I congratulate those who have just being admitted, finished their final examinations and those graduating from the university. I must tell you that, you are not the first set of people and you won’t be the last. Being a graduate of Kampala International University (KIU), alone is in itself a momentous feat for which I am grateful for.
My name is Akinwumi John Ayobami, former Mr. KIU (2015-2016). I studied Law and obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and in the process I served in various capacities including a Senior Student Research Assistant (SSRA) under the department of Public and Comparative Law, School Law of Law, Personal Assistant to Head of Department for Public and Comparative Law, Chief Protocol Officer, Guild Union of KIU, 2016. At the moment, I have passed my final Bar Examinations at the Nigeria Law School with flying colours, and will soon be called to the Nigeria Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
Mr & Mrs KIU 2015-2016
A land of opportunities
Kampala International University is not overrated; it is actually the BEST PRIVATE UNIVERSITY IN UGANDA. You must have heard a lot of things about how beautiful it is. With time, you will discover that you didn’t even hear enough about the opportunities in KIU (for those that have just been admitted). Nobody can truly narrate the experience of campus; it is better experienced. I feel obliged to share this epistle about life after campus with you not because I am so special, but there are experiences on campus now that will benefit you after school for those who are still in the school system.
I have good news for you. YES, you! If only you know that with the right information, predisposition, optimism and attitude, Kampala International University can be the best place to be, and A LAND OF OPPORTUNITIES. The only thing that will make you stand out is to be optimistic about life while at campus and have full expectations of the kind of life you want to live thereafter.
KIU equipped me for a greater-tomorrow
“Life after campus has been positively challenging for me. My training from KIU, equipped me for a greater tomorrow, and I have already started reaping the dividends. With the leadership and research skills I acquired as an undergraduate while on campus, I have been able to effectively handle several tasks and positions as a leader, beyond the four walls of the university.” After completing my Law degree in Uganda, I returned to Nigeria to advance my career in the legal profession, by enrolling in the Nigerian Law School (referred to as the Law Development Centre – LDC in Uganda). To the glory of God, I passed my exams, and will be called to the Nigerian Bar on 27th November, 2019; this being a prerequisite for me to practice as Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Kudos to the School of Law KIU, for the rigorous legal training they provided, without which, I will not have been able to make it at the Nigeria Law School. Frederick W. Robertson once stated that “instruction ends in the schoolroom, but education ends only with life”. As such, I have a gigantic vibes to further my education up to Ph.D. level.
At the Nigerian Law school, I became the Treasurer representing Foreign Students (Nigerians who studied abroad), at the Students Representative Council (SRC), Nigerian Law School, Yola Campus. After Law school, I was enrolled to serve Nigeria; my country, through the National Youth Service Scheme, where I became a Platoon official for the scheme while at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camp, in Niger State, Nigeria.
Obeying the clarion call to serve my country (Nigeria) for one year, as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member
How it all started
I enrolled for my undergraduate programme at KIU, in January, 2014 and during this period, I took my academics very serious and alongside, I was engaged in extra-curricular activities within and outside the campus. This gave me exposure and ample opportunity to participate in the context for MR KIU. Upon winning Mr. KIU in 2015, my stay in Uganda turned around for good. It gave me the opportunity to take life more serious, being focused and responsible. I got signed to modeling agencies and I became an ambassador for United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Before then, I was serving as a Student Research Assistant at the School of Law, where my professional research and drafting skills were honed, to mention but a few.
Project, plan and pray for the kind of life you want to live after campus
More so, B.B. King once said “The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you”. I want to use this medium to advise the new and continuing students; please, get a mentor academically, financially, materially, and spiritually. Focus on what you know best, get a skill, do not underestimate your colleagues, treat your junior colleagues with respect, join an intellectual family (I will recommend Forum For Ideas (FFI)), surround yourself with the right people, project the kind of life you want to live after campus, plan your life and pray for your future; all these things worked for me!
Finally, it will be unfair if I don’t tell you that God is the most important factor in life. Find time to pray and to perform your religious obligations. Don’t pray alone; pray together, if you can. When you do your best, seek the face of God. Submit your struggles to Him. Only Him can grant ultimate success in life. And in addition, give to others; one secret of success is charity.
Dear graduand and readers, I wish you all the best as you embark on your next journey. I pray that you would succeed and May God give you the strength to seek and find. God bless you!
Source: a collection from my Third Dinner at Nigeria Law School, Yola Campus
Sincerely yours’,
Akinwumi John Ayobami; LL.B (Hons), B.L (In view),
Kampala International University Graduate, 2018 Set
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