ABH DECDES 2019- “Being a Brownite shaped my life” says Oladapo Ogunjimi, a Sports Minister Aspirant

Interviewer: Good afternoon Mr. Oladapo. How are you doing? Please can we meet you? Give us a brief bio of you.

Candidate: My name is Ogunjimi Oladapo Oluwatunmise. A citizen of Oyo state. I live in Ibadan. An active sports lover, I like participating in sports and I love organizing sports activities. I just love actively participating in and organising sporting activities.

Interviewer: What’s your current department and level?

Dapo: 500L Dental Student of the University of Ibadan.

Interviewer: Can you briefly give us an overview of the organisations that you are presently in and your roles in those organisations?

Dapo: I’m part of the honourables in the hall assembly. A member of the budget and allocation community. Also, I have been a part of the Alexander brown hall maintenance community for two years. I’m also in the sports community ABH.

Interviewer: Can you briefly tell us your experience so far as a Medical Student and presently as a brownite?

Dapo: (laughs) it’s been challenging. Being a brownite has shaped my life in a way, I don’t know how to put it but coming from UI to UCH, change of environment and the way people do things over here, it has improved me and I think I’m a bit more mature than I was. Being a medical student is just work and people outside see you in another way.

Interviewer: What communities and activities have you been involved in ABH?

Dapo: I have been in maintenance community and the sport committee. Joined the tank washing exercise twice. I have also participated in ABH clean up once.

Interviewer: You are currently going for the post of the sport secretary, right?

Dapo: Yes

Interviewer: Why? What are your intentions?

Dapo: Since last year, at the start of the current sports secretary’s tenure, then I was the UADS secretary, I told him of my intentions to join the committee and I got a positive response from him.
After I left UADS committee, I wanted to continue working in the sports committee because I saw the pressure and workload which was weighing down on the sports secretary and I wanted to assist. It was like he was alone, though he has people helping him.
I’m a kind of person that likes to help wherever I find myself and I don’t like things going bad. I always make myself available to assist and to make things better or work better and after seeing all the challenges and positive things associated with this office, I developed the interest of going for sports secretary. I have seen the way sports can be improved from football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis and all that, I have also seen some things that I don’t really like but I’m not the one in charge, he is the one in charge. I can only give him ideas.
After seeing all those things, I decided to run for the post so that I can have the opportunity to change everything for good, I cannot do everything on my own and I don’t have all the ideas but just the zeal to make what I love which is sports better, that’s the reason why I’m going for it.

Interviewer: Do you think brownites generally have a good disposition towards sports? Can you give a brief percentage of brownites involved in sporting activities?

Dapo: Brownites participate in sports very well. In fact, I give an average of over 50% of brownites really participate in sports. Saturday mornings when there are football matches, you see the field filled up. Also a lot of brownites play snookers and table tennis too and even basketball. You may not notice it now because people that play it are currently writing exams or some have graduated. People really love sports in ABH. There is a good disposition towards sporting activities.

Interviewer: If you are elected as sports secretary, what are your visions, your goals and objectives for your own tenure? How do you intend to help the other executive to ensure smooth running of the tenure?

Dapo: What I will like to achieve like I said before is to improve on in each sporting activity. For the footballing aspect, the male football is doing well but then it can be improved, we need a general ABH team which people have to know right from time, it’s not like when a competition is coming up that people will just start knowing and we will now start preparing a team. I want us to start preparing as early as possible. Even without any competition in view, so any time the time comes for any competition like inter-hall or CMD cup, we will be ready.
Then for ABH league that we normally play, what I would l like to improve on is based on a number of things, how they are regulated, the fishers and all that. I will like to improve on that too. Then price money too, I would work on getting more sponsors for that.
Still on football, I learnt the current coach of the female team is in 2k15 and is about to graduate, I also noticed he was doing it alone, I would like to get them another coach and not just one, because the workload could be much on one person.
Then coming to volleyball, I noticed outsiders come here a lot to play. I noticed that they have somehow been the ones maintaining it. The last time, they contributed to buy a net. Then the snooker board too, all of that is what needs to be improved on.
Then how am I going help other executives if elected?
Well of all the ministries in the executive council, sports ministry is one of the most important because it brings people together. If a sports programme is organised now, many people are going to show up to watch. Using that is going be a medium to bring brownites out. Although every activity that occurs during the tenure is used to judge the executives nut I believe that if the sporting activities are going well, its going to help few other executives and it’s going be a good way to brownites together.

Interviewer: How would you convince a brownite who is indifferent towards sporting activities to become active in sports?

Dapo: The way to convince people most times is to find their own point of interest. What interest them the most and channel that into sports. Then you also make them see the advantages of sporting activities and I’m sure they would want to pick up their interest. Also, there are different sports to partake in, some are good in using their legs, their arms etc. So there are different sports they can engage in not just particular one so once you can show them the advantages of sporting actually and you know what interests them so you can use that and make them engage in more sporting activities.

Interviewer: If you are elected as sports secretary, what would be your motto for the tenure?

Dapo: Really? (laughs)
It’s going to be “You can do it.” Anyone can do it because I don’t believe anything is difficult to learn or impossible. You can do it.