I HAD TO CHOOSE OAU BECAUSE OF A WOMAN ---Bayo

NCB: Can we meet you?

FYB: My name is Bello Bayo and obviously, I am in part four. I am the first son and second child of three children.

NCB: Tell us about your background and how growing up was like for you.

FYB: I am from Ogun State but I was born in Ile-Ife. I had all my life here, from my primary school days till now. All through my nursery to Secondary education, I attended private school but things changed. But still, it has been great.

NCB: How has been your experience in Ile-Ife? Would you like to stay here after school?

FYB: It has been enjoyable but it is nothing really enticing. I don’t want to stay after I graduate but still, I won’t underrate my stay here because it has been good.

NCB: What made you choose OAU?

FYB: It was because of a girl I met during UTME lesson, I had a crush on her, so, I thought we were dating not knowing she was just keeping me. I wanted to study Mass Communication in Unilorin but I changed my mind because of her. So, I picked English in OAU because there was no Mass Communication here.

NCB: How did you feel when you realized that she was only keeping you?

FYB: I felt heartbroken but I didn’t kill myself.

NCB: Did that give you any negative thoughts about ladies?

FYB: No. Then, I will just say I was naive and I needed to learn some things to get me out of my stupidity shell. To me, I will say there are good ladies out there just as there are good men as well. I don’t have any bias against woman, I am not a mysogynist. I like women.

NCB: How would you describe your experience in OAU?

FYB: It has been good and it has been a rollercoaster. When I was in part one, it was so easy for me. I would go to the library whenever I was done with a class and read and covered a lot before test and examination period. During test and examination period, the only thing I had to do was to revise even when people would complain they haven’t read much. I was on first class but when I entered part three, my GP went down because of the online classes. I had bad grades then, I wasn’t thinking about education but how to make money. Part three was my most stressful level but this part four is better because there is this euphoria you feel when you’re almost graduating but there is also this fear that you don’t know what you expect after school.

NCB: Have you been able to gain your balance now?

FYB: Yes. This part four is better. I care about my education. I don’t joke with it.

NCB: How has studying Literature been?

FYB: It has been good but it is far from what I knew in secondary school. I did well in secondary school and I felt I was brilliant but it was different when I got to OAU. I got B in my first Literature result in OAU and when I started writing essay, I realized it was different from what I thought it was . It is just in this part four I realized what Literature really entails.

NCB: Do you have any regrets choosing OAU?

FYB: No, I am happy and proud that I am in OAU. I made friends that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t come to OAU. Even if I came to OAU because of a woman, I still have no regrets. I love women.

NCB: What do you mean by saying ‘you love women’?

FYB: This is not to flatter. Women are the salt of the earth. Without women, money is useless. There will be no need working or making money without them. Actually, I have a girlfriend and I am loyal to her.

NCB: When was your best moment in OAU?

FYB: It was in part two, when we had a group presentation. I presented well and I knew I did well even before I saw the result. After the presentation, my group members were hugging me and I felt like I was on top of the world.

NCB: How has been your stay on campus?

FYB: It has been good. I am not an introvert but I am not a fan of parties. I believe the time spent at parties would have been used to do something else.

NCB: What do you like to do that makes you feel happy?

FYB: I love helping people and seeing other people happy. Sometimes, I make people happy at the expense of myself.

NCB: Have you ever been cheated by someone you trusted?

FYB: Yes! I have been a victim of cheating, gaslighting and manipulation. I had a girlfriend then that left me for a Yahoo boy but I am happy that she left. There were times I worked twice as far and I got as half as far.

NCB: How were you able to handle it?

FYB: I am still in it but I am fine. It is just that I don’t have the confidence to offend people. Whatever anyone does to me , I just let it go.

NCB: What do you intend to become in the future?

FYB: I cannot pinpoint it but I just want to be great. I can feel it in me. I want to be able to help as many as I can.

NCB: If you were to change something in OAU and in Nigeria, what would that be?

FYB: If I were to change anything in OAU, it would be the issue of writing projects in part four . If I had the authority, I will ensure that writing proposal and long essays be done in part three because the burden and pressure is much in part four, so, I want it to be lessened . In Nigeria , I don’t know. This is because I don’t like criticizing people that are higher than me and I don’t know what it feels like to be in that position. I normally tell people not to criticize because they may find themselves in the middle of what they once criticized.

NCB: What take-home lessons have you gotten from OAU?

FYB: I have learnt not to see myself more than I am. I have learnt to be low-key and I don’t like to announce myself.

NCB: Do you have any advice for junior colleagues?

FYB: Be street-smart, think beyond the scope of academics and invest in relationships.

NCB: Make your shout out?

FYB: Shout out to Hardy, he has been like a brother to me; Light, he is so selfless; Tolani (yeye), Faith Alofe, I am proud of her progress. She is my reading partner; Odunayo, I am proud of her too.

NCB: Thank you for your time.

FYB: You’re welcome.