Sage: Can we get to know you sir
Optimist: My names are Nurudeen Yusuf Temilola, a 400 level law student of Lagos state University(LASU) and by God’s grace the president of the Lagos State University Student Union Government. The 24th president to be pricise.
Sage: can you tell us your journey so far as regards to student unionism
Optimist: sincerely the journey has not been easy. However, I gained the inspiration to contest on 28th of February 2013, the day Damoshe was gunned down and I stood up to the call that all this vices must stop in the university. Initially, I was aspiring for the faculty of law president but the inspiration came and I decided to contest for the SUG seat and by God has been very helpful. It was not our efforts that really helped us, it was because God was on our side. We prayed fervently and today we are in the office.
The aspiration was born out of the passion to restore the hope of the student union and to reposition the student union in the way it should be in society. We campaigned from March 2013 to January 2014 we I finally won the election by a margin of 42 votes ahead to four other candidates aspiring for the highest seat in the student union. After the election lots of things happened and we took very decisive decisions which have landed us where we are today. we were inaugurated on the 2nd of May 2014 due to some delay by the school authorities who had stopped our inauguration earlier but finally we were inaugurated and till date we have been waxing stronger in the office as the president of the student union, the best in the sub sahara Africa, the best in the east of the Limpopo and the best in the north of the Arabia. We have done a lot of things which have changed the lives of the students. When we set out we saw that there was a dis-connect between the students and the student union and I asked myself what the student union will be doing without the students. That was how we initiated policies to bring the student union back to the students. We created a platform where all students from various campuses can come and discuss various issues affecting them. The forum was brought together by the administration in line with what John Jakiloso said, he said “Let individual will cancel out each other and let what will be left be the general will of the people”. At every point in time that we have issues in the student union we call on the forum and the forum will take decisions and the decisions will stand. We are just like a bearer of trust, a servant of the people. We do nothing but implement the decisions of the people and thank God that our administration has accomplished a lot of things though we had an eight months struggle that delayed the…..
Sage: sorry I was going to ask you that but before that, what do you think was the reason why you defeated four other candidates for this post?
Optimist: sincerely I feel our people needs more than pompous attitudes, they need more than sweet words. They need hope and convictions and that was what we gave them. I sincerely believe that in the university and in the country that our people needs sincerity. We did not promise more than we could deliver. And when we were asked what we will do, we told them and gave them our strategies, we raised their hopes and gained their trust. That is what I think gave us an edge.
Sage: you are the first law student to occupy the seat for a very long time now, infact Eleto lost in the previous election. What was it you had that these other law students that have tried to occupy the seat in the past didn’t have?
Law students overtime have wrecked a lot of havoc in the student union. Overtime some people like em! I don’t want to mention names but they have misrepresented the interest of the student union simply because they think they are wise. But we did not present our self like that. We presented our selves like any other student here on campus and to god be the glory we surmounted that stigma of being a law student. I campaigned not as a law student but as someone has has passion for the student union.
Sage: I remember doing a jingle for you during the election. You seem to be a very social person unlike what we find amongst our politicians these days. What do you have to say about that?
Optimist: actually we have a society, and the politician should be a reflection of our society. What we should have is the interest of the people and not our own personal interest. This is a university where you have young people and there are some things that you can use to get our people; we have sports and entertainment. These are almost part of our lives. part of my manifesto was to carter for the welfare of the people, and one of the ways for catering for the welfare of the students was by rescuing LASU from social boredom. LASU has not been like any other university in the country where you have numerous social activities going on campus. We initiated programs that will make it happen. We had “Airtel One MIc” competition on campus, we have “Coke Storm” coming by December 5th, LASUSU Carnival and many more. We have program in partnership with Miss LASU against drug addiction because we discovered that these says our young people take Tramadol, they take Codine and it is even becoming a trend in the society. So we initiated to use Miss Lasu to educate our people instead of using the normal professors which will be boring to students.
So for us to effectively pass a message across in this our era we must use the social media, we must use sports and entertainment.
Sage: you inherited quite a cumbersome amount of problems from the previous administration. One of which was the increment of the school fees by over 100 percent and we are well that you were the front man in the agitation for the reduction of the fees. How did you succeed in this task?
Optimist: In 2011 when I was in hundred level the school fees was hiked then in 2012 and early 2013 nothing was done about it and I saw reasons to do something about it because as a person I can’t even afford to pay the two hundred and fifty thousand naira fee. And of what benefit will I be to my society if I don’t do anything about it. Mark mugani said “be the change that u wish to see in your own world”. Because I can’t afford to pay the fees I decided to be that change in our world by fighting vigorously for the reduction of the school fees.
I will like to thank the ASUU chairman and my ever conscious Lasuites who stood by me till the end. Without them we wont have achieved this great deed.
Sage: There was this rumor that you were offered bribe by some cabals in government to stop the protest for the agitation of the increased school fees. How true was that?
Optimist: Actually in issues like this, there are two things; its either you sabotage or wait to be a victor in the struggle. There were advances but we declined all these advances because we understood what we were fighting for. Even if I was offered a hundred million naira, how many people can I afford to pay their fees with that, how many people can we set free from the shackles of illiteracy. That was how we stood strong and refuse all advances from all quarters to sabotage a generational cause. We were called to different meetings but because we had faith in the struggle we refused to betray not only Lasuites but Nigerians and humanity at large.
Sage: after the school fees was reduced how did you feel?
Optimist: the happiest moment of my life was when the governor announced the total reduction of the school fees. I can’t explain how I felt that day. We were over joyous and to God be the glory the students didn’t get carried away and destroy school facilities or cause any havoc of any kind. And sincerely we say a very big thank you to the governor for heeding to the voice of the people. It only takes someone who listens to the words of wisdom to take that giant decision. It is only a leader that can do something that is mundane to him because of what the people want and that was what the governor did. Though the decision was mundane to him but he heed to the people’s call and I say a very big thank you to him.
Sage: you have achieved quite a lot in your administration, do you see yourself as a politician or a machinery in the coming years in Lagos politics?
Optimist: I have decided to separate student unionism from politics. As it stands student unionism from the start was made for activism, Fighting for the cause of the people. The student union structure in the country was one of the structures that fought oppressions in the country. You have heard of the “ Ali must go” struggle and other struggles like that. I am not a politician I am a student union activist. As a student union president I am not of any political party and will co-operate with any government that comes in power.
Sage: do you wish to contest again in the upcoming election?
Optimist: not at all. The student union government is aground where we are trained for the challenges ahead, of what benefit will it be to me as a person to deny some other persons the opportunity to gain the experience that I have and the connection that I have. I will become a depot, of course I will become a depot because I have nothing to do in that office again. Let us have fresh minds that would come to learn. If at their own time they fail to get it done then the posterity that we say will then wait for them in the future. I do not have interest in contesting twice neither do I have interest in politics. I want to go and practice my noble profession till I become a SAN then I can consider politics.
Sage: do you have any candidate in mind that can continue your legacy?
Optimist: when I was aspiring nobody believed in what I could offer. Lord Denning said “ The devil knoweth not the intention of a man until that intention is put into materialization by some overt act”. We do not know them now until they are in office. Funny enough all the aspirants are my very close friends and they supported in the course of our struggle. However, the will of the people should prevail
Sage: Which programs do you have for the students in this semester?
We have Miss LASU, we will be celebrating LASU at 30 on December 15th, a debate competition on 27th of November, a student union week where we would have a career training exercise for our people, we also have a program in partnership with United Nations titled “He for She” a campaign against violence on women, LASU Champions League is ongoing and lots more.
Sage: How would you rate the standard of education in LASU generally?
Optimist: I have had the opportunity to compete with students from other universities and I must confess that the way our lecturers handle us here is not what is obtainable in other universities. Education in LASU is of the highest level. As a matter of fact those who drew the curriculum of the school has given us the best as students. However, this drilling, this curriculum must be complimented with infrastructural development to make LASU better. We need campus life, an atmosphere where a student can read from morning to 4pm, goes to the hostel and comes back by 8pm and reads till morning. We need hostel accommodation, infrastructures and more conducive learning environment. We need more professors, we need more human capital development, we need more of infrastructural development. The standard of education in LASU once again is of the highest level.
Sage: LASU has been known to be a very notorious school in the past ranging from cultism to hooliganism and many more, is that still the case today?
Optimist: LASU has had the ugly and bad times but there is a saying that “at the end of every tunnel, there is a light”. LASU has passed through her own trying times like every other university in this country. Now LASU is on a new beginning and my administration has stepped forth to restore the hope of the students in the student union and to bring back the glory of the university. We have been complimenting the efforts of the university to save lives and properties on campus. Those who are wrecking havoc are students of the university and as Student Union it is our own role to see that these groups of people are curtailed. As it stands, LASU is enjoying stable peace which has come to stay in LASU and will last forever.
Sage:What do you want to do from now after you vacate your seat as the SUG president?
Optimist: I want to focus on the legal profession. i want to attain the position of Senior Advocate of Nigeria then maybe I can return to participate in government but for its all about the legal profession.
Sage: Thank you very much for your time Mr Optimist
Optimist: Thank you sir for having me.The pleasure is mine.
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