Although 2020 has been rough, it certainly is one year that has taught us a lot of things. UCJ UI meets with some students of the University of Ibadan and asks them the lessons they have learnt this year.
Name: Folarin Peace O.
Department: Arts and Social Sciences Education
This year has really been an intriguing and thrilling year. The major lesson I learnt so far is spending each day judiciously. And, I should keep developing myself because learning never ends.
Name: Adedoyin Folorunso
Department: Mechanical Engineering
For things I learnt, I find that I previously knew them but they became more realistic and actualized as I lived through them. For one, family. Family is really important, as a support base, as a safe haven. And people have to work at it to keep their families that way.
Another thing I learnt is that you need to possess value. Whether through skills, resources or people, everyone has to work at cultivating value. Also life is fleeting and unpredictable, we lost so many people, it’s staggering and there’s nothing anybody can do about it.
Name: Williams Owoeye
Department: Biomedical Laboratory Science
With the way the whole world was brought to her knees, the pandemic taught me we humans are what we’ve got and I’ve come to actually appreciate my social ties the more. It has been my support and a reason to keep going.
On the strike, hmm. I’ll like to link it with the #EndSARS protest and the aftermath we have been seeing. I started reading and some historical records kept coming up on social media and I sadly had to come to the conclusion that Chinua Achebe might be wrong saying there was a country because I fear there never was a country. Does that mean we should give up? No. We keep working on a means to and till we grasp that means, we don’t stop remove our shirts and fighting dirty the powers that be.
Name: Favour Chinenye Okpor
Department: Physiology
Just the previous year I was caught up in its myriad activities, frantically wishing life would slow down and I’d be blessed with a breath of fresh air. Little did I know that 2020 had something else in store for me. I had a clear vision of what I wanted out of 2020. Graduation and service, but my hopes were dashed against the unyielding walls of a raging pandemic and ASUU strike. Despite the fact that I prided myself on being someone obsessed with privacy and quiet, the lockdown pushed me into the dreaded state of ennui. For a while I lost my bearing but a closer introspection had me reevaluating my life. I learnt a lot—to appreciate every little moment. Being closer to my 9 year old brother, I discovered how much I had taken our relationship for granted. I learnt to be a better big sister, to care a lot more about every tiny details of his life.
I learnt the treasured value of patience after I took up a teaching job to pass time. I appreciated the occupation a lot more. It’s more than a job, it’s a responsibility and one I grew to cherish. It was one of the most significant highlight of my year, sharing the light I’ve accrued over the years with different types of kids—loved, broken, shy, bold, shuttered, open…. I gained a lot of experience in my writing career, learnt a foreign language and took some courses that would benefit me later in life. Above all, I learnt to give thanks for every breath I took. I learnt to be deeply appreciative of love, peace and the precious gift of family.
