NAPS President, Awe Albert Oluwadamilare Discusses Administrative Plans, Academic Success

By Bibisinuoluwa Agarah

"My team and I had to think of alternatives so we could make sure that upon resumption, the administration satisfies students and we fulfilled all of our promises to the students, regardless of whatever it is that might threaten those plans." ~ President Awe Albert Oluwadamilare

President Albert Oluwadamilare is a 400 level student at the University of Ibadan's Department of Psychology. When he's not in class, he works with NAPS and serves as President of UI's chapter.

PsychLens: Can you tell us your name and level, please?

President: My name is Awe Albert Oluwadamilare. I am a 400-level student from the department of psychology at the University of Ibadan.

PsychLens: Classes have begun and students are now milling in and out of classrooms a lot of students are trying to regain former study habits that were lost during those 8 months.

All of this is done to get good grades at the end of the semester. What are the administration’s plans to help NAPSites achieve this?

President: In my interactions with students, I have noticed that some students have lost interest in reading or they do not understand how they want to go about it. So my team and I have been working on this. The Vice President, who is in charge of all things academic, is working on a Google Drive that contains materials for each course for each level. And also past questions and practice questions.

These materials will be available in the following week. Preparations have begun and we expect to begin tutorials in the coming week as well. We are also working on getting tutors that will take the tutorials across all levels.

The tutorials will reorient the students and bring them back to the reality of what it is to read and study. So, it would motivate them when it comes to reading and academics.

That is the current plan we [the administration] have for students to bring them to the academic space, mentally, socially, and otherwise.

PsychLens: You have quite a lot in place concerning the academic activities for NAPS. You mentioned the administration had plans to integrate NAPSites in a social setting. What do NAPSites, especially freshmen, have to look forward to in terms of extracurricular activities for this session?

President: There is a plan presently for a Freshers Welcome, though it’s more like a talk fest. Where the Head of the Department, the undergraduate coordinators, the course advisers, and also students who have graduated with a first-class will come in to speak with the freshmen. That way they can ask any questions that they have, thereby making them familiar with the departmental leaders.

When it comes to social gatherings among students, we intend to organize frequent games such as ludo, chess, and possibly scrabble. We will provide them to the faculty at intervals. So whenever students are free, if they do not have classes or they have just finished one and do not wish to leave the faculty early so the games would be available for them at the Wooden Lounge or the Leather Lounge.

In that aspect, they can socialize across all levels.

This semester, we intend to organize a picnic, where students can come together, socialize and play games, and network.

We also have plans in terms of sports like football and table tennis, we will send out a Google Form for a shoe of interest. If enough people are interested in volleyball, for example, we can form a volleyball team. If there are not enough people to form a team, however, we can link them up to the University’s team. In that aspect, they can do what they love to do.

There are going to be football games, and we are going to invite all NAPSites to come and watch the game. Those are the activities we have in mind for now.

PsychLens: Thank you, Mr. President.

8 months is a really long time to be away from the University and we know how the strike has affected various students, however, we would like to know the effects the strike has has on you as the president of NAPS UI.

Mr. President: In terms of the plans my administration had for the department. The economy has worsened during those 8 months. The price of everything seems to have skyrocketed. There were plans to make packages for students.

My team and I had to think of alternatives so we could make sure that upon resumption, the administration satisfies students and we fulfilled all of our promises to the students, regardless of whatever it is that might threaten those plans.

It has become much more tasking because we had planned for a lot before the strike, but when we resumed the cost of the things we had planned was no longer the cost when we had planned them.

So we have to find ways for the association to get funds. Although we had planned to get sponsorship before the strike. But now we have to get more money to supplement the funds we already have.

PsychLens: Did the strike change how you viewed the office of the president?

Is the administration still going on the same course it charted over 8 months ago or have there been some changes?

Mr. President: It did not change my view. The view I had right from the beginning when I stepped into the office, I still maintained that view. The strike did not affect it in any way.

Currently, nothing has changed. The administration still has all the plans drafted and is still on course. However, I can’t say if there are going to be some modifications or restructuring as the sessions continue. Regardless, if there would be some modifications, every plan will still be coming to fulfillment. Except for some plans the department management might not permit, such as the football tour I promised in my agenda.

Aside from that, every other plan is still on course.

PsychLens: Quite a large number of NAPSites learned a trade during the ASUU strike and a few of them were already established entrepreneurs before the strike even began.

As a photographer, I’m sure you can attest to this.

Should the entrepreneurs expect anything from the administration during this session?

Mr. President: Entrepreneurs should expect a whole lot from the administration this session because presently we have opened a forum and we are about to begin operations and establish a structure that can help entrepreneurs in NAPS to promote their business.

The administration has a tentative plan to use the NAPS Entrepreneur Forum to train NAPSITES that are interested in certain skills. Seminars will be held where we will invite successful entrepreneurs to teach and train on topics like sales and customer acquisition and things like that.

During the strike, we had a seminar online on sales. And more of that is still to come. We have so much in store for them.

PsychLens: Thank you for your time, Mr. President.

Mr. President: You're welcome. Thank you for having me.