For Oyindamola Grace Osinubi, education is beyond what you learn within the four walls of a school that is termed ‘academics.’ To her, education is a continuous learning process.
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| Hon. Oyindamola Grace Osinubi |
The University of Ibadan student leader, who hails from Ogun Waterside Local Government Area, Ogun State, Nigeria, is passionate about the growth and development of the Nigerian youth.
In this interview with Abiola Alli, the digital media entrepreneur who is also a member of the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria, explains her interest in student politics, her several digital projects, and her future aspirations.
Excerpts.
Who is Oyindamola Grace Osinubi?
I am a human capacity builder and personal development enthusiast. I am also an advocate for youth empowerment and digital entrepreneurship. I am from Ogun Waterside in Ogun State.
Currently, I am a final-year student at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. I coordinate a group of ladies from different tertiary institutions in Nigeria called ‘Women of Purpose.’
The group is aimed at training ladies and launching them into growth and greatness instituted by God for their lives. I also have an academy called ‘Write to Wealth Academy’ where I teach youths how to write content, optimize social media, and how to use their skills and digital skills to find a place in the gig industry that is expanding everyday.
I am a member of organizations such as AIESEC, the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria, etc.
You are a digital strategist, a digital media entrepreneur, and an on-air personality, amongst others. How did it all start?
I have always had a flair for the English language. Right from secondary school, I have always wanted to write. My teachers will commend my use of the English language and my choice of words back then. From there, I went on to represent the school at some competitions. After secondary school, I started to see this writing gift for more than this, more than something beyond the recommendations of my teachers in school.
People will say "she writes very well." She writes a lot. She's very good with the use of words. I wanted it to do more than that for me. I wanted it to be a source of income for me, so I started seeking ways to improve my skills when I gained admission to the university in 2018.
Since then, I have been in touch with some of my friends, writing gigs for them. Some worked out, some didn't. Along the line, I kept learning, I kept applying the lessons, until I finally launched myself as a professional content strategist. I took several courses, and I am still learning today, because learning never stops. I create content for brands, organizations, and individuals. I also help with crafting content for book writers, social media, website content strategization, and podcasting.
Do you think content is king? How lucrative is the content writing industry in Nigeria and Africa as a whole?
This question encompasses a whole lot. Content can either be about your niche or a skill (a means to an end), but either way, content is king because content reflects your value. It demonstrates what you bring to the table, whether you are using content as a source of income—say, you are a writer who creates content for a living—or you are a podcaster who creates audio content for a living—or you are using that content to establish your credibility, sell your products to people, offer your products to people, position yourself for opportunities—content is king, and it cuts across all sectors of the economy.
For instance, if there is someone that has a brilliant idea for the agricultural industry in Nigeria but does not know how to sell his idea to the content creators or social media managers, he will not be able to put out content on his website. Many people will not know him, let alone give him their money or trust him with their opportunities or investments.
For me, I believe content is very important. If you see writing as a source of income, as if you were a professional content strategist, or as a way to achieve your own goal, putting yourself out there and maximizing opportunities, Yes, content is king.
Tell us more about ‘Write to Wealth Academy’ and ‘Women of Purpose’
The ‘Women of Purpose’ is a mentoring group that was launched sometime in May, 2021. There are online and offline sessions. The offline sessions are held at the University of Ibadan while the online sessions are held on a WhatsApp group. Women of Purpose was set up to help young ladies discover God's talent for their lives and work in that mandate. That was the reason the mentoring group was established.
It is a faith-based group, and we believe everyone has a role to play in God's given agenda on the earth. This specific role is what many people do not know, and it accounts for more than half the problems we face as individuals. This group basically seeks to mentor these ladies to discover what God has for their lives and also to work in it.
The ‘Write to Wealth Academy’ was established to train young people on how to monetise their digital skills. I found out that some young people are just interested in learning a digital skill like graphics designing, website designing, or development, and copywriting and content writing. I do tell them that after a while of becoming professional in that skill, you still keep learning, even after some time. You have to make money from that skill.
So, I set up an academy to teach people how to write. There is a part of the academy where we teach people how to write, and the other part where people with digital skills, either writing, designing, or any other freelancing skill, are taught how to make money from their freelancing skills by plugging into this gig economy. You can be anywhere in the world and also earn in other currencies apart from the Naira. That is why the write to wealth academy was set up.
Entrepreneurship vs. Education: Which one should young people focus on?
For me, I think they work hand in hand. I define education as the sort of learning that really transforms you at the end of the day. Education is beyond what you learn within the four walls of your school-that is academics. I believe both education and entrepreneurship work hand in hand because there are some opportunities that come your way if you are very serious about your education.
Also, entrepreneurship, not even in the sense of you starting your business, but also being entrepreneurial in your thinking, like how can two become four, and how can this four become eight, and how can this eight become sixteen? This is just one thing out of this. How can this be multiplied by sixteen? That is, you have to be entrepreneurial in your thinking. How can this single source diversify into several other sources? That is why I said both entrepreneurship and education walk hand in hand. Of course, you still have to be educated.
You don't have to go through the four walls of school, but your self-education has to keep going. It has to be ongoing. Is it the courses you take, the associations you purposefully join, or the books you read? If you say you don't have a business, you still have to be entrepreneurial. We live in an environment where if you decide to have a source of income, you have to be entrepreneurial, in the sense that you will not be looking at setting up a business, but you will be entrepreneurial in the sense that you have one thing. How can I make this thing become ten? How can I get more profit centers from this single job?
Also, entrepreneurship and education benefit one another. Education will provide you with the knowledge and information you need, while entrepreneurship will help you harness the knowledge into effectiveness. It turns information into products, things that can be handled, that can be felt, that can be touched, and these things, in general, elevate the quality of life. Education takes care of the information and knowledge you need.
It is as if any limitations in the mindset you have developed will be dismantled.
If there is anything that you should know that you do not know, that is when you get to learn it. If there are mental models you should be exposed to, that is where you will know it. Entrepreneurship is more of an experiential and experimental thing. I have learnt something. How do I put it to use? Let me try this idea. Let me put it to work. Does it work? Does it not work? Does it suit my goal? Let us tweak it in several ways.
You are a member of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Ibadan. What sparked your interest as a female leader?
There are quite a lot of reasons I decided to contest as a student leader. One, before I gained admission into the University of Ibadan, I interviewed some graduates and, from their responses, I got to know that they lived a triangular life while on campus. They went from class to their place of worship, then to their hostels or homes. They did nothing outside of those areas. It was then that I made up my mind that during my stay on campus I would maximize my time as much as possible. I will try things beyond the walls of the classrooms and develop every facet of my life.
Two, we live in a society where the things that are wrong are sometimes the result of faulty policies. Policies are not hitting the nail on the head. Sometimes we found out that these policies were formulated by people that had never been in such positions before. They can not say where the shoes pinch. let alone, know how to address such a situation. I think I might be interested in policy making later in the future because if you want action to be taken, it starts with the policies and their implementation.
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| Hon. Oyindamola Osinubi with her fellow honorable members |
Three, I decided to join student politics in order to have first-hand information on how it operates in the house. How we make policies. What goes on in policy making? People who make policies: what is their pedigree? As someone representing my constituency, I know exactly what affects us. When policies addressing my constituency come up in the house, I can be a good representative and spokesperson. With an interest in policymaking, student politics provides a platform for me to gain such experience before graduating from a higher institution.
The fourth reason is that I have the hand of service and I want to serve. I believe that with the right policies and the right implementation, the lives of U.I. students can be better. Why not go for it? Why not serve? It is from the policies that we make that they can implement them. We provide school administration with insight or advice based on our experiences. This is where our students have problems, and this is what we can do to help them solve them. Those are the reasons I took up student leadership.
How cordial is the relationship between the genders in the student representative council (SRC)?
In the student representative council, the relationship between the sexes is one of mutual respect. There are codes guiding the house. If you do not want to be punished, you need to abide by such rules.
Apart from that, we have a cordial relationship amongst ourselves because we understand that everyone has a value they bring to the table, especially if you can articulate such a value very well, and everyone here is representing their constitutuency and looking out generally for the well-being of students in the school. We respect ourselves.
A female honorable member cannot talk, and a male honorable shuts them down. No, it is not allowed. It is not a matter of gender. It is a matter of humanity first. This person is a human being, so you treat them based on that.
You are also a member of the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria. What do you seek to achieve?
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| Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare (left); Head of Cooperation, European Union, Cecile Tassin-Pelzer; representative of National Planning Commission, Mrs. Elizabeth Egharevba with youths during the launch of the European Union Youth Sounding Board in Abuja, Nigeria. |Source: premiumtimesng.com, guardian.ng |
The European Union Youth Sounding Board in Nigeria was inaugurated in September, 2021. The board was mainly set up to provide advisory functions to the European Union (EU), especially on matters relating to youths in Nigeria. My colleagues and I are looking at working with the European Union as a body to create a better narrative for the Nigerian youth.
As Nigerian youth, we understand the problems facing the youth in our society. Some of us are either students or working in organizations in different sectors. So, we know what it feels like to be a Nigerian youth or a youth living in Nigeria or in a society where what we get is not our expectations.
We are looking at bringing our experiences, expertise, interests, and passion together to provide a conducive environment for the youths living in Nigeria in collaboration with the European Union as a body.
As a book consultant, when should we expect your own book?
Very very soon. As soon as possible (smiles).
On a final note, who are your role models? Your advice to the young people
As regards my role model, I may not be able to pinpoint one or two people at the moment. I try to learn from anyone or everyone I see something valuable to learn from. I do this in different fields of interest or areas I am passionate about.
As long as I see something good that a particular person is modeling, I learn from them, whether they are foreign or local. They may not be on the pages of newspapers, or on blogs and news websites. They might just be friends, course mates, lecturers, etc. In that instance, that person is a model for me, and I pick and learn my interests from such a person.
My advice to the young people is that, as Christians, they should seek and find God's specific mandate for their life on earth. There is something bigger than all of us, and we have to plug into that. It is not enough to just get the education, experience, capital, exposure, etc. Youth should also understand that we are propelled by a force that is not physical.
It is essential that everyone discovers what God has planned for them and participates in it. I will also advise every young person to be serious and be intentional with their education. I believe that one of the greatest gifts a man can get is the gift of transformation. If you are not transformed within, nothing will move, nothing will shift. Young people need to be passionate about their education beyond getting a degree. They should see education beyond the four walls of the university, polytechnic, and college of education.
They should be intentional with their plans. They should develop a realistic plan. They should have time to plan the same way they have time to eat, take a bath, and talk to friends and associates. They should create time to transform their minds and thinking by reading books, listening to good tapes, listening to podcasts, meditating, etc.
According to Olakunle Soriyan, "Our problem in Africa is not really corruption; there is a mass deposit of ignorance amongst people, and most people are not willing to do anything about that." So before you change anything, the first step is to know, which means taking away the ignorance. Also, once you learn, implement what you have learnt. It is one thing to know, and another thing to be educated.
As I previously stated, two of the competencies that every 21st century youth should possess are education and entrepreneurship. Education in the sense of not only academics. Youth should take their time to develop a plan to transform their minds and thinking. Getting knowledge and information and entrepreneurship means not just setting up a business but experimenting and experiencing what you have learnt.
That is, you experiment with the information you have gotten, and that is when the work of transformation will be completed in your life. From there, all your goals, dreams, and visions can be achieved.
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