Why I want to serve as president of my department – LASU 19-year-old female student

Bakare Adeola Zainab is a 19-year-old 300 level student of the Department of philosophy at the Lagos State University (LASU). Zainab is currently the vice president of the department. In this interview with Daily Trust, she spoke passionately about the motivation to run for president and what she would do differently if elected. She also said being the only female contestant won’t deter her.  See excerpts:

What motivated you to run for the position of president of your Department?

Thanks very much for that question. I want to believe that a president is also a leader. A leader is meant to serve; a leader is not someone who is concerned about his or her own self interest. In the department of philosophy, I have observed over time that what is needed are selfless people and people who are not after their own personal interest.

So, the reason I am running for the post of the president is not about myself. It’s not just because I want to run for it. I’m running for that post as a means of giving back to society because society has actually given to me in a lot of ways that I cannot explain.

What are your top Priorities for the department if you are elected President?

My top priority is actually academic excellence. It is an academic setting directly; it is a platform setup for many and that should not be changed irrespective of other activities that will be coming. Apart from academic excellence itself other things that should complement it, things like after schooling what can I do? These are a few questions that are supposed to be asked as students of a university.

What do you mean exactly by ‘after schooling’ ? Are you talking about self employment skills, or academic aspects like going back for master’s and Ph.D?

Not just that alone because it is possible to run your masters and you are yet to discover yourself. Self discovery through program basically, because the best way we learn is through listening to people, reading, through programs majorly so it is very possible for you to finish school without discovering your true self. We have lots of people that are done schooling, did their masters and PhD, but are yet to discover who they are. If we do not discover who we are, there’s little that can we do with ourselves in this world today.

So, my top priority is academic excellence, career workshop and innovative grant. The last academic symposium at the department was one of a kind. It was one of the biggest symposiums that was held in LASU and it was hosted by me as the vice president. I believe that as president, I can do better.

How do you plan to address the challenges facing your department?

One of the major challenges I have observed in my department are students being unable to pay their school fees. Personally, this semester I have raised school fees for some students. So, I, being the president, will bring innovative ideas towards raising funds for students who cannot afford paying their fees. Student also find it hard to study; to tackle that, I would organize tutorials and provide materials that will enhance easy accumulation for students so they would not find it hard to study

What makes you think that you are the most qualified candidate for this Position?

Actually. I am not the most qualified but I think I’m the best that fits in for the position which aligns with my vision 2024. Even outside the world of LASU itself, I am leadership oriented. I have attended leadership programs that have sharpened my thinking ability.

Do you think being female will affect your chances? Seeing that your previous president was male and so were many of his predecessors

Yes. Like the last program I went for I told the girls there, I am a girl child I am not a mistake. I am a girl child does not mean I cannot do better.

What are you doing to convince the male gender that you are capable and very qualified for this position irrespective of your gender?

Evidence will speak for me irrespective of my gender. I was discussing about my aspirations with some of my lecturers and they told me that my work has spoken for me, that as the vice president, I did well. So, I think my work has truly spoken for me.

Are you the only female candidate contesting?

Yes, I’m the only female candidate. But I don’t feel like the discrimination will limit my capacity towards doing better and I feel I have the ability to make a great impact.

Apart from your experience as a vice president, what other skills and experience do you have of leadership?

Currently, I serve as the manager of the Cheebrace. Cheebrace Is a platform where people from various fields and professions are given the privilege to express themselves in the best way they can. I am also certified in broadcasting and fact checking. Additionally, I am also the youth president of my fellowship Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).

How will you balance your academic responsibilities and studies with your departmental duties if elected?

Truth be told, it is not an easy task and that is where time balancing comes in, planning one’s schedule daily. I have a book where I document and plan my daily activities, and that has helped me so far to efficiently and effectively manage my time and get more things done in little time.

What innovative ideas can you bring to the table for the betterment of the department?

As philosophy students, we can work anywhere. How can we prepare ahead for the future? We need workshops. As the vice president that I am presently, the academic symposium that we did last year was titled “Academic Excellence and Beyond”. You can see it is a combination of two things, both academics and even things beyond it. What can we do beyond academics?

What is the biggest challenge you think you will face as the president of the department and how will you address it?

As a leader, you will have different people under you with different characters, opinions, perspectives, personalities, view points and ideologies. So, I think that managing this diversity might be the biggest challenge, but I am ready and up to the task with the leadership skills I possess.

Why should your department vote for you and what sets you apart from other candidates?

What I can just say is that they are voting for competence and a candidate that can deliver. What sets me apart is that I have set a standard already and I am going to work on that standard. The symposium I held, I was told that it can never be possible because of funds but I got it done. I raised over a million naira for it.

How did you source funds for the symposium?

I wrote sponsorship letters to companies. Also, I reached out to alumni, special adviser to the governor on student union affairs, commissioner for tertiary education, and they all attended the event. All these are all about thinking out of the box. Nothing is impossible.