Student Center Archives - Page 3 of 6

September 17, 2013

My Experience at Ikorodu News, by Dr Tunde Oseni

By Tunde Oseni

The Nigeria’s pioneer community newspaper Ikorodu News (known as Ikorodu Provident News at inception) was launched on 11 August 1983, the very day I clocked six years on earth. This fact was notknown to me until around April 2000 when I joined the editorial team of this influential publication. At 23, and not yet in the university, due to paucity of funds, utilizing my talents as a reporter-at-training cum editorial assistant was a dream come true. Although I had had a stint in grassroots newspapering at Community Newsreel around 1999, it was my journalism practice at Ikorodu News that eventually laid foundation for my subsequent achievements in life.

To some people, blessings may be counted in finances; but for me, every experience that connects one to a brighter future is a blessing. Today, a PhD holder and University Lecturer, I can trace much of my scholarly temperament and commitment back to my experience at Ikorodu News. So, essentially, those seemingly long nights of filing and writing reports, weaving stories together, thinking and acting on editorial and administrative assignments eventually paved way for a fulfilling future.

If I recollect accurately, one of my very first assignments was to cover a well-attended conference at the LIFE Seminary, Ikorodu, where prominent persons such as Dr Tunji Braithwaite, Dr Christopher Kolade and Mr. Femi Falana were invited to deliver incisive papers on the then controversial debate on the introduction of Sharia Law in some states of Northern Nigeria. I also remember that I did stories on bad roads, dangerous electric poles, dilapidated school buildings, security issues, and cultural festivals among many others. Yes, I also remember that we wrote an editorial calling for unity among Yoruba leaders (when Afenifere and YCE were in rivalry). Copies of that edition with the front page editorial were sent to many leaders including the late Chief Bola Ige, then Attorney-General of the Federation. His office replied us from Abuja, thanking Ikorodu News. Continue reading “My Experience at Ikorodu News, by Dr Tunde Oseni”

September 17, 2013September 17, 2013

Miracle on Ice and Other Remarkable Stories of Upset

By Darasimi Oshodi

I watched a film recently, Glory Road, in which a coach led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to win the NCAA national championship in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. After watching the film, I decided to do a search of some of the greatest upsets in sports and American politics. Why American politics? I can’t really explain. It may be because I love American politics. Below are some of the stories I found. They are just few of the many stories I came across but I hope you find them enlightening.

On February 22, 1980 during the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York, the United States Olympic ice hockey team, made up of amateur and collegiate players, defeated the Soviet team, which had won nearly every world championship and Olympic tournament since 1954. The Americans had gone into the third period 3-2 down but scored two goals during the period to the consternation of the Soviets. The U.S. team went on to claim the gold medal in the sport. The US victory on that day has been dubbed Miracle on Ice and movies have even been produced based on the events of that day.

In 1948, in what is widely considered the greatest upset in American presidential politics, Democratic incumbent Harry S. Truman defeated his Republican challenger Thomas Dewey. A newspaper had already published Dewey’s victory in advance.

In the 1976 United States presidential election, relatively unknown former governor of Georgia, Jimmy Carter defeated the incumbent President Gerald Ford.

In 1978, Muhammad Ali lost to Leon Spinks in a match many had thought would be an easy win for Ali.

James Buttler Douglas defeats Mike Tyson in one of greatest underdog stories

In 1990, Mike Tyson was beaten with a technical knockout (TKO) by James Butler Douglas, a no-name in the world of boxing. Tyson, in his penultimate fight had knocked out his opponents in 93 seconds. Continue reading “Miracle on Ice and Other Remarkable Stories of Upset”

September 6, 2013

Amazing Comeback Stories from the Brink of Failure, By Darasimi Oshodi

Last week Friday, Chelsea was on the verge of victory against Bayern Munich in the 2013 UEFA Super Cup but with just eight seconds left, Bayern Munich equalised and were the eventual winner after a penalty shootout. The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football match organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by the reigning champions of the two main European club competitions, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League.

Brazil were the favourites to win gold in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics men’s football. The team met Nigeria in one of the semi-final matches of the competition. Brazil had beaten Nigeria 1-0 in the group stage. For the greater part of the match, Brazil were leading. At a point, Brazil were three goals up against Nigeria’s one. But with 12 minutes left, Nigeria scored two goals to send the game into extra time. Nigeria won the match with a golden goal in extra time. In the final match of the competition, Nigeria again came from behind to beat their opponents, Argentina.

In 1999, during the European Champions League Final, Bayern Munich had led Manchester United by 1-0 into the stoppage time but two goals from Manchester United in the stoppage time gave victory to the Manchester club. It was a dramatic comeback.

During the 2005 Champions League Final between AC Milan and Liverpool played in the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul AC Milan were three goals up by half-time, prompting some Reds fans to leave. But in six crazy second-half minutes, Liverpool equalised and went on to eventually win the match in a penalty shoot-out.

The opening game of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations saw Angola leading Mali 4-0 till the last four minutes of the game but somehow the Malian players conjured up 4 goals in 11 minutes to end the game in a draw.

What do these stories teach me? That I should never give up early and if I have any reason to give up at all, I should ask myself these questions: Continue reading “Amazing Comeback Stories from the Brink of Failure, By Darasimi Oshodi”

August 29, 2013

The Sixteen Year-Old Girl Who Has Impacted the World

Darasimi Oshodi

She was born in 1997 in Pakistan. She is an education and women’s rights activist and was almost killed in an assassination attempt last year. She is one of the most famous teenagers on earth and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She is also a Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Who is this 16 year-old?

Malala Yousafzai began blogging for BBC News at age 12 under a pseudonym, depicting her daily activities under Taliban rule and her views on education for girls. Her profile began to rise when she started appearing on television to publicly advocate for female education. She had earlier appeared in a documentary by New York Times. As Malala became more popular, she started receiving death threats. In fact, death threats against her were published in newspapers.

Last year at age 15, a Taliban gunman boarded Malala’s school bus in northwestern Pakistan, shot her and two other girls in an attempt to kill her. The bullet went through her head and neck, and lodged in her shoulder. The Taliban, by the incident, wanted to show what would happen to anyone who had the courage to stand up for education, freedom and self-determination, particularly for girls and women. Malala was flown to the UK for treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and on February 2nd, 2013, she underwent a five-hour operation to reconstruct her skull and restore her hearing. The Taliban has threatened to kill her if she returns to Pakistan.

Today, a global campaign in Malala’s name, spearheaded by the United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, a former prime minister of Britain, is already on in support of what she stands for. The main focus of the campaign is that no children will be left out of school by 2015. On her 16th birthday on July 12th 2013, she spoke at the UN to call for worldwide access to education. The UN called the event “Malala Day”. Hear this extract from her speech at the UN: Continue reading “The Sixteen Year-Old Girl Who Has Impacted the World”

August 12, 2013August 12, 2013

Roger Federer: We all Need Coaches

By Darasimi Oshodi

Roger Federer has been described as the best tennis player ever by some tennis pundits. His exploits have even been hailed by tennis legends. Currently he is ranked number two in the world. He is reputed to be the longest-serving number one ranked tennis player in the world. But one thing intrigues me about Roger Federer, he has a coach.

Consider Usain Bolt, the Jamaican who has taken the world of track and field by storm. He broke the Olympic record in the 200 metres sprint at the just-concluded games in London. He has consistently run under 9 seconds in the 100 metres dash. But one thing intrigues me about Usain Bolt, he has a coach.

Tiger Woods for a long time was the number one golfer in the world. His prodigious talent as a golfer cannot be denied even by his detractors. He has won numerous golf titles and he is still a force in the game of golf. But one thing intrigues me about Tiger Woods, he has a coach.

I must also mention Lionel Messi, who for me, is the best footballer in the last decade. He is the finest footballer I know. He is so talented that viewers marvel when they see his dexterous display on the field of play. Messi is immensely gifted. His talents are so obvious for all to see. But one thing intrigues me about Lionel Messi, he has a coach.

The question bogging my mind is this: Why do these world class superstars need a coach? What do their coaches teach them? Why does Usain Bolt have to listen to a person who probably never created or broke any record? Does Tito Vilanova teach Messi how to dribble or shake off an opponent? Do these gifted or talented people need a coach?

A coach is a person who instructs players in the fundamentals of a competitive sport and directs team strategy. Going by this definition, yes, these superstars need a coach. This is because talent is not enough. Talent/skill must be honed. While these stars may possess immense skills, they need a trained/experienced person to help direct or channel their skills for desired output. A coach determines tactic/strategy. A coach ensures discipline. A coach is also a psychologist. He has the responsibility to instil confidence in his player(s). A talented player who lacks self-confidence will never live up to expectation. A good player still needs a person who can analyse him and determine when he is exhausted and needs to rest and when he must train. An amazing player needs someone who can analyse the opposition/opponent very well and then decide the appropriate style of play. So, YES, superstars also need coaches. Continue reading “Roger Federer: We all Need Coaches”

April 20, 2013June 17, 2013

My Books

Statistical Analysis: Microsoft Excel 2010 Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand Predictive Analytics: Microsoft Excel

Sony 4 GB Memory Stick ProDuo MSMT4G/TQ1 (Black)

sony cybershot hx30v

Kindle Fire HD 7″, Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB – Includes Special Offers

Sharp EL-W516B Scientific Calculator with WriteView (Black)

Western Digital HD

March 9, 2013March 9, 2013

A Tale of Three Teachers

In my over 3 decades of existence on the surface of the earth I have had the opportunity to interact with three different teachers. I have been impacted one way or the other by all of them. My experience in life has made me to tag two of them as ‘rich teachers’, while the other one a ‘poor teacher’.

In 1984 I lost my father to the icy hands of death. He died at a tender age! Despite the fact that he died young, he achieved so much. He actually became a director in one of the Agencies of the Federal Republic of Nigeria at 38. This is not a mean feat! I work 9-5 with an Agency of government today and I know it is not easy. My father was the breadwinner of the family. He was our all-in-all. When death called, events in our family took a downward trend. My mother was petty trader with just a First Leaving School Certificate! Things got so bad that we could hardly have a meal per day. Despite the downturn, she did not give in. The situation brought out the best in her.

One event that qualifies her as one of my rich teachers happened in December, 1984. During the festive period, everybody was preparing for how to make the period a memorable one. People were buying new clothes, chickens, goats, rice and all sorts of things. We became crestfallen and dejected because we knew nothing of such would happen in our homestead. But my mother shocked my siblings and I. She invited a tailor to our house to come and take our measurements. At first, we thought she wanted to do ‘April Fool’ for us, but this was December. We reluctantly allowed the tailor to take our measurements. After the tailor left, we enquired for where and how our mother got the money to buy a new cloth. She further amazed us with her response “I took out some of my old wrappers and loosened them.” From this singular event, she taught me to always turn problems into opportunities. Instead of brooding over any situation, she taught to think out of the box and make the best of the situation. With the simple solution she proffered to a hitherto big challenge in our eyes, we had a swell time at Christmas as we wore something ‘new’. My mother was a rich teacher; she taught me by example. She introduced me to “Problem-Solving 101”. Continue reading “A Tale of Three Teachers”