Students of the University have continued to demonstrate that if given the enabling environment, they can make waves in all facets of human endeavour.
Aanu Damola Morenikeji, 400-level student of Plant Physiology and Crop Production has, again, blazed the trail by being selected for the 2013 Fellowship of the Social Leadership Academic, United States of America, having emerged as the youngest fellow from Africa.
During the six-month fellowship, which featured virtual leadership sessions, team building opportunities, strengths development with leadership and social entrepreneurship experts, Aanu, alongside other fellows on his team started the “Man of Impact” Project, which was designed to celebrate ordinary men, but whose works inspired others positively.
Aanu, 19, was also a semi-finalist at the 2013 selection process of the annual Thiel Fellowship, initiated by Peter Thiel, which brings together the world’s most creative and motivated young people under the age of 20 to showcase their talents. During this period, he was able to directly influence about 100 emerging leaders across the globe, to commit themselves to intentional living, value-based leadership and contributing to making the world a better place. He is presently partnering with the United Nations Youth Advocacy Group on the ‘A World-at-School Advocacy Project, aimed at achieving universal education by 2015 for 57 million out-of-school children around the world. The last Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, he participated at the Global Leadership Summit, and later embarked on an internship with the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation (OGBC).
Giving an insight on why he opted to do his Internship with the Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation, Aanu in an interview withFUNAAB Bulletinsaid:“I have always been a lover of communication and I have always tried as much as possible to enhance myself, in order to communicate better with others and assist others build up certain platforms.Fortunately, I am also part of the start-up team for FUNAAB Radio.So during the break, as part of the normal training process in FUNAAB Radio, we went through internship with other media houses, since we would not be in school and the Institutions’ Radio Station is not yet on, to harness experiences that we needed make use of in the Radio Station”.
“I chose OGBC and I was with them from October to December.I was in the Presentation and Production Unit and was privileged to anchor the daily lunch break show with some other colleagues between 12.15 pm and 1.15 pm.I also assisted in theof several other programmes like “Its Our World”, a weekly children programme, which goes on air on Saturdays, between 9.15 am and 9.45 am and I was part of the Production Crew for “Morning Flight”, which is aired from 5.15am to 10.00 am”.
On the possibility of going fully into the Broadcast industry in future, Aanu said: “Well, I see the Broadcast industry as a means to an, not an end in itself. So, it is possible that I may delve into it, as long as it remains a viable platform in influencing others positively”.