CORE BLOG : firstly, I want to say it's a privilege to do this.
ADA: Awwwwww. Thank you.
CORE BLOG: so let's start with a joke question. Have you taken a photo or a selfie this morning?
ADA: thousands of them (laughs). Loads and loads of them.
CB: OK let's go to the more serious question. In your first year, churches where just springing up everywhere. How did you find yourself in chapel of restoration?
ADA: when I came for my registration, I was at the relaxation center with a group of people and we were arguing whether it was right for churches to use instruments or not. After the argument, a man called me and politely greeted me. He asked for my church at home and I told him and then he told me about a new interdenominational Chapel that was coming up in the university. He also introduced his wife to me as the H. O. D of accountancy department. So during our orientation, I saw this man again and this time he was laying the spiritual foundation of the school with all the members of staff and students. And I told myself I would love to go to this interdenominational Chapel. The following Sunday, I had to worship the there and guess what? I was elected. That election was a huge factor in my staying o
Put.
CB: so can you tell us the name of this man who met you?
ADA: Evangelist barrister Nnamdi Okezie Joseph (she should have stopped here). And his wife is Mrs (Mrs?) Beatrice (wait... What? Are you serious?) Okezie.
CB: OK. So tell us. What was is the name of your home church?
ADA: Jesus Power assembly.
ADA: my church is more of an interdenominational church as well so everyone is accepted. We try to accommodate everyone. We don't preach the gospel segregation. We preach the undiluted word of GOD. And that is exactly what we do in CORE. And that's why I could fit in easily.
CB: You have blessed people in your department. You were elected as the music director...
ADA: assistant.
CB: OK. Assistant. So I can say that most of our leaders are in your department, that is school department. So how do you differentiate between your school life and your church life? Since almost everyone in your school is in your church and you are even in the same level?
ADA: it helps actually. Because the communication becomes better. Even if we are the same level, there is this sense of maturity and compliance. They try to respect you like 'this is your office, and when it comes to mine respect me too'. So that really helped us. And because we are from the same department and the same church, the relationship was stronger. So it helped a lot because I can fall back to you. During church matters and during academic matters.
ADA: Nah!
CB: wow, that was a fast reply.
ADA: I have been in the choir and I am still training myself. I joined the choir in my home church but I joined late. Joined after my secondary school. That was before coming here. I couldn't even sing when I was elected assistant music director (laughs). Even when I was elected I was wondering what everyone was thinking. Like seriously? Me of all people? I knew very little about this position. But now, I am just a music lover. But going into it? Nah.
CB: OK. So to more immediate matters, how do you feel being a finalist?
ADA: I am happy actually. But anytime I sit or lie on my bed, my head tells me this is just the start. My world starts from here. So even though I am happy to be graduating, I still think a lot. I talk to God a lot because the future starts from now. And judging from the situation of nigeria at the moment, it is not going to be easy at all. I really have a lot to think about so I can't fully say I am happy because there are a lot of things in this head.
ADA: I hope to pursue my masters degree. My goal is to work first for the government or an organized and a high standard institution. I really can't settle for less. Someone was telling me I look like someone who will work in a bank. I told her I agree. But If I am to work in a bank, it has to be Central Bank.
CB: I hear you ma.
ADA: the person was like I was aiming too high. Jesus! I am a Christian! How can you say I am aiming too high? I know what I want and I want to get it. So I am looking forward to working, for at least the first 10 years. After ten years I don't hope to be under anybody.
ADA: economics. Let that sink in. Economics, economics, economics! I can't do accountancy.
CB: OK now you said that, why? What is the major difference between these two disciplines?
ADA: accountancy is a professional course. Most if the time they follow one principle. When something is A, it is A. you can't twist it to be B. Economics is diverse. You learn to learn a lot of things, you get to put your initiative into problems, and try to develop your ideas using theories and principles.
CB: so was it actually economics you applied for in jamb? Or where you pushed there?
ADA: I was a science student in secondary school.
CB: (really impressed with herself for no apparent reason) now we are nipping the bud.
ADA: but my physics teacher was a very horrible person. He could teach though but he had these terrible ways of punishing people. And it was so wrong! If you come late, you will wash the teachers toilet, or you will kneel down or do frog jump or stand on your desk and things like that. (CORE BLOG doesn't mean to interrupt Ada rudely, but I don't think those are punishments you should complain about. People have seen worse!) The first set that wrote physics practicals when they were done, most of them were crying....and in my church, if you pass your waec, you are being given a gift. So I thought I light fail if I ended up writing the physics in waec. So that day, I didn't write the physics. But I loved economics because the teacher was very nice. Actually he was handsome.
CB: Ada Ada!!! (gives her the double thumbs up)
ADA: but he was very good. He was very, very good. So I loved economics. So, I had a very good grade in it. So when I got out, my dad wanted me to go for accountancy because he loves professional courses. I told him OK. He gave me money for jamb, I went and I registered for economics.
CB: wow. So where you good at sciences?
ADA: not all subjects. I was good at chemistry though. I loved it so much but physics kept chasing me away.
CB: so can you compare the teachers that thought you then with the lecturers you have now?
ADA: first and foremost you can't compare a teacher to a lecturer. Although, some lecturers are teachers. Secondary school teachers compel you to Learn. But some lecturers, if they have tried their best you are just neglected and things like that. Although not all of them. Some are just very helpful.
CB: so are you competitive in your department?
ADA: not really.
CB: at all? You don't want to know how the next person is doing?
ADA : if it comes that, I don't really see it as competition. But there is no how you will check your result and won't want to see another person's. That's normal. For instance if that person has been bragging a lot you will what to check to see if that mouth making was worth it.
CB: so let's not call it competition. Let's call it checking out. So let's go to family matters. Who do you look like more? Mum or dad?
ADA: my dad. Clearly. The only thing my mum gave me were her eyes. Every other thing was my dad. The face, the legs everything.
CB: so how many siblings do you have?
ADA: five. And we are all girls.
CB: wow! That is a family of super duper people. Are you the first?
ADA: yup. I am.
CB: so is there any of them with your traits or characteristics?
ADA: there is nobody in this world that can have your exact traits or characteristics. But there is one like me. Her name is beauty and I am very close to her. I draw a little. I draw things like trees, flowers, what do they call that?
CB: nature drawing (CORE BLOG knows a lot apparently 😎)
ADA: thank you. I also love doing things with my hands. Things like bead making...
CB: so this are your hobbies? (And it was at this point daddy himself interrupted our interview 😟😟. Thank God CORE BLOG didn't receive his usual 'hello' punches). So we have established that you love to work with your hands. How about your feet? Do you dance?
ADA: I like dancing but I don't dance. But that my sister, she's into bead making, she can draw, she's very creative, she's just way too much.
ADA: (thinks for a while) Dubai! The Place e is beautiful. It's organized, and the environment is senera (what?) is it senera?
CB: serene (CORE BLOG teaching you English since 1818.)
ADA: thank you, serene (Haba Ada). Whatever, I am not in English department. It is very calm and I love it. It's a tourist attraction also.
CB: will you like to further your education there too?
ADA: for education, it is the UK. Although it's very costly to school there, but I love UK. Also, there are so many Africans there.
CB: So that's one of the reasons?
ADA: you have to choose what appeals to you. This one that they are killing many blacks in the U. S. So I want a place where I will be very comfortable.
CB: OK can. This is interesting. Can you tell us something about these three concepts. 1. Marriage. 2. You. 3. Lucky man of God. Just mash them together and make soup with it.
ADA: (laughs) I have been telling God and I have been telling people I want a man that is God fearing, educated (CB laughs for a reason unknown to all). You know why I said it? My dad and mum are both educated, I won't want him to feel intimidated when he's with my family because I expect him to communicate with my family always. And we have to be communicating. It depends on your level of understanding for you to know the angle I am coming from. If you are not educated, we can't reason together.
ADA: I can't give a time frame.
CB: which means it can be now or it can be never.
ADA: it can't be this year. What I want is to be established first. At least I want to working first before I get married. I don't want to be a liability to any man. Like a heard a story of a girl who was married and wasn't working and she had to ask for everything from her husband. The hair she makes, the shoes she buys and that's just absurd. I will like to be established, at least be doing something.
CB: nice. So tell us how your Christian life has been upgraded in CORE?
ADA: I have always been a regular church goer and that's it. Truth is I never paid attention to the things of God and was always compelled to do some things. When I came I had to make a decision to follow God. When I was working I had plans to switch churches every Sunday. I Told myself, no church will hold me down. Never! There was day Dr ND preached and I had to make a decision and choose for God to guide my path. So Ada of year one is not the Ada now. And it's all attributed to CORE, the leaders and the chaplain.
ADA: I am. I believe in women having equal rights, I believe in fairness, I believe that... For me, if you are a guy you can't just come and intimidate me. Who are you? Because I am a lady you can't just come and talk to me anyhow. It's a human being you are talking to. Like there was a situation a guy in this school asked me to shut up because we had a little disagreement. You can't just tell me to shut up because I am a lady. I flared up that day because I really can't take that. So I love feminists. I love being fair to yourself and being fair to everyone.
ADA: I just believe everyone should be fair. If you think that a lady should be treated this way, treat her that way. Not that you will treat a guy differently and a girl differently all because of her sex.
CB: it's good to know that. So Ada how will you rate Christianity in FUNAI? from one to 100?
ADA: well, the level of pretence has sky rocketed. There are people who do one thing in church and another in the hostel. And due to the level of pretence I don't think we can really ascertain the level yet.
ADA: (and Ada gets really speechless 😂😂). Even though I knew very little about it, I always felt people were deliberately stepping on my toes and all that, I can say I lead the kingdom restorers. In year two, I met people who talked to me and I learnt a lot. You can say in the choir, Ada really did her best.
CB: final question now (Erm.. Thought we had that already?) it is easy to broadcast Christ in school. Now you are going out to the world, how will you broadcast Christ now?
ADA: facebook. If you are someone that posts a picture and you get hundreds of likes, why not use that medium to preach Christ? The social media is the best way to preach Christ now. You can talk to so many people but how many people can you talk to in a day? There are pretty girls that have people go through their timelines on facebook everytime. If people see that you preach Christ, it's will go a long way. If you can't get them through any other means, use your beauty.
CB: you know being in school here, you have been able to balance your academics and your Christian life. When you are working, how will you be able to balance your carrier with your Christian life?
ADA: that's why we have to ask God for wisdom. You need to know the kind of environment you are. Let's say you are working in the north ....(CORE BLOG doesn't want to work in the north, thank you very much).
CB: use yourself as an example please 😂😂
ADA: I can't work there.
CB: what if God calls you there?
ADA: God knows my heart desires and that is not it (Haba Ada!) There are some people that will love to work there. Let me give you an example, mama Joy (Chai! See aproko 😟😟😟). But me, I wont like to be there. The environment is not for me (it is not Serena 😂😂😂😂). If I find myself in such a place, then I just have to ask God for wisdom.
ADA: you are welcome.
CB: congratulations on a wonderful four years.
ADA: thank you.
Odds and ends
Mummy's name: Beatrice? Really? And even our interviewer agreed to this 😞😞. So a quick check at CORE BLOG's copy of the CORE epistula reveals that mummy's name is actually Associate Professor (titles are always important) Benedette Nneka Okezie. CORE BLOG is smart and needs to give serious orientation to its members of staff.
Serena: I think I have said enough about this. But haba!
Drag: Ada has a funny way of talking. She drags Evey last word of her sentence. 'my name is adaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I am in economics departmeeeeeeeeeent. I love pictureeeeeeeeeees. And I believe in fairness among womeeeeeeeeeen'. You get the point.
Length of chat: CORE BLOG is going to sit with all its staff and really smash their heads together. It took CORE BLOG two days to type this chat. No seriously. It's not like CORE BLOG is lazy, but CORE BLOG does engage in other social activities and needs time for them too.
Legacy : I think this question should be a constant for all final year students. Love how silent Ada got but even her can't remember her own legacy. The name KINGDOM RESTORERS would stick for ever and that came from her. All in all, Ada has been a blessing to all and we are going to really miss her and her camera phone.
No comments:
Post a Comment