INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW

In an interview with a finalist of the Department, our correspondent reached out to Adebayo Aare to share his journey so far, and his choice of career after school.

NAPS PRESS: Can we you meet you?

Fleckless: I am Adebayo Aare. A 400level student of the the department of philosophy, UI. A broadcast journalist, investigative and solutions reporter. Radio presenter and... vibes

NAPS PRESS: How has your academic journey been so far?

Fleckless: It’s been good. Altogether. That’s all I can say. God has made it good.

NAPS PRESS: How did venture into journalism being a philosophy student?

Fleckless: Haa... that’s quite interesting a question.

I have always had the penchant for telling the stories that matter right from my days in secondary school. I was the president of my school’s press club and during my time, we started what we called weekly journal where we got every member of the club to submit a write up for publication in the school’s journal. I edited every article, poem, and all. We also introduced the weekly newspaper review for the school, where we spent 15 minutes of the first official hour of every Wednesday reviewing news headlines with the help our teachers who led the review. It was interesting then and after we left, the school decided to retain that legacy, and they still do it till date. That’s to tell you how much I had invested myself into journalism as a young chap. But I became occupied with politics when I got into the university and it made it impossible to continue on the noble path of journalism. \Despite that, I never stopped writing opinions for publication on various social media platforms. In 200 level, one of my works got published on the premium times platform and it was really interesting. Thereafter, I continued in the way of God and proceeded to enroll for internship at Splash FM Ibadan because I had always fancied broadcast journalism and I really love the kind of work they do at Splash FM. I got the

            

opportunity to intern for 3 months and I grasped it with both hands. I was going to have my internship extended but academics came calling and I had to heed the call. But I didn’t stop going to the station to do the bit I could. That was the first part of the journey.

The second part was a bit of self development and a lot more of God’s grace through my boss and Àgídìgbo fm’s deputy head of news and Current affairs today, Zainab Sanni. I had taken the time to learn field reporting, news editing and all on my own before we met. But meeting her made it a lot easier given her experience and expertise in reporting. So, I learnt field reporting practically through working with her for a couple of weeks and in no time, it became an easy thing for me as well. To the glory of God, I head

the station’s reporting desk today.

Wow interesting What’s your motion on the popular saying that “With

Philosophy you can work anywhere,”?

Fleckless: I think anyone can function anywhere

as long as they have their mind there. But a

person trained in the line of philosophy is very

likely to stand out anywhere given the kind of

rigorous training we undergo to sharpen our

minds and make us think critically. I like to cite

dr. Festus Adedayo as a good example of such

persons. Everyone does journalism. A number of people do it well too. But Dr Adedayo does it exceptionally, largely because of his background in philosophy. And there are a trained philosophers in various fields doing greatly too. So, yes, with philosophy, you are not just able to work anywhere, you also stand out wherever you find yourself.

NAPS PRESS: Do you think there is a need for Philosophy students to have an industrial training knowledge in relatable fields of work?

Fleckless: Very well, Yes! I think having the opportunity to experience, first hand, how things are done in one’s field of interest makes it very much easier to understand exactly how to go about planning for the future and how to prepare oneself ahead of it. It’s one thing to have had

            

the theoretical knowledge of something, it’s an entirely different thing to have the practical knowledge of same. It’s usually a lot easier when one is trained by experienced experts who play the mentor role and help with guidance on the dos and don’ts of the job. So, when such opportunities present themselves, it’s best to grab with both hands and make judicious use of them. It always turns out good.

NAPS PRESS: What do you think the current administration should work on in the department of philosophy?

Fleckless: Unfortunately, I haven’t been exactly actively around in the department as I have become more occupied than I used to be. So, I may not be able to answer that question. But the president and other members of the executives can sample the opinions of NAPsites to know what to work on. But so far, the feelers I have gotten from fellow NAPsites suggest that the administration is doing greatly

NAPS PRESS: As a finalist what’s your advice for freshmen who are still trying to fit into Philosophy?

Fleckless: Haa! They should hustle o!

On a serious note now, I’d say they should do their best and make sure they get the best from it. It’s not easy and I don’t think even the most brilliant NAPsites will say otherwise. They should focus on getting good grades because it’s the primary purpose of being in the university. But they shouldn’t forget life after the university too, as it’s equally important. In all, they should ensure that whatever they do aligns with their vision, values, principles and Ideologies. That’s all

NAPS PRESS: What’s your advice for NAPSites?

Fleckless: Hmmm. We all should ensure we imbibe the spirit of brotherhood amongst ourselves. Support one another where we can and don’t forget that being a Napsite does not end in the university. Do your best, get the best from it, leave the rest.

~~Jayi Bembe