms (self contain), four students in a room which is
equivalent to 300 bed spaces.
The last agenda
is on “TRANSPORTATION”. Unilorin is a peculiar university that the location is
far to the main gate. The transportation system in school has improved because
the authority has provided more buses to work this session.
At the student
Union level, we brought in two buses (the yellow painted buses). Apart from
this we met with one transportation company named “THE WILL” and the student
has started boarding them. There is no amount of buses that can be provided
that will satisfy the student, because the student population is much.
In every
administration, you can add and remove agendas. In this my administration, we
have been able to improve on the general 300L course GSE 301, an
entrepreneurial course with the use of physical skills. So the SUG has provided
a centre for the student called "Student Union Vocational Centre” which is
situated in the Student Union Building.
I am so delighted
to tell you that we are the first SUG in the whole country to have a vocational
centre. Inside the SUVC (Student Union Vocational Centre). It is partitioned
into three parts. We have saloon, tailoring and bag making, the vocation centre
is not just there, but it will serve two purposes. Firstly, our students will
be certified and they will be empowered.
So many
programmes has been introduced for the very first time, we are introducing Miss
UNILORIN and a community based programme that will be of great impact from the
university to the community.
COURTESY
- GRASS TO GRACE ENTERTAINMENT
COURTESY
- GRASS TO GRACE ENTERTAINMENT
DO YOU HAVE ANY POLITICAL AMBITION AFTER LEAVING THE
UNIVERSITY?
I can’t really
answer that for now because I have a very strong passion for education. So, if
at all I will be into politics, it will be academic politics. But politics is
my second wife.
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH FEMALE ISSUES?
*Smiles* If you
are contesting for any office, the first set of people you will use for your
campaign should be ladies, because ladies know how to convince people. If you
convince a lady, then a lady will convince ten men. I have been very close with
ladies since my 100l days. The people I used for my campaign were ladies and I
tagged them the “respected one” and
I was the only guy in the group. Everybody that contributed to your success
will want to have a stake in your administration and this can cause palaver.
One certain thing is that, it’s not possible to satisfy everybody but if you
emerge a success, your enemies will become your friends.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR VISION STATEMENT?
Always aspire to
acquire the desire you admirer, when you fire and it backfires, don’t retire,
you have to re – fire for you to acquire the desire you admire. Sometimes you
fail in the cause of the fight but when you try something and you didn’t get it
doesn’t mean you can’t get it. You just keep on trying. You will definitely
face so many set back as a leader, but you have to continue climbing.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES?
I love listening
to political gist because I am a tv analyst. So it Assists me when I want to
refer to past events.
WHAT ARE YOUR ADVISES TO THE NEXT SUG PRESIDENT AND
THE REQUIRED GP?
My advice is that
the passion in such person should be from 100L because if you pick up the
ambition along the line it will affect the person academically because once you
emerge as one of the Union leaders, Union will take a straw and suck out of
your GP. You can’t contest unless you have 3.5 as GP which is 2.1. So, if
anything will happen, such person will drop to 2.2 and 2.2 in the University of
Ilorin is equivalent to first class in some schools. My advice is, by now the
person should be preparing so that he will not be an accidental leader.
WHAT ARE YOUR ADVISES TO THE STUDENTS?
Firstly, the
students should see the student Union activities as their own activities. For
continuous peaceful campus, we have to shun all kind of misconduct ranging from
examination malpractices, cultism, and anything. University of Ilorin is a
university that award and reward excellent performance. The students should try
to get high and reasonable GP
GOD BLESS NIGERIA, GOD BLESS UNILORIN
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