As we conclude the first half of the session, it’s only right for us to get to know our excos personally and see what they’ve been up to so far and their plans for the rest of the session. In this article, we had a sit down with Solomon Madufor, our faculty’s Welfare Secretary.
This interview has been shortened and edited for clarity
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Solomon Madufor, a 400 level student of Petroleum and Gas Engineering. I am a Product Manager and also a Cybersecurity enthusiast. I love football (Barcelona Fan). I am also the welfare secretary for ULES. I like to think I’m an extremely likeable person and rightly so. People say I eat alot but it’s hard to reply to such allegations with food in my mouth.
What inspired you to pursue your role as a ULES Executive?
Basically change. I wanted to bring a change to how things are done in the faculty and there’s no better way to effect change than from inside the system.
What are some experiences or milestones that have shaped your journey or that you're most proud of?
I strongly believe that every experience, no matter how little, sums up to the current ME. But one key experience that keeps me driven in my role was contesting and winning the election. It reflects people’s confidence in me and I can not afford to let them down.
Who would you name as your role models or influencers?
Lionel Messi, Elon Musk, and Friedrich Nietzsche
How do you balance school, your exco duties and your personal life?
Personally, it can get really overwhelming but I tend to take things based on urgency. I mean I attend to my duties based on their level of importance at the moment. Might not seem like much but it helps me put things on a priority scale and it helps me do tasks one by one (a step at a time).I also sneak in rest and sleep. It’s important for balance.
Can you share any favourite books, podcasts or articles that have had a significant impact on you?
I don’t really have a favourite book per se, I’d rather answer by genre. My favourite book is definitely not Engineering Mathematics but uhm, I think I lean a lot towards Sci-fi books and biographies.
What do you hope to accomplish in this academic session?
Attain a 5.0. semester GPA and get a good IT placement.
We all know how demanding engineering can be, has there been any moment where things were tough academically and how did you navigate that?
Whew, year 3 first semester. We had a very long break (due to strike) and I did not read all through and then we resumed straight into exams. The only way I was able to scale through was with the help of my friends. They are the greatest support systems for real.
What was your Welcome to the Faculty of Engineering moment?
Year 1. They wanted to kill me. But we bless God for grace.
What have you done in your capacity as welfare secretary that you are most proud of?
I have made the ULES tutorials to be fully functional so that students can have extra classes to support their lectures. The tutorials were also helpful during the just concluded exams.