In this week's edition of Village Beauty, we have Miss Susan Olalusi, a final year student of the department of History. She is the Executive Vice President Internal of JCI UI and also the president of Awo Hall LnD society. She is an outspoken advocate for gender equality and also a 2024 Millennium Fellow. In this exclusive interview with Zik Press correspondent, Oloyede David Oyewale, Miss Olalusi goes into her experience with leadership, her take on feminism as well as her view of Nnamdi Azikiwe Hall.
Miss Susan: Hi. My name is Olalusi Susan Ikeoluwaposi. I am a 400 level student, department of history, faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan. I am the president of the Obafemi Awolowo Hall Literary and Debating Society. I am the executive vice president internal, JCI UI. I am also the Head of Logistics at the UI British Parliamentary Debating Society.
I am an advocate for gender equality, and I am a 2024 Millennium Fellow. I also love to read. I love to take walks, and I love to debate and interact with people, basically.
Zik Press: Alright, Mrs Olalusi, so how have you been balancing between being the president of your hall L&D and, at the same time, the vice president of JCI and your academics?
Miss Susan: Well, how I cope is basically that I prioritise. So a lot of times, the societies are not actually clashing. So now let's say I have something in particular to do at JCI, it most times doesn't clash with the L&D. So what I normally do is that when it is JCI, I prioritise JCI. When it's the L and D, I prioritise L and D. When it is BP, I prioritise BP. But at the end of the day, my academics takes precedence.
You know, I'm working on my project now. So there are times when maybe my supervisor will give me a deadline or something. I lock in. Like, I really focus on it for that moment because I know that at the end of the day, that's what I came to school to do. So I prioritise things according to their importance at that moment.
Zik Press: Thank you very much. So if I got what you just said, you mean there hasn't been a situation where your being the vice president of the JCIN UI or the president of your hall L&D or even your project clashed with one another, or maybe where pressure from one affected the rest.
Miss Susan: No, no, no, no, no. That's not absolutely what I'm saying. Okay, now, on *September 6th*, JCI had this event, he Ibrahim Ahmed Oratory Contest, the 6th edition, and I was the one that was in charge of the event. And at that time too, we were also preparing for the Jaw War. And almost at the same time too, we had this competition in BP, which I also went for.
And basically, I just feel like what helped me at that time is that, number one, for the event in JCI, what I mostly had to do was just make people work and delegate responsibilities—pick people, keep people in my team that are very, very active, give them tasks and all of that. Then for the L&D, I have my executive members. And before I even went anywhere, I already made sure that everything was in order. So, like, we’re already doing most things together.
So what I just do is to finalise everything as a result of having capable people in my executive, so even when there is a clash, the fact that I have a team I am working with, which is filled with people who are very active and up to the task, makes everything very easy.
Zik Press : Okay, now I understand. So moving on, what made you join the JCI and the L and D?
Miss Susan: Okay, so for JCI, I joined JCI 100 level, and the main reason I joined JCI was because as a history student, it has always been my goal to do something, international relations, and all of that. You know JCI is an international organisation, and I just felt like it would help me, you know, develop diplomacy skills, public speaking skills and all of that. And so, yes, I picked the form, and I joined, and I've gotten more than that since I joined.
Then, for the L&D, I just love the society, I love the sisterhood, I love the bond, I love the bond in the L&D, and all of that. And also, I love debating too, so that’s like a plus.
Zik Press: That's nice. You said you got more than what you intended to benefit from JCI. Can you tell us more about it?
Miss Susan: Okay, you know, I said that the main reason I joined was because I wanted to do international stuff, international opportunities, diplomacy, and public speaking. So, the things that I got aside from that are that: Number one, I learnt people's management and how to work with different teams of people and how to manage people. I learnt leadership too; I took on a lot of leadership opportunities in JCI, and that really shaped me.
And aside from that, volunteering experience— like, I got a lot of volunteering experience. Even my Millennium Fellowship stuff, you know, I said I am a 2024 Millennium Fellow— the opportunity, like, I got the information about it from JCI, so that’s how much JCI has really impacted me.
Zik Press: Alright, thank you. Has there ever been a moment when you have been made to want to give up or even regret ever taking on the positions of responsibility you are in?
Miss Susan: There have been a lot of times that I wanted to give up or regretted. Yes, a lot, a lot, a lot. Because personally, when I envisioned my final year, I envisioned it to be something that is soft, so all I have to do is just project, and then I'm enjoying myself.
But at the end of the day, I took on all these positions, and it has not been easy. Like sometimes I didn’t even have time for myself. It’s like I’m coming from one meeting to another meeting to another meeting for an entire day.
So a lot of times it gets very, very overwhelming. Really, it does. But then once I take on something, I really do not regret it because I always tell myself that you knew before you took it. So just do it to the end and be fine. So yeah, maybe the only regret I just have is that I’m not enjoying my final year the way I wanted to enjoy it.because I have so many responsibilities.
Zik Press: Alright, thank you. If the hand of time could be shifted back and you were a fresher again, would you still take on the responsibilities that you are in presently? I mean, will you still want to be the vice president of JCI? Will you still be interested in being the president of your hall L and D?
Miss Susan: No, no, no, no, I won't. (Laugh) No, I really won't. I definitely would not. Or at least, I will take one but not take the other one.So, if I'm to choose one, I'll definitely pick being president of my L&D over being executive vice president in JCI.And also, I might take on some positions, but it's not just the major position.
So, maybe in JCI, rather than just being an Executive Vice President, I would have rather taken up the position of a Director in the organisation, rather than just being EVP.
Zik Press: Oh wow, that's interesting. Earlier while introducing yourself, you said you are an advocate for gender equality. Can you please tell us your take on feminism?
Miss Susan: Alright, so concerning feminism, my take is very simple. It's just that women should be given access to the same opportunities as men. So an example is that if a woman is going for a political position, she should be assessed the same way a man is assessed.
She should not be assessed based on the fact that she's a woman but based on the fact that she's a person, and, you know, she should be weighed based on her capabilities, what she has done or what she can do, rather than just saying, 'Oh, she's a woman; automatically she's incompetent,' or something like that. Yes.
Zik Press: So should we conclude that you are a supporter of the phrase "Whatever a man can do, a woman can do better"?
Miss Susan : No, that's not what I said. What I said is when there is an opportunity and both male and female genders are going for it, both of them should be assessed as human beings, not on the basis of gender. It's simple like that. Because at the end of the day, forget the gender divide; we're all human beings with different intellectual capacities, different backgrounds, and different strengths really.
So when you now say that just because maybe you think that a particular gender seems like the weaker one, then because of that, they cannot take on certain positions, it now becomes an affront to people.I'm just saying that being a human being is not a one-size-fits-all. Everybody has different capabilities and different capacities, and people should be weighed on that rather than on gender.
Zik Press: Hmmm... People should weigh in on capabilities, not gender.
Miss Susan: Yes. People should be weighed on capabilities, not gender.
Zik Press: Alright, thank you for that. So onto the next question: when you hear the name "Zikites", what comes to your mind?
Miss Susan: Ohhh God of mercy (laughs), you are putting me on the spot, really. This is a very tricky question. Well, I will be honest; what comes to my mind when I hear the name "Zikites" is "Animal Kingdom" (laughs).
Zik Press: Animal kingdom? Why?
Miss Susan: Okay, Animal Kingdom, because when I was in 100 level, they used to do this aro stuff; when you are passing, they'll be shouting, they'll be catcalling and all of that, and for me then, it was not really funny. I was not very comfortable with the aroism, so that is why we just call it Animal Kingdom and all of that, but thankfully, the Aroism stuff has stopped, or it has reduced, because when I pass these days, there's nobody shouting and all of that.
Zik Press: Okay, thanks for that. In the last student union election, Zik Hall had 3 candidates that represented the hall, and of all the candidates, only the one that went unopposed won; the remaining two were defeated.
Also, in the last CBN election, none of the candidates that represented Zik Hall won any post.Can you please tell us what you think might have caused the politically inclined Zik Hall to be defeated in such a way? And do you think Zik Hall are not as politically inclined as they think?
Miss Susan: Okay, so when it comes to UI elections, there are too many hall permutations, so for me, I think the last election was an eye-opener for Zikites because they have become too confident that no matter what, they are going to win, so the last election was just an eye-opener that other halls too have strategies that can defeat Zik Hall, and also, I don't think they are as politically inclined as they claim to be.
I just think that it was the political atmosphere that shifted in the sense that other halls have been doing better in their political games.
Zik Press: So the Students' Union election is drawing close, and we all know that Zikites will have candidates that will be representing them, although we don't know them yet, so do you see Zik Hall winning any political post in the SU or any election that they will be participating in?
Miss Susan: Well, I do not know the position that any Zikites will be going for in the coming election, so I cannot really speak to that because these days election is based on the strength of the candidate and the strength of the hall, and I don't know what Zik Hall has done to restrategise.
Whether they are coming back stronger or not, basically I cannot say if they will win or not.
Zik Press: Alright then, what is your general advice for Zikites?
Miss Susan: Okay, my general advice for Zikites is the same advice I will give all UI students basically: you know, our studies are the first thing that we are in school for. We should really focus on them and it is also very important that we gain experience while in school. And how do we gain experience?
We do so by joining organisations and volunteering for events that align with our interests because once you are out of school, it is the kind of connection and network that you have gotten from school that will give you an edge out there.So it is important that as we are building our academics, we should also build our careers.
Zik Press: Okay, thank you. What advice do you have for anyone out there who will be interested in what you do? What are those things that you did which helped you in all your activities that you believe will help anyone out there?
Miss Susan: Okay, so um, my advice for anyone who will be interested in what I do basically is that, in my life, the mantra that I live by is “Doing unto others what you want them to do to you.” And in my leadership positions, it has helped me because I understand that it's not easy to show up. But then, when you—as a leader—keep showing up, when you have that discipline to show up, then people in your team will not hesitate to also show up.
And also as a leader, you have to lead by example. You shouldn't say, “Oh well, I can be late to a meeting,” and expect other people not to be late. You have to be punctual. All those values you want your team members to exemplify—you have to embody them yourself. That's basically it. And you also have to be consistent.
Also, life is not a bed of roses. At the end of the day, of course things are going to get hard sometimes. Sometimes, you'll regret the decisions that you've made and all of that but then, you must never give up. You must stay true to yourself and just keep pushing.
Zik Press: Alright, thank you very much for your time, Miss Olalusi. It's a pleasure to have you speak to us.
Miss Susan: Thank you very much too.
