CORE BLOG : Good afternoon.
VICTOR: (silent)
CORE BLOG : We just greeted.
VICTOR: good afternoon.
CORE BLOG : welcome to CORE BLOG. may we know you?
VICTOR : my name is Ibiam Victor Akachukwu E.
CB: what's the E?
VICTOR : it's a native name actually and just very few people know what it is.
CB: well, we are your family so you can tell us now.
VICTOR : you can make a guess.
CB: Ebube?
VICTOR : nope. It's a native name.
CB: is Ebube not native?
VICTOR : when I mean native I mean Afikpo.
CB: but we can't guess Na. CORE BLOG is not from Afikpo.
VICTOR : OK. It is Egwu. (what?)
CB: what does it mean?
VICTOR : I Dont know. (really? Your own name?) I just know that is what they call the first males of the family.
CB: OK. So what state are you from?
VICTOR : ebonyi state.
CB: position in the family?
VICTOR : first born and first son of four. Three guys and three girls. (OK, CORE BLOG is no great mathematician but we are sure that sums up to six, no?)
CB: but you said you are four.
VICTOR : ya. Two guys and two girls. (thank God!)
CB: so what department did you finish from?
VICTOR : Department of anatomy. Human anatomy specifically.
CB: see him talking like he's been a graduate for like for ever. (laughs)
VICTOR : I am not even fully a graduate yet.
CB: but the most important thing is that you are done with your exam. How do you feel at this moment?
VICTOR : Actually I have had the whole semester to think through what I am supposed to feel after my last paper. And actually, I have been skeptical about the feeling. Because I came to terms with the fact that I have come to the point where I am not supposed to be calling home to ask for funds and all that. This means I am supposed to start doing something on my own. So I now have to look after myself and look out for myself. So writing my last paper simply threw me into that world. And why I said I am not fully a graduate is because I still have that project to write. And this actually is the main thing to me. I don't think I have ever had any problems writing exams. But I have seen so much challenge writing my project. And that is because I have come across so many concepts that are outside anatomy. For instance what has SPSS and mathlab have to do with someone studying the human body? And I think this is due to the nature of my project. I am working on the....(and it was at this point CORE BLOG lost track of what he was saying. This medical students and their big words!)
CB: oh my God. What was that?
VICTOR : it has to do with your spinal cord.
CB: thank you. Now you are talking. CORE BLOG is still going to find out if you have insulted us with botanical names.
VICTOR : (laughs.) if I was to insult you, I will say 'oh my God you are looking so Beavis'.
CB: what does that mean?
VICTOR : means you are looking so short.
CB: (laughs) short?
VICTOR : i just said if I were to insult you. But I didn't insult you. (let it be known that CORE BLOG is very tall, thank you very much)
VICTOR : truth is, I can serve anywhere.
CB: even in sambisa, Borno state?
VICTOR: Let me break it down for you. Every place has what is good about it and what is bad. Things you enjoy about a place and things you don't enjoy. So if I was to serve at sambisa forest as you said, it means I won't have access to good roads and maybe network. In fact I will be constantly working with my head in my pocket, dodging bullets. But There are some other places in the north that if you serve, you will never want to come back.
CB: like Kaduna where I stay (showoff😑😑)
VICTOR: like Jos.
CB: so I heard that when you about to serve, you will fill a form and pick three states of preference. Can you tell us those states?
VICTOR: truthfully, because of my project I have been able to visit some states. Eastern and some in the south. But I was not opportuned to visit any state in the north and in the West. But outside my project, I have visited ekiti, kogi and Abuja. But to be frank if I was to choose, (thinks for a while) I am confused.
CB: It is barely one month from now.
VICTOR: I know but still I am confused.
CB: you re trying to say you can serve anywhere.
VICTOR: truth is, I am very adaptable. But I think I have one state in mind. the other two can sought themselves out. And that state is akwa ibom.
CB: What's up with that state? Everyone wants to serve there.
VICTOR: everyone has his preference. Everyone wants where you can be comfortable
CB: so VICTOR, do you want to practice your course after school? Or you wish to do something else.
VICTOR: I really wish to practice my course. Not to sound like I have been wasting my time, I actually wish to go for a second degree in medicine. I need to put into practice all what I have been learning. The difference between me and a medical doctor or a surgeon is the license. I have more experience in dissecting the human body.
CB: we see your pictures with dead bodies and you have the guts to put it on Facebook and make everyone scared?
VICTOR: (laughs) the Bible says the living has no business with the dead, so why are you scared of something that has no life in it? But that was the fun in it. To be able to dissect and see what makes up the human body...( From this point, CORE BLOG placed ear plugs in CORE BLOG's ears and screamed blah blah blah through out. Enough talk on dead bodies VICTOR!)
VICTOR: actually, what we just talked about is a part of a whole. This part is gross anatomy. There are sweet parts of anatomy like histology, embryology (and he mentioned many things that ended with 'gy'). You will get to appreciate the course. You can condition yourself along with the word of God to be perfectly healed.
CB: are you serious?
VICTOR: now when you know that simply because you have been trekking too much, and then u find out your ankle hurts, it's not because of anything but muscle overuse. Now relating this to where I want to serve, i need a place that will take my mind off my safety and Comfort. What I mean is that if I should serve in a disturbed area, I might not be able to sit and see what is wrong. I might not be able to creatively think of what I should do to help the people in that place because we are all running for our dear lives. But if I should stay in a place that has low rate of crime or crises, then I should be able to think out what they are lacking in that place even if they feel they are comfortable. And besides I already have ideas for my own self.
CB: OK. So let us come down to CORE . How long have you been a member of CORE?
VICTOR: since my year one.
CB: so are you among the pioneers? Or you where somewhere else and later joined?
VICTOR: pioneers. Didn't go anywhere else.
CB: so who was the first generation coordinator?
VICTOR: haha. He's my boss.
CB: who's your boss?
VICTOR: my oga.
CB: That is not somebody's name.
VICTOR: the first is brother Victor Anaga.
CB: alright. We will still get you. CORE has been through different venues, so you have to tell us these venues of worship.
VICTOR: is it Sunday services or including weekly services?
CB: Sunday services first and then weekly services.
VICTOR: so we've had three venues for the Sunday services.
CB: and weekly services?
VICTOR: 2
CB: so let's start with Sunday services.
VICTOR: the first place is auditorium.
CB: and what happened?
VICTOR: the roof collapsed and luckily, we were not in it.
CB: and then where did we move to?
VICTOR: we moved to the basketball court.
CB: and then we had to go to?
VICTOR: sorry! We have had four venues.
CB: You failed!!!!!!!
VICTOR: (laughs) nooooo. I didn't .
CB: basketball court has never been a permanent venue.
VICTOR: (begins to stammer.)
CB: OK take a deep breath. And start all over.
VICTOR: I think everywhere we have had Sunday services is a venue.
CB: but my question does not include a circumstancial venue. I mean a venue that we have been for weeks.
VICTOR: now you are specifying it.
VICTOR: three.
CB: so mention them.
VICTOR: auditorium, then it collapsed. We moved to siwes hall and then we had to leave.
CB: why?
VICTOR: we had issues with space. Then we had to move to the multi purpose Hall. And that is where we are and we are still growing by God's grace.
CB: what is the worst experience you've had in the classroom?
VICTOR: that has to be the very first F I had in this school and it broke me.
CB: do you know you don't look like someone that has ever had an F? I mean people really need to see this. I know you've had a 5.0 before so people need to know that the fact you have had an F doesn't mean the world is over.
VICTOR: (laughs) the first F I had, the way it happened shocked everyone. That was medical parasitology and it was in 100 level. That was our first medical course and we were all happy to do it. I was so good at it because I did the assignments and mid semester so well. What happened was that a friend of mine who was sick and couldn't read and perform that day and note that this was before I got exposed to the covenant of examination success so I had to help him.
CB: maybe that's why u failed?
VICTOR: I never saw helping in the exam hall as a sin. But when you have gotten into a covenant, that's a different situation. So I helped the guy and the funny thing was that when the result was published, I had an F. And the young man had a B. We were both shocked. I wrote a letter for them to check my script if any mistakes where made. They replied me. The whole lot of us that wrote letters concerning our exams had positive replies except me. My own came back that that is what my result is and there were no mistakes whatsoever. It dampened my aoirit because once you have an F, your result will never be the same.
VICTOR; that was after our year one. We were told to vacate the hostel and with all our belongings. According to the students hand book, we were told that after our year one, we should go and find a place for our selves. So I kept my belongings in a friend's lodge outside school. Little did I know that the guy's rent had expired. So, the young man did not call me to let me know that he was vacating the lodge. Only for me to come back the next session and I as told that he no longer stays there. People were seeing their belongings and picking it, I couldn't find a single thing that belonged to me. My clothes, my books, my pots, everything. I had to start from scratch. And I don't think I ever bought a pot again.
CB: so you haven't been cooking?
VICTOR: that is the benefit of having good friends.
VICTOR: how can that be my best experience? If you look at the pictures you will see me rolling on the floor and clutching my back. How can that be my best experience when it was very painful? (Laughs). So my best experience in the hostel is having my roommates.
CB: so, how about class? Best experience in class?
VICTOR: I have always hated calculations especially chemistry and physics calculations. I think I remember a particular term in secondary school I had 14 over 70 in chemistry 😲😲. So my best experience in class was when one of our physics lecturers walked into the class and said to the whole class 'who is Ibiam Victor?'. I had to stand, thinking I had messed up. He was like 'i have never has a personal contact with you but you had the best result in my exam. Physics'. That proclamation alone gave me so much joy.
CB: how about in CORE?
VICTOR : joining CORE has been my best experience in CORE.
VICTOR: keeping malice. I have also let go grudges. Instead of keeping grudges, I come to you and tell you what you did, I didn't like it. But If I see it is who you are, truth is I hate loosing friends. So instead if loosing you, I simply fill up your lapses. I have also learnt to be a good servant. Truth is, I hate leadership positins...
CB: You have been in CORE for a long time, have you held any positions?
VICTOR: I have held positions. I have also been a member of many committees. But like I said, I hate leadership positions. That is because I tell people and I tell myself too that I am an excellent follower.
CB: but you have been a brother's coordinator. And we think you have been excellent. I mean the CORE I knew, the ratio of girls to boys is like 5 to 1. But now you come to church and you see guys everywhere. CORE BLOG really commends you on that.
VICTOR: truth is that being the brother's coordinator was a challenging experience. I think I am the only male final year student still holding a leadership position. I came back again for a second term...
CB: For you to come back, you must have really done something.
VICTOR: no. I came back because I did nothing. I went on IT and there was a mixup in the whole thing that caused some lapses, so I had to come back.
VICTOR: I owe that sense of fashion to my father .
CB: is he into fashion?
VICTOR: he's an agriculturist. But if my dad should sit you down and teach you colours, you will think he read visual arts.
CB: so what have you been upholding?
VICTOR: there's this popular phrase...
CB: we know you won an award once. Most honest. Are you that honest?
VICTOR: (laughs) that's a whole different story on its own. How I got that award. Thing is, I have always been able to satisfy my conscience. Truth is, if telling the truth will make my conscience straight, then I say it. If petting the truth or being rational will make my conscience straight, then I do it. That is to say instead of saying your dress is ugly, (CORE BLOG always dresses good by the way) I will say, why didn't you wear this instead of this. Maybe I have been upholding that, and people who knew me judged.
CB: so what have you been upholding? (OK, this is the third time we are asking this same question)
VICTOR: there is this particular phrase my mom would tell me and it is that wherever you see a post, read it. Because I think I learnt your birthday that I can never forget it from reading it on one shirt you wear. November 22.
CB: (laughs) now they will know the interviewer. (Like we didn't already know).
VICTOR: so my mom will always say, know a little about everything and everything about anything.
CB: so what have you changed from?
VICTOR: I have changed from the boy I used to be.
 |
| I guess this is the boy he used to be 😂😂😂 |
VICTOR: my advice to every corite and the funai community at large, is 'have a driving force'. Anything could be your driving force. Like your husband or wife to be, where you want to be, the God you serve, your family and even challenges. Mine was a lot of things. Like my parents, the F I had in year one, and then my hunger for knowledge. I am a fast learner, that's why people can see me functioning in so many wings. I can function in the organizing wing. Ushering, choir, band...
CB: you are multi talented.
VICTOR: if you say it that way, then we are talking about a jack of all trade, master of none.
CB: a jack of all trade can be master of all you know?
VICTOR: wow. So, you must have a motive. And since you have a motive, you must have someone or something you have committed that motive to. Now I don't owe my success to my parents. I owe my success to GOD. Then down to my parents and then my friends which you are one of them (CORE BLOG is blushing right now) but finally, I owe everything to God. So in one sentence, always place God first.
CB: thank you very much VICTOR. Have a lovely day.
VICTOR: thank you.
Odds and ends.
1. Anatomy: Big words and dead bodies? Thank you very much but CORE BLOG can't handle that. Kudos to VICTOR for handling that for four years!
2. Places of worship: VICTOR first says we have worshiped in three venues. Then goes ahead to mention the basketball court. If you include the basketball court, that is four venues, which means he Is wrong. But he then smartly argues that CORE BLOG didn't ask the question properly. If you say basketball court is a venue Mr Victor, then you failed because you said 3 venues. If you say basketball ball court isnt a venue, then you also failed because you mentioned it. Cant have it both ways. Bottom line, you failed.
3. Quiz questions: why are all our quiz questions the same? What is daddy's name, what is the general coordinator's name, first general contractor, blah blah blah. Here's one question for all of us. Winner gets a gift from CORE BLOG. Who was the first envangelism coordinator of CORE. and no! It wasn't adebayo.
4. The boy he used to be: speaking of the boy he used to be.
5. CORE PRODUCTS: legend says Mr Victor once picked a huge sum of money on the floor and returned it to the security. That is honesty. added to the fact he's intelligent and seriously creative. We are proud this young man is a product of Chapel of restoration and we can see him going places. Thank you VICTOR for your work in this great chapel. God bless you.
HAHAHAHA....NICE ONE CORE BLOG!!
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