The Soft Issue
August 2017
Interview
OMOLOLA SAKA
Omolola Saka is a year one student of Mass
Communication at the University of Ilorin. She
discusses her journey towards finding her
voice in writing and her other interests with
Ibrahim Owodina
When did you start writing and what influences
you?
What do you aspire to be?
I see myself owning my own media house
and I have never for once forgotten it takes a
whole lot to achieve that. I know it is a lofty
dream but I am already working towards
achieving it. I also love photography and I just
wish I have a lot of time that I can just spare
some for learning it. I love good food and I
take my rest seriously too
I started writing since my secondary school
days. I used to write more of poetry. But I
have been doing more of essays recently. I
actually read and write a lot. I get influenced
to write by anything but my emotions have
the most influence on my writings. I hope to
enlighten through my writings, because even
I got enlightened when I cultivated the habit
of reading. People get bored easily these days
when they read, so my writings would not only
enlighten but entertain, educate and inspi re. I
have teenagers as my target audience, these
guys don’t do too well when it comes to reading,
they get bored easily and they feel there are
several ways to spend time than to read most
spend most of their time on social media and I
hope they have a change of perspective and get
the needed orientation whenever they get to
read my works.
How will you describe your mass
communication journey?
I had always been an art student, and
whenever I weigh mass communication and
law, law appears to be tough unlike mass
communication; so mass communication as
a course appealed to me from afar because I
thought it was easier. It was until I joined the
train.
Journalism has always been in my blood. I
was part of a team that revived a defunct
press club in my secondary school, education
district 1, Lagos state and I was the President
of the club during the terminal classes of
both my junior and senior secondary school.
The experience was very helpful in shaping
my dream to become a Journalist and also
got firsthand experience of Journalism.
I like the works of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,
Olushola Sorinyo, Morayo Afolabi Brown,
Olayemi Ogunwole, Yomi Kazeem, and so
many others inspire me, I am not part of youths
who look outside the country for role models.
I believe this country has produced awesome
people too.
We were then involved in a big investigative
case that established our stand as a force.
We investigated and reported accurately a
theft issue between a teacher and a student.
What are your little accomplishments so far?
I was the first runner up at the Breach Repairers
Initiative debate contest 2015. Topic was –
Mentorship: a tool for Nation building. The
debate was hugely contested in Lagos state and
many people recounted I did them proud. Then, I
attended the Leap Africa Initiative 2011/12 youth
program for Nation development, Lagos.
Your most secret information so far in
school?
77
I recently learnt how to use the ATM when I
got admitted into the university.
the
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