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The Interview Series

Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series:Moriyike Mejabi


What is your name?
Moriyike Mejabi
What do you currently do as a job?
Information Technologist
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Hmm.. That’s a tough one- a journalist, then a designer, anything with travelling!
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
Not really- I didn’t think about it as much- until I had to fill my JAMB form (to get into the University). SMH.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
When I filled my JAMB form.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I consulted a bit with some successful adults at the time- and just looked at the possibilities- felt Computer Science would be a great fit. If I could have a do over- I now think this field is actually great for me, but I would explore Psychology as well.

How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
I realized that it’s all about those skills! And you’ve got to put in the work/ effort- even if it’s in practicing the guitar or brushing up on that programming language.

Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
YES! I absolutely do. …Because I can do all this… through Christ 🙂

Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Hmmm… another tough one. I’ll say yes, I’m content, but I know there’s sooooo much more– In that sense I’m not content! I’m not fulfilled! I want to experience MORE!

What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
I love to watch movies, and I enjoy music as well, and I like to make things look pretty.
Well yes, when I get back home from work, I can grab some good food and watch a great movie. I can also listen to music even while at work. The best part is that some of the work I do helps me use my creativity as well!
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
Yes. I should’ve made better use of my spare time in Uni. I also should get better at exploring and sharing my natural gifts and talents.
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
Yes I would- I’d look back and laugh at some of my silly decisions- but all in all, I will be content.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?
Yes. I worry a lot about the specifics of my future. I know it’ll be wonderful- but the details of how that wonder would come to reality- my future family, geography, career- those are uncertain. That uncertainty is what fuels whatever fears I have about the future, but I know it’ll be spectacular… I just need to rest in that truth.
Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series:Oluwatobi Bamgboye


What do you currently do as a job?
I am a pastor, a Christian Minister. I am also an entrepreneur, I basically run a vegetable farm and an Agro-business.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
Among other things, I wanted to be a Pastor. I also wanted to be a doctor, or something in the medical line.
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
I think that certain school experiences distracted me and shaped into me what I thought was supposed to be my dream job. I felt I needed to prove a point that I was intelligent. So, against deep personal convictions in SSS 1, I held on to my dream of becoming a doctor which at this point was no longer deeply rooted. The students considered more intelligent in my class were grouped into the science class. I was one of them and following my convictions would have seemed like making a statement that I wasn’t up to the task of coping in the science class.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
After my one year pre – degree session, it was clear to me that becoming a doctor wasn’t the path I should follow, it wasn’t my strength but I still continued with one of its neighbors. It wasn’t until my 2nd year in University, that I accepted what my true passion and dream was. I didn’t exactly change my mind, I would say I accepted the already lingering but misunderstood  and overlooked dream.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I certainly would not. I still remember arguments I had within me in SSS1 when I  knew deeply that I shouldn’t be in the science class, that it wasn’t my natural expression but convinced myself otherwise to keep up with the Jones’s.
I studied chemistry because of all the options I had in the science department, microbiology and chemistry were the only two courses I felt I could manage, without feeling frustrated. At the end of my pre-degree, I felt I had too much vested in science already, I just picked the “neighbors” of medicine I could manage with.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
It made me see how foolish it was to have accepted a societal convention to live a life inconsistent with my inner essence. I had a total overhaul, though I couldn’t pull out of school to study another course, I had the chance to prepare for my real life while still studying a course I couldn’t wait to finish.
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
They certainly are. They are really big but they are achievable.
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
I am not entirely fulfilled, I see fulfillment as a continuing journey of growth. I don’t believe I am there yet, however, I believe I am well on my way to fulfillment as I experience little jolts of fulfillment when I do things consistent with my dreams.
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
In no particular order, thinking, teaching, reading, speaking, writing, doing music, and coordinating.
My role as a pastor gives me not just the time but the platform to teach, speak, write and coordinate. Teaching feels like the most fulfilling thing I do. I literally can do this all day.
I still get the chance to do some church music although not as often as I used to. I still compose songs.
Business brings out the strategist, the coordinator and fast thinker in me, the challenges and the targets all serve to give a sort of fulfillment that a routine job can’t give me. I must admit though that starting out has been more engaging than I imagined and it has threatened to take up every available time but that is just a phase and things are gradually balancing out as we set up better running structures.
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
I did but I have outgrown my regrets. Though it seems I started early. I regretted that I knew better than I acted in the past and should have aligned with who I truly was much earlier than I did. My take on my regrets is that “the earliest time I have to Make a change is NOW.”
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
I hope so. I believe without apologies that even though I have doubts, if I keep following God, my future is certain. Some of the things I’m now grateful for and comfortable with were things I feared to dare in the past, they were decisions plagued with many doubts. However, I figure that today was yesterday’s future and if today, I’m glad I dared to stay true despite uncertainties in the immediate past, I can be confident that this history might repeat itself.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?

Yes I do. Fears that I may have been wrong, fears that things may not work out as planned. Upon arriving at the present, I realized that my past fears didn’t live up to their threats, so,  I’m learning to live with the fears till my results prove them wrong.
The Interview Series,

The Interview Series: Oluwatoyosi Jolayemi

What is your name?
Oluwatoyosi
What do you currently do as a job?
I am an academic researcher as well as a web developer, I volunteer in some organisations as well.
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
At different stages of my childhood I had different ‘dream professions’. At a point I was hell bent on being a medical doctor, only for me to grow older and realise it was definitely not what I wanted. I toiled with the idea of being an Environmental Technologist at some point too, but that also went with the wind, same with my ambition of being a Computer Engineer, these were the very early years though. Eventually, it boiled down to what I was sure I didn’t want to do, which were what my parents were advocating for since I was ‘smart’ and these were Medicine and Engineering.
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
In some way, it did. Although I was hungry for something I could not exactly place my hands on at the time, nothing else mattered.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
I can’t say I changed my mind as my mind wasn’t exactly made up.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
Sincerely, I studied what I did because I didn’t want to study what every other person thought I should. I had a one-on-one with myself and realised 5+ years was too much to study something that might make me miserable as I get frustrated easily, so I decided to strike a balance and play it safe. Weirdest reason ever, I know. If I’m to do again I will study the same course because in more ways than I could have imagined it was just what I needed.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
I have come to the conclusion that ‘adulthood’ is just something that we have allowed to scare us from the many amazing things we can be capable of, my dreams are still very intact.
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
Yes, I do very much believe all I have ever wanted are within reach.
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Yes I am. For me finding fulfilment is a daily task, and not just something that one should be obsessive about, and it’s all about the little things. So yes, I am fulfilled with my life.
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
My hobbies,… listening to tonnes of music, singing, reading, dancing, I also recently developed a love for exploring places. Yes, it does.
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
I believe there is no point fussing over things that are gone, no regrets, just lessons about improvements that can be made.
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
I believe I will.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?

Hmmm, No (a tiny yes 😂). I am naturally a worrier, thus my reason for the yes, and no because I am learning to cast all of my cares on God because He cares for me, after all I can’t add an inch to my life by letting fears and worry consume me.

The Interview Series,

The Interview Series: Onomesan Oyo

What do you currently do as a job?
I currently work as an external auditor by day, day dreamer and writer somehow interspersed in-between and of course all round weirdo by and large.


As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?


I always knew I wanted to work in the corporate world, always had this image of the well put together city girl, high flying executive extraordinaire who can afford the luxuries of the finest labels, nice apartment, understand the art form that is independence and all be it living her truth.
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?


*laughs inaudibly* If we were to go by the books I read in high school, I would be in the C.I.A.
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
I don’t think I ever had a dream job per se, I always loved how strong, confident and stylish the women in the financial world looked so that has always been my go to. However I discovered my love for writing in my 2nd year in the university after I had just seen Confessions of a Shopaholic (Yes I wanted to be the girl in the green scarf  badly (^_^).


Why did you study what you studied in the university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?


I studied Accounting because it was my escape course from a science class purgatory in high school.  If I had a do over I would explore my prospects in creative writing.


How did the “reality of adulthood” affect your dreams?


It’s actually made me more resilient, in fact my daily mantra is “May the other side not win”.
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?


That’s the only reason I get up every day.
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?


I wouldn’t dare use the word fulfilled(even Mo Abudu who is the first Black Afican woman to own a tv network is constantly trying to conquer the next best thing so dare I say who am I). I can’t still however use the word content, what I would say is I have mastered the art of  inner peace, finding happiness in the unlikely of places and stopped attaching a time zone to my goals(trust me this brilliant stroke of science has helped me sleep at night).


What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?


I love reading books(mostly fiction but from time to time I take a leap of faith into works of nonfiction), I love tv(everything from movies, music, tv shows, interviews of my favourite actors/authors, talk shows), I also love people watching(there’s a certain art form in watching people be themselves and not knowing that other people are watching). *Laughs out really loud* that’s why weekends exist and we have 24 hours in a day so my line of work can’t change a thing.


Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?


I don’t have any regrets because I’m a big believer in the cosmetic influences the forces of the universe has in our lives and that our experiences shape the person we end up becoming.
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
I think that I would be happy because I try to live my life or make decisions not thinking of what other people would say, free of inhibitions and social conventions.
Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?


As with everyone else the usual “Will I be successful”, “Will my life mean something”, I’m also scared of life itself, failing and not reaching my best self.


The girl with the sweaty palms…

Dare to Dream, The Interview Series,

The Interview Series: Ellen Ngohide Ukpi

What do you currently do as a job?
Currently a freelancer for social media services/ Media Strategist at TMB
As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
LOL I wanted to be so many things I lost count! I was smart so I thought medicine will be the way, then I could speak and didn’t mind reading so I thought Law was the way, I was good at literature and my lecturer thought I will make a fine journalist. At some point I wanted to study glass technology. Truth is I have never had one lasting passion
Did primary school and secondary school shape your ideas about your dream job?
Hmmm in a way they did, I mean I was taught if I get good grades I will get juicy jobs and if I work at it I will grow through the ranks and live happily ever after. It also made some professions look much better than others making some professions the most clamoured after. So it shaped what a dream job was supposed to be, prestigious, recognized with a lot of money
At what point in time did you change your mind about that dream job?
I went into Uni to study a course I wasn’t particular knowledgeable about. I picked the course cause 1. The name sounded different and 2. I heard I didn’t have to do maths. Looking back now I realize I should have had some proper counselling before taking this course. Safe to assume I went through 4 years studying what I wasn’t excited about.
Why did you study what you studied in university? If you have a do over will you study the same course?
I already explained why I studied what I did. If I have a do over no I would not study the same thing I studied.
How did the ‘’reality of adulthood’’ affect your dreams?
Mennnnnn It was brutal! Lol this life isn’t a joke! It doesn’t play by any rules really. Its like you go in and figure it out as you go and this works differently for different people. I mean I still dream I never lost that ability but my dreams change now and then and am fine with that
Do you believe your dreams are still within your reach?
Yes totally I do. Except the one where I played international basketball lol that one is gone. Anyway I wanted it for fame and money so yeah was never going to work I guess
Are you fulfilled with your life? If “Yes”, how? If “No” why?
Yes I am, am happy with the person I am, the progress in my growth and the person I look forward to being. I don’t stop living in wonder of my abilities and me. Its amazing the different things we can do if only we try. So my how is trying; I don’t stop trying and am open to different opportunities
What are your hobbies? And does your current line of work give you time for them?
My hobbies are listening to music, reading and watching movies and I make time to do all these! Lol even in the midst of work when a girl has to listen to her jam she goes right ahead! I read to sleep or watch a movie (Bad habit) but yes I have time for my hobbies. I love to explore and travel and I still do that every now and then not as often because it costs money but not yet because I don’t have the time
Do you have any regrets? If “Yes”, what are they?
Nope regret is such a strong word. Every bad experience has taught me something positive so I love my mistakes flaws and all
Will you look back in the next ten years and be happy with how your decisions today have shaped your future?
Am hoping I will be. But if am not I will remember how happy I am currently and that should be enough

Do you have any fears for the future? If “Yes”, what are they?
Fears… another strong word but I fear ‘mediocre’ looking back and seeing that I performed below my abilities all my life ouch! That will hurt major! Especially if being mediocre means I remain broke! Ahhh we cant be broke forever!