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In this interview with Olumide Olusegun, the Vice President of the Student Union Government at the University of Benin and a third-year Philosophy student in the Faculty of Arts, Omotuemen Favour discusses her rise to leadership and her expectations for her term. 07078407755
Tell us about yourself.
I happen to be the firstborn in the family. We are four: three girls and one boy. I love leadership and strive to make a difference in whatever I do.
What motivated you to contest for the position of vice president?
The first thing is self-motivation. I motivate myself, and that is the greatest motivation. Secondly, it’s the people around me, my friends. I am someone who, if I like your interests, your interests become my interests, and I would do everything in my power to help you succeed. This also applied to me, as this is my first time vying for any SUG position in UniBEN. Although I have served in a faculty parliament as a parliamentarian and worked as an SA and PA to past executives of the SUG. Those I have served are also my greatest motivation. There is a saying that you can’t give what you don’t have, so if you have served and put in your best, those people would want to help you as well.
How was the experience contesting as a female among male counterparts?
Our election was actually the first online election in UniBEN, and the duration was short—just two weeks. I had to resume on Monday, quickly get the form, and complete the clearance. The position of vice president has become somewhat gender-related over time, as the immediate past predecessor was a male. However, the position is open to both males and females, so there were no gender issues. For me, I had two strong opponents among the five aspirants for the post. I put in my best effort, almost to the point of falling sick due to stress. I had to give it my all and ask questions because the electoral guidelines were strict this time. I also consulted past leaders who served in the SUG and sought their support because you can’t know everything. There are people who are grounded in this field.
What have you learned differently?
Something about politics is that even if there are going to be alliances, which is usually the case, you cannot overlook the importance of personal relationships. If you don’t build personal relationships with people, your vote might not count. I knew it would be a stressful process, and there were times I regretted my decision. At one point, I wondered why I even thought of running for vice president since the initial position I wanted to vie for was Hostel Mayor. When I declared my interest in the vice presidency, the shock was significant. Some people called to confirm if I was serious: “Are you sure you are making the right decision?” But when they saw my consistency and regular posting of my flyers and engagement, they knew I was serious.
What role did your parents play during the electioneering process and your emergence?
Firstly, my parents are not fans of politics. Initially, I did not tell my dad because I knew he wouldn’t be interested, but I told my mom. I explained the processes to her and asked her to help me with prayers, but I did not ask for any financial assistance because they might ask, “Who sent you?” considering their disinterest in politics.
So how did you source the funds for the election?
I had support from my leaders, both in my faculty and past leaders. They supported me as their own.
What is your advice to females who would want to be vice president one day?
I strongly believe in relationships. For instance, if I ask you to vote for me, you might not support me right away because you don’t know me well, but if my leader is loyal to you or you have a personal relationship with my leader, you would want to support me because of that connection. So my advice to young aspirants and anyone wanting to aspire to any position is to first motivate yourself, meet more people, and just be yourself. If you see people whose aspirations you can support, please do so. At some stages, I helped many people, and when they got to their positions, they changed, but I did not allow that to discourage me. Just be yourself and learn to meet people. If you have aspirations—say you’re in 100 level and want to run for a position in 200 level—start building contacts and meeting people. And if you are politically inclined, make sure you don’t step on anyone’s toes. Apologize when necessary.
Was there any point in time when you almost gave up running for the position?
Every blessed day felt like hell to me because I was not sleeping, and we had a short time for the election. I was concerned about covering all the faculties. I had to work with the contacts I had already and ensure that I met more people every day. It was not easy because I was exhausted.
So you wanted to give up?
Not really. I was stressed out. Every blessed day, I felt like giving up because even in my dreams, I was thinking about the election. I was drained and almost developed an ulcer because I was not eating well, given the many faculties I had to cover. I just had to give it my all.
As someone who loves leadership, do you see yourself joining Nigerian politics in the future?
The only thing I can say now is that time will tell. If anyone had told me that by this time I would be the SUG vice president, I wouldn’t have believed it because I had made up my mind not to participate in any SUG activities. I don’t know what happened. So let’s just say time will tell. But really, I have learned so much. Every year, people write down their goals, but we often neglect one vital factor: time. Anything can happen, and things can change.
Now that you are the vice president, what should students expect?
I will work with the president and the executive members to ensure that we address some basic issues that students face in school. I have experienced many things, and I believe we can collectively address them. It is one thing to be in a position and another to carry out the roles efficiently. Also, I am still a student, and the major reason we are in school is to achieve good results. So I will ensure I effectively balance both responsibilities.
Some have said that you cannot be an SUG president or executive without being a cultist. Are you a cult member in UniBEN?
Firstly, nobody will admit to being a cult member, but I am not a cult member, and I was not raised that way in my family. We are true-believing Christians, so that claim is an assumption, not reality.
