"BE EFFECTIVE OR GET SANCTIONED" NACOSS PRESIDENT WARNS NEW EXECUTIVES
ABOH JOSEPH is the newly elected President of NACOSS (the National Association of Computer Science Students. In this exclusive interview with ADEOYE DANIEL of CRAWFORD STUDENTS PRESS CLUB, he discusses his planned objectives and goals for the new academic session. He also has a message for the executive members of his administration).
Excerpts:
Q. Kindly introduce yourself?
My name is Aboh Joseph, I am from Ogoja in Cross River state but I am domiciled in Rivers state.
Q. You were recently elected as NACOSS’s new President. You must have been feeling yourself since then, Right?
*Chuckles*
Thank you for that question. Well, it is a very good thing for me. All through my life, I have been in one leadership position or the other. Thus I feel it is a platform for me to be able to express my leadership skills and you know… take the department forward.
Q. What are your set aims/objectives and goals for NACOSS as an Association?
Before I came on board and even before I got admitted. There have been issues between the administration and perhaps the students of each level. You know; 100, 200 and even 300 level were not carried along in the administration. People were not duly informed about the proceedings of the department as against what it should be. So definitely, that is an area of challenge which I would look into and try to ameliorate.
Also, I intend to make NACOSS recognized in the south west region of Nigeria. How?
We have competitions that we regurlarly attend and participate in and true to precedents; we come back with dividends (trophies, certificates, prizes and laurels) which are usually beneficial to the representatives and also, the department as a whole. Thus, going for Competitions as a means of Recognition and Academic excellence for NACOSS would not be ignored.
What I want to achieve might not be very much but I want to bank on the fact that I am capable of doing certain things and that these could be actualized. I don’t want to emulate the usual trend of empty promised by leaders like what we have in our country’s political system. I would have a major commitment to the key areas of concern which shall be duly elucidated as soon as the new session starts.
Q. Like you mentioned, Information dissemination is key to the success of any Association. How do you intend to achieve an effective system of information dissemination in NACOSS?
Good question! The major thing is to get everybody involved in the whole creative process. This is because people would support what they create so if I get everybody to support what we collectively create, then information will flow. For instance, THE ADVOCATES programme by the 300 Level students was a success because it was a collective thing and it incorporated everybody in the level. In the same way, NACOSS can toe that Path also.
Of course, every department has a WHATSAP group through which they disseminate information amongst themselves. NACOSS would continue to utilize that system and it surely would be a means of effective communication amongst the members across all levels.
Also, I would have an executive who is in charge of information dissemination. That would be the Public Relations Officer, who is going to be in charge and he would be responsible for the flow of information across all levels. He should be effective and capable of this duty, failure of which would be tantamount to his removal.
“In the same vein, for my administration, all the executives of the association should and must be up to their respective tasks. Every executive shall be held responsible and accountable to the office that he holds in the department. I will introduce a system of monthly reports through which the performances of individual executives shall be assessed and analyzed. Through this, Non-functional executives shall be sanctioned appropriately.”
Before I became elected, I had unsuccessfully advocated for a system whereby the elected President is accorded the authority to single handedly select the members that would comprise his administrative body. These members would be chosen based on precedents, capability as well as physically observable functionality. The President would definitely know his onions and choose them accordingly. Through this, Ineffectiveness is reduced to a sparingly low level and the level of achievements would be expectedly high.
Q. Good to know that you have laid-out plans already. Now, as concerns academic improvement (of the students), what are your plans towards achieving that for your Association members?
See…Academic Success is a choice based on individuality! Nobody would tell you that he failed because he didn’t get a mentor or a special teacher. He failed because of his CHOICE! Truthfully, it is going to be difficult to ensure that everybody is high flying in their academics. However, since our discipline is a professional based one, I have made arrangements to meet the H.O.D to organize certification classes for the students intermittently and therein integrate these classes into our syllabuses. This way, students would attend, participate and get certificates at the end.
Also, I am currently looking for a viable substitute for TUTORIALS. You and I both know that having people show up for tutorials is like wasting your time, and this has existed over the years. And to succeed, you have to start a new path rather than travel down the same old path. So By Gods Grace, I would look for something that would be utilized instead of Tutorials.
Speaking about Academic improvement, I want to say this. In a lot of other tertiary institutions, students get rewarded in cash and kind for academic success after each semester or session. This would ostensibly serve as a fillip for the students and it won’t be bad if Crawford University also toe that path. Study comes with a drive a motivation and that could be in any form.
Q. Good Luck in your search for a viable substitute! As per the social aspect of NACOSS as a department and NACOSSites as individuals, what are your plans for it to improve, maintain or reduce?
It may interest you to know that the Association has Social Directors who are up to the tasks in Persons of Ajenifuja Lanre and Uzoigwe Favour. I believe they would carry out their duties very well. You know Social gatherings are usually organized during departmental weeks. Well, we should be looking at organizing social gatherings at other times of the session, not only during the week. Although, everything is money-driven!
Furthermore, I am working on organizing a periodic GAMES DAY (maybe every last Saturday of the month) for all NACOSSites. It would encapsulate both indoor and outdoor games, relay races and other types of Games. It would be a form of social interaction amongst all members across all levels. This would definitely improve the social life of NACOSS and NACOSSites in totality.
Q. Oh! That would be a really great achievement if you can pull it through! You were a key member of NACOSS football team that won the Crawford Interdepartmental Football Cup last session. You obviously must have felt good. Can you tell us more about it?
How else would I feel?
*Chuckles*
I felt so good and happy. We played against GEMSSA whom we have never defeated in the history of Crawford University and since the beginning of this Games Cup. I was really elated and thrilled to have been a key player in the win. We haven’t won the Cup before so our first time winning it……..C’mon, I am BLESSED. A leader must lead by example and I have shown it that I am a leader by wining NACOSS’s first ever Departmental Cup. So, to all NACOSSites, Go out and WIN!!! WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN and WIN.
Q. On a lighter note….all Presidents are expected to (MUST) have a “First Lady” (Except for some sha, like……?) So who is Joseph Aboh’s First Lady?
*smiles broadly, grins and eventually laughs*
You are funny o, very funny. Everybody knows it nah. It is an open secret. My First Lady is Seyi and she is a level mate.
Q. Her Department?
Well…….that’s left for Interested Questioners to find out.
Q. So, your current academic stance, how is it faring with the extra work of being a President and also, being a member of the Students Representative Council (S.R.C.)?
Academics and Responsibilities!! It is never going to be an issue of concern to me. I am not affected at all. I believe that if you are to lead, then you must lead in all areas. Therefore as a leader, I am expected to be superb in my academics. For God’s sake, I can’t talk to people about academic success and I am not succeeding myself. I can’t preach good grades to fellow students whilst I am struggling with my grades. So by God’s grace, my academics is on a high level…..You know what I mean right? And I am working to ensure that I balance it up with my desired CGPA.
Q. So Help You God…..AMEN! For some of the students who don’t know you personally. Can you shed more insight on the personality, ABOH JOSEPH?
Well….talking about life generally. I am open, very open a person; going by the notion of “Every Man should allow himself no indulgence in secret that would undermine his intelligence nor mar his public witness”. I am very jovial and talk to people a lot. Many who know me know that I am a fun person to be with and that I am not proud. You know…it’s a popular saying in school and even everywhere else that when you don’t talk to a particular type of people simply because of the type of person you are (your character, personality and temperament), you are deemed proud by some. Well, that is wrong I am not proud and that is the FACT.
Also, I believe that life generally is a risk that is worth taking. You know… a ship is safe in a Harbour but a Harbour is not where a ship is meant to be. The ship must go out, set sail, face the storms that come and overcome the storms. So I believe that that is how Life is meant to be lived. Life is a journey, a risky one and you must risk it if you want to complete the journey.
I like open and honest people, very honest ones! I won’t thrive with dual-personality typed people. It tickles my ire! I like openness. Be open, fair and be honest, and then we are cool and good to go.
Although people have different opinions about people, so I am sure that there would be differing views by people on who I am. One thing that I have learnt in life is that if you don’t want to be criticized, then do nothing, say nothing and be nothing in life. Just Be Docile! Therefore, criticism would not and has never been a problem for me, so I live with it as it comes because I see Criticism as a True Leader’s test of Maturity.
Q. On a final note tell us; Joseph Aboh in the next 10 years? What should be expected?
Well, All through my childhood, I have always wanted to be a pilot. Hence, the name Captain Joe became my nick. So in the next ten years, I should be rocking the air waves.
Q. That a really big dream! Thank you for your time, it’s been great having you.
You are welcome, the pleasure is mine.
Excerpts:
Q. Kindly introduce yourself?
My name is Aboh Joseph, I am from Ogoja in Cross River state but I am domiciled in Rivers state.
Q. You were recently elected as NACOSS’s new President. You must have been feeling yourself since then, Right?
*Chuckles*
Thank you for that question. Well, it is a very good thing for me. All through my life, I have been in one leadership position or the other. Thus I feel it is a platform for me to be able to express my leadership skills and you know… take the department forward.
Q. What are your set aims/objectives and goals for NACOSS as an Association?
Before I came on board and even before I got admitted. There have been issues between the administration and perhaps the students of each level. You know; 100, 200 and even 300 level were not carried along in the administration. People were not duly informed about the proceedings of the department as against what it should be. So definitely, that is an area of challenge which I would look into and try to ameliorate.
Also, I intend to make NACOSS recognized in the south west region of Nigeria. How?
We have competitions that we regurlarly attend and participate in and true to precedents; we come back with dividends (trophies, certificates, prizes and laurels) which are usually beneficial to the representatives and also, the department as a whole. Thus, going for Competitions as a means of Recognition and Academic excellence for NACOSS would not be ignored.
What I want to achieve might not be very much but I want to bank on the fact that I am capable of doing certain things and that these could be actualized. I don’t want to emulate the usual trend of empty promised by leaders like what we have in our country’s political system. I would have a major commitment to the key areas of concern which shall be duly elucidated as soon as the new session starts.
Q. Like you mentioned, Information dissemination is key to the success of any Association. How do you intend to achieve an effective system of information dissemination in NACOSS?
Good question! The major thing is to get everybody involved in the whole creative process. This is because people would support what they create so if I get everybody to support what we collectively create, then information will flow. For instance, THE ADVOCATES programme by the 300 Level students was a success because it was a collective thing and it incorporated everybody in the level. In the same way, NACOSS can toe that Path also.
Of course, every department has a WHATSAP group through which they disseminate information amongst themselves. NACOSS would continue to utilize that system and it surely would be a means of effective communication amongst the members across all levels.
Also, I would have an executive who is in charge of information dissemination. That would be the Public Relations Officer, who is going to be in charge and he would be responsible for the flow of information across all levels. He should be effective and capable of this duty, failure of which would be tantamount to his removal.
“In the same vein, for my administration, all the executives of the association should and must be up to their respective tasks. Every executive shall be held responsible and accountable to the office that he holds in the department. I will introduce a system of monthly reports through which the performances of individual executives shall be assessed and analyzed. Through this, Non-functional executives shall be sanctioned appropriately.”
Before I became elected, I had unsuccessfully advocated for a system whereby the elected President is accorded the authority to single handedly select the members that would comprise his administrative body. These members would be chosen based on precedents, capability as well as physically observable functionality. The President would definitely know his onions and choose them accordingly. Through this, Ineffectiveness is reduced to a sparingly low level and the level of achievements would be expectedly high.
Q. Good to know that you have laid-out plans already. Now, as concerns academic improvement (of the students), what are your plans towards achieving that for your Association members?
See…Academic Success is a choice based on individuality! Nobody would tell you that he failed because he didn’t get a mentor or a special teacher. He failed because of his CHOICE! Truthfully, it is going to be difficult to ensure that everybody is high flying in their academics. However, since our discipline is a professional based one, I have made arrangements to meet the H.O.D to organize certification classes for the students intermittently and therein integrate these classes into our syllabuses. This way, students would attend, participate and get certificates at the end.
Also, I am currently looking for a viable substitute for TUTORIALS. You and I both know that having people show up for tutorials is like wasting your time, and this has existed over the years. And to succeed, you have to start a new path rather than travel down the same old path. So By Gods Grace, I would look for something that would be utilized instead of Tutorials.
Speaking about Academic improvement, I want to say this. In a lot of other tertiary institutions, students get rewarded in cash and kind for academic success after each semester or session. This would ostensibly serve as a fillip for the students and it won’t be bad if Crawford University also toe that path. Study comes with a drive a motivation and that could be in any form.
Q. Good Luck in your search for a viable substitute! As per the social aspect of NACOSS as a department and NACOSSites as individuals, what are your plans for it to improve, maintain or reduce?
It may interest you to know that the Association has Social Directors who are up to the tasks in Persons of Ajenifuja Lanre and Uzoigwe Favour. I believe they would carry out their duties very well. You know Social gatherings are usually organized during departmental weeks. Well, we should be looking at organizing social gatherings at other times of the session, not only during the week. Although, everything is money-driven!
Furthermore, I am working on organizing a periodic GAMES DAY (maybe every last Saturday of the month) for all NACOSSites. It would encapsulate both indoor and outdoor games, relay races and other types of Games. It would be a form of social interaction amongst all members across all levels. This would definitely improve the social life of NACOSS and NACOSSites in totality.
Q. Oh! That would be a really great achievement if you can pull it through! You were a key member of NACOSS football team that won the Crawford Interdepartmental Football Cup last session. You obviously must have felt good. Can you tell us more about it?
How else would I feel?
*Chuckles*
I felt so good and happy. We played against GEMSSA whom we have never defeated in the history of Crawford University and since the beginning of this Games Cup. I was really elated and thrilled to have been a key player in the win. We haven’t won the Cup before so our first time winning it……..C’mon, I am BLESSED. A leader must lead by example and I have shown it that I am a leader by wining NACOSS’s first ever Departmental Cup. So, to all NACOSSites, Go out and WIN!!! WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN and WIN.
Q. On a lighter note….all Presidents are expected to (MUST) have a “First Lady” (Except for some sha, like……?) So who is Joseph Aboh’s First Lady?
*smiles broadly, grins and eventually laughs*
You are funny o, very funny. Everybody knows it nah. It is an open secret. My First Lady is Seyi and she is a level mate.
Q. Her Department?
Well…….that’s left for Interested Questioners to find out.
Q. So, your current academic stance, how is it faring with the extra work of being a President and also, being a member of the Students Representative Council (S.R.C.)?
Academics and Responsibilities!! It is never going to be an issue of concern to me. I am not affected at all. I believe that if you are to lead, then you must lead in all areas. Therefore as a leader, I am expected to be superb in my academics. For God’s sake, I can’t talk to people about academic success and I am not succeeding myself. I can’t preach good grades to fellow students whilst I am struggling with my grades. So by God’s grace, my academics is on a high level…..You know what I mean right? And I am working to ensure that I balance it up with my desired CGPA.
Q. So Help You God…..AMEN! For some of the students who don’t know you personally. Can you shed more insight on the personality, ABOH JOSEPH?
Well….talking about life generally. I am open, very open a person; going by the notion of “Every Man should allow himself no indulgence in secret that would undermine his intelligence nor mar his public witness”. I am very jovial and talk to people a lot. Many who know me know that I am a fun person to be with and that I am not proud. You know…it’s a popular saying in school and even everywhere else that when you don’t talk to a particular type of people simply because of the type of person you are (your character, personality and temperament), you are deemed proud by some. Well, that is wrong I am not proud and that is the FACT.
Also, I believe that life generally is a risk that is worth taking. You know… a ship is safe in a Harbour but a Harbour is not where a ship is meant to be. The ship must go out, set sail, face the storms that come and overcome the storms. So I believe that that is how Life is meant to be lived. Life is a journey, a risky one and you must risk it if you want to complete the journey.
I like open and honest people, very honest ones! I won’t thrive with dual-personality typed people. It tickles my ire! I like openness. Be open, fair and be honest, and then we are cool and good to go.
Although people have different opinions about people, so I am sure that there would be differing views by people on who I am. One thing that I have learnt in life is that if you don’t want to be criticized, then do nothing, say nothing and be nothing in life. Just Be Docile! Therefore, criticism would not and has never been a problem for me, so I live with it as it comes because I see Criticism as a True Leader’s test of Maturity.
Q. On a final note tell us; Joseph Aboh in the next 10 years? What should be expected?
Well, All through my childhood, I have always wanted to be a pilot. Hence, the name Captain Joe became my nick. So in the next ten years, I should be rocking the air waves.
Q. That a really big dream! Thank you for your time, it’s been great having you.
You are welcome, the pleasure is mine.
It was really nice to meet Aboh Joseph and to know how great his aspirations and goals are for his department. The truth is that many leaders go in position with great ideas and aims but fall short at the end of their tenure, I earnestly hope that would not be you.
ReplyDeleteMay the Almighty make your term an unprecedented one(positively) and all your desires shall be fulfilled. When things become drougthy,it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
God help you Aboh. You have a lot to achieve in so little time, I pray you fulfill and that these footprints of yours will be permanent for good.
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