Dreams to some people are merely an illusion; but for others, it is a guiding light to their ambition.
And so when Omobola Oduyoye set foot into Babcock University, Illishan-Remo in Ogun State four year ago to study Public Health, her mind was already fixed on becoming the nation’s Minister of Health some time in future.
She knew such exalted offices are not meant for dullards so she girded her loins to stand out in the crowd in her studies.
And so it was at the university’s 11th convocation last Sunday, Omobola, 20, was simply an irresistible spectacle, slamming her 1,359, other graduating colleagues to clinch the Best Graduating Student with an outstanding CGPA of 4.92.
Applause from parents, guests, graduands, friends and staff of Babcock reverberated from one end of the Babcock University stadium where the event held, to the other.
When Omobola ‘s ultimate dream as a health minister is eventually attained, she would want to leave a legacy as the ‘amazon’ who through her instrumentality, put the final nail on the coffin of child and maternal health.
She told The Nation: “I only lived the first six years of my life in Ghana and since then I’ve been in this town (Illishan Remo). I see a lot of challenges poor women and children go through daily. I want to make health delivery accessible, affordable and extremely cheap for our children and women. I will fight corruption in the health sector and ensure that our children and their mother don’t die again from preventable diseases.”
At the colourful ceremony, 1,359 and 20 students were awarded first degrees, postgraduate diplomas. Seventy-one were conferred with Master’s degrees across disciplines, while another 41 bagged PhDs in various disciplines.
Aside parents, lecturers and friends was had influenced her sojourn positively, Omobola had a ready confidant in a course mate Akomolafe Damilola who, also graduated in Public Health with a CGPA of 4.60.
Though Damilola is older, married, and had already cut a career for a herself in Nursing before enrolling at Babcock, her exceptional brilliance put Omobola on her toes as the duo usually came neck-to-neck in their academic performances.
“There was a healthy competition from my course mates such as Akomolafe Damilola, which also enhanced my performance, Omobola said, adding, “I have a lot of respect for her because she is a matured married woman and a nurse. In spite of her age, she related well with us and was very focused. Each time I looked at her, I felt like I should ask the government to stop admitting fresh secondary school leavers straight into the university. They should be asked to do the A/Level or ordinary diploma programme before they enrol at the university,” she said.
On how she managed advances from men, Omobola admitted to having many friends and admirers but they did not distract her.
“I always draw a line between friendship for academic advancement and immoral relationship, Omobola explained. “I’m not a snub though, but I don’t encourage any relationship that will distract me from my studies or suggest to you that I’m a cheap commodity. I also don’t go alone anywhere or follow anybody to dark corners even if she is a girl like me.”
It may not be wrong to describe Omobola as a chip of the old block. Though her mother is full-time housewife, her father Dr Oluseyi Oduyoye lectures at the Business Administration Department of the Babcock.
Another striking quality in her is her seeming unconventional disposition when she frowned on some of the university’s rules particularly as the affects the female folk.
“Let me say I’m in support of our dress code, but I don’t see any reason a female student should not keep long hairs. Do you know it is so bad that security men on campus can stop a student and cut off her hair? This is not fair at all,” she lamented.
Omobola, who is from Ilisan-Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area of the state, urged the school authorities was to engage students of the university in forced physical activities.
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