8 Types of People You May Likely Find In Nigerian Universities

Throughout the 4 years spent in the University or what my American friends would call college, I met, got acquainted to, made friends with and observed several individuals. I kind of classified them into ten and below is an attempt to describe these people. Mind you, the names used are not real but fictional. 

JACK THE BOOKWORM: This guy or type of people reads everything that has to do with his or their academic work to the extent that they use them in everyday conversation sometimes even knowing some concepts more than their lecturers. Their favourite 'fun spot' is usually the library, stadium or one of those other isolated places. They usually have that nickname - 'First Class' although many of them end up not graduating with a First class degree. They are usually ignorant of happenings around them or even some occurrences around school because of their sometimes 'withdrawn' nature. Ask them something like 'who were the people protesting on campus the other day?' And you get a reply along the lines of, 'I don't know, how does that add to my GP?'

JULIE THE MARKETER: Julie has the hustling spirit and this is how she likes to describe it but in the real sense, she is a 'runz gal'. Marketing in this contest refers to 'showcasing' her 'wares' and getting paid for them. The nature of her job(s) makes travelling a compulsory hobby sometimes as she is always on the go. She is hardly found on campus or in class because of the demanding nature of this job. She is classy and would appear in expensive wears, jewelries and phones, all thanks to her wealthy clientele. Some individuals in this class are smart and could write and speak legibly, others are outright dumb, couldn't even spell their names but only know one thing - money.

ALEXANDER THE TERRIBLE: He was probably 'blended' in his first or second year on campus and is then termed a 'strong man'. He is rarely found in class except during certain practical classes or on exams day. He appears innocent sometimes and is unnecessarily humble as it is common for him to refer to you as 'Boss' or 'Sir'. People who know him treats him with respect just to avoid getting themselves into trouble with him and he always have his way with 'Jew men'. He could be seen sometimes with a bag hanging across his shoulder - a bag you dare not touch or try to open. Alexander may not be caught smoking in public but he sure is a smoker and spends a lot of time hanging out with the boys at the bar, exchanging banters in between bottles or discussing 'business' in hushed tones.

MATERIALISTIC NONSO: He/she is that boy or girl that would rocks the latest fashion or uses that phone that is in vogue. This 'shiny' individual would spend money trying to look like those models on some music videos or even the celebrity themselves all thanks to the plethora of uncles, aunties, brothers, sisters, cousins etc that they would 'tax' before returning to school even after their parents must have given them their allowances. He/she is probably from a 'humble' home but when you get to see this person in school, you'd think that the father owns an oil bloc due to their flashy appearance. Nonso would lie about everything starting from what his/her father does for a living down to why they are not attending a university abroad or a private university.

KALU THE ENTREPRENEUR: This guy has 'business' written over him, from the way he talks, reasons, down to his views about life. You shouldn't be surprised if rumours starts flying around about him owning a space at that market close to the school. Kalu, who maybe one of those people whose parents would rather starve to ensure that he remains in school sees making-money-while-in-school as the perfect getaway from frustration and inadequate funding. He sometimes drops out of school in pursuit of happiness or finishes and then faces business squarely.

UCHE THE APOSTLE: Uche could be a boy or girl or to be more specific, that brother or  sister. If you happen to be his/her roommate, be ready to get to know Jesus personally. If there is something you feel he needs to know ASAP and his number seem not to be available or his cell is turned off, just try to locate him first at the school's Gethsamane (usually a place , not necessarily a church where students gather to pray sometimes) or in any other place(s) where brethren meet. Uche eats, reads and sleeps the bible sometimes even forgetting about his/her coursework till exams day. Uche stays in the hostel or have an apartment offcampus but a greater part of his/her day is spent attending one fellowship meeting or the other. Although he may not be in your faculty but don't be surprised to find him in front of your class one early morning just before lecture commences trying to tell the whole class a thing or two about Jesus Christ.

JOHN THE CLASS CLOWN: Every class in every department in every faculty in the University has this particular guy. He cracks everybody up with either his speech, body movement or the way he answers question in class. Most people see him as unserious but he could be one of those people that exams haven't really favoured and so they sought solace in making others smile.

PATRICK THE RANDOM GUY: He is what some people call the unusual everyday guy. He attends class just like every other person, submits assignments and writes exams just like every other student. He is usually not involved in things like politics or sports in the department but he could be found among the observing crowd. He appears simple and does not court attention. He is the best person to ask for any information concerning the department or faculty because he can be found everywhere as long as there are people there and it has to do with the department or faculty.

Bottom line is: God creates people with different characters and personalities and then have them placed at different parts of the country/world but the university brings them together. The university affords you with the opportunity to learn from this vast array of individuals.

Seize the opportunity!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Twitter: @victorikeji

THE 2ND ANAMBRA BOOK & CREATIVITY FESTIVAL: A CANDID LOOK

The Tourism industry could be said to be one of the trusted revenue generators of a state or country if handled properly. The role of tourism in the development of a state cannot be overemphasized as it could be a strategy used to maintain the flow of cash into a state, for instance the Dubai example. But on the other hand, tourism development could be threatened when Tourists are not ensured of their safety. A state that have had several cases of kidnapping, armed robbery, etc could be said not to be the perfect tourist destination but Anambra could still be transformed despite all those sad tales coming out of the state and that is what literary events and their likes tend to achieve – bringing like minds in the creative industry together not just to discuss creativity but also issues pertaining to nation building.

The 2^nd Anambra Book and Creativity Festival (ANBUKRAFT) held between the 26^th of February and the 1^st of march 2014 at King David hotel, Awka. The event which was ran with the theme “Reinvigorating the Literary, Creative and Cultural Enterprise in the Realities of the Millennium Turn” featured various activities and presentations from seasoned and young artists, educationists, writers, publishers, literary and art critics, art lovers, film makers, craft makers, actors, poets and musicians from different parts of Nigeria and beyond in addition to several roundtable discussions and a five-day exhibition of books and crafts. On display were several paintings on the Nigeria-Biafra war, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart and a host of other paintings and crafts, some of them with Uli markings. The theme of the event which was further dissected into various presentations, saw speakers cum artists like Prof. Ben Obumselum, Rev. Fr. Ositadinma Amakaeze, Prof. Damian U. Opata, Prof. Ayo Oloidi, Mr Lasse Lau and a host of others speak to and engaged the participants in series of discussions while the programme lasted. The event which had renowned poet and literary critique Prof. Chimalum Nwankwo, The Chief Judge of Anambra state Justice Peter Umeadi and the Vice Chancellor of Madonna University Prof. C.E Ezedum in attendance climaxed with an award ceremony which saw a number of artists and other participators in the industry rewarded for their contribution to the creative industry.

This interesting and highly educating programme was almost marred by a low participation as chairs were looking for people to sit on them but resilience and dedication was at play as the organizers of the event led by one of Nigeria’s foremost visual artist Prof. Chuu Kryd Ikwuemesi held on till the last day. It is rather appalling to have resource persons come from other parts of the country and the world to share information and disseminate ideas only to be greeted by empty seats for an event that was greatly publicized. If people from other states and countries, knowing how impactful the program would be could travel long distances just to attend the event, I wonder why Anambrarians in whose domain the event is being held would snub it. It is about time that we put a stop to the generalization that Anambra people and the Ibos in particular only understand the language of money or business and this stereotype is part of the reason why literary events like this don’t seem to be common in Anambra. We shouldn’t forget in a hurry that the state also produced the likes of world acclaimed novelists Professor Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chimamanda Adichie, one of the foremost Nigerian fine artist Prof. Uche Okeke, Prof. Kenneth Dike, the first Nigerian sculptor Prof. Ben Enwuonwu and a host of others currently making wave in the creative industry. 

Literary events like ANBUKRAFT would not just boost Tourism in Anambra state but would export the people’s culture to other parts of the country and the world. It would also serve as an avenue for young artists, art lovers, writers, academics, and craftsmen etc to meet themselves and with some of the people they look up. With that in mind, the government, institutions, agencies, corporate bodies and individuals have both participatory and sponsorship role to play in other to ensure the continuity of ANBUKRAFT and other events of the same nature. Away from the success recorded in terms of commerce in the state, there is need to place the state in the world map of creativity just like some other states in Nigeria have done with their various literary events and festivals and this is part of what ANBUKRAFT aims to achieve.

There is a need for more events and workshops of this nature in the state so as to awaken the creative spirit in the younger generation, mould budding talents as well as provide them with skills that would help them earn income, contribute to nation building and hence, make Anambra the true light of the nation as is being carried by its slogan.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twitter: @Victorikeji

DOWNLOAD: UNN CAMPUS HIT (THE E-EDITION)

The Unn Campus hit is a campus magazine that discusses Education, Lifestyle, Fashion and Entertainment. Embedded within are a plethora of wonderful write-ups, interviews with notable student celebrities and an array of colorful pictures. The magazine went online this time around and yours truly decided to share it on here. Enjoy…

Download HERE