...all I had to say was, 'Pick the beans.' That way, they never disappointed —an Interview with Ekundayo Favour Jesutofunmi

 My January '24 guest is Ekundayo Favour Jesutofunmi, from Lagos state. 

First, let's know a little about Lagos.

LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA 

Lagos, a bustling city and chief port in Nigeria, holds a significant place in the country's history and development. Once the capital of Nigeria, it remains a key economic hub, despite facing challenges like overpopulation, housing issues, and a complex commercial transport system in recent times.

Originally settled by Yoruba fishermen and known as 'Oko', Lagos Island later became 'Eko' under the kingdom of Benin. The Portuguese influence in 1472 initiated trade, particularly in the transatlantic slave trade. British control was established in 1861, marking the end of the slave trade in Lagos.

Governing as a British crown colony and later part of the Gold Coast Colony, Lagos achieved separate status in 1886. It became the capital of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria in 1914. Lagos served as the capital of independent Nigeria in 1960, later transitioning to Lagos state in 1967. In 1991, Abuja replaced Lagos as the federal capital.

Lagos is characterized by a system of islands, sandbars, and lagoons. Land reclamation efforts have reshaped its original islands. The city's topography is low-lying, with the highest point on Lagos Island being only about 22 feet above sea level.

Lagos state is made up of 5 administrative divisions: Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos (Eko) and Epe. These divisions are further divides into 20 local governments.

 Eko thrives as the center of commerce, finance, administration, and education. Key industries include electronics, automobile assembly, food and beverage processing, metalworks, paints, soap, textiles, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. The fishing industry also contributes to the economic landscape.

The port of Lagos, consisting of the Apapa Quay, serves as a vital outlet for Nigeria's exports. The city is well-connected with road and railway networks, and Ikeja Airport facilitates local and international services.

Lagos is a major educational and cultural center, hosting institutions like the University of Lagos, National Library, Lagos city libraries, and the National Museum with rich examples of Nigerian arts.

Let's dive back to our guest, Ekundayo Favour Jesutofunmi.

Favour loves to describe herself as an 'accidental educator.' Her passion for Education aroused after she was admitted to study Primary Education after applying for Law. "I fell in love with the course after spending a semester in school. Though it wasn’t my decision to apply for the course, it was entirely my decision to stay there and complete the course," she says. "I stayed [there] because I loved and was interested in being involved in the education of children; I wanted to be one of the people who build pillars and foundations on which other levels of education will stand."

During her mandatory service year in Akoko-edo, Favour found and expounded innovative techniques and real-life examples which she employed to teach geometry, ratios, and word problems in her Place of Primary Assignment (PPA), Osu Mixed Commercial Grammar School. This innovation, she shares, was inspired by how she noticed some of her students in senior secondary school classes did not understand basic mathematics principles like collecting like terms in an equation. "So I used the simple practical of picking stones out of beans to illustrate collecting like terms in an equation," she explains. "On a tray, we separated beans to a side and stones to another. Then I asked them questions like, 'If we mistakenly put some grains of beans on the side for stones, what have we done to the beans?' (their answer was typically that we have wasted it.) Then I also asked what will happen if we mistakenly put stones on the side for beans. They said we will have to eat stones in the beans.

"So I told them that collecting like terms is important in order for us not to miss our marks and so that our equation might not have an incorrect element. We practiced it using an equation where I said the whole numbers are the beans and the letters or number bearing letters are the stones.

"So each time, we had to collect like terms in an equation all I had to say was, 'Pick the beans.' That way, they never disappointed.”

Favour at the NYSC orientation camp in Okada.

Favour's stay in the education system for over four years has seen her teach in different schools and classes. It's like they metaphorical wine that tastes better with time.

KEEP IT CLEAN SENSITIZATION by the CDS body. A cross section of Favour taking a session.

The CDS group donated brooms, dustbins, dust pans, mopping sticks and buckets to the school as part of their CDS projects.

Asked about her motivation, Favour says, "I draw my motivation from my students’ achievements. Impact is my passion, hence, I am always happy to help and contribute to the attainment of improved performance. My NYSC also played a prominent role in expanding this passion. The major contribution of my NYSC experience on my growth as an educator is equipping me with the necessary skills and mindset needed to be a Rural Educator."

 

Favour with her students during the occasion of the school trip to a Palm oil rig in the village.

"It was my first time teaching in a rural or marginalized area. Teaching my students built my resilience, problem solving and analysis skills. I learnt adaptability and flexibility in teaching strategy. I also had hands-on experience in student mentorship and project management."

As part of her social impact initiatives, Favour staged a symposium for teenagers and young adults titled DOMINION -MY PURPOSE.

Attendees of the Purpose Conference organised with NCCF in Igaara, Akoko-edo local government area, Edo state

"We had 2 Keynote Speakers who spoke about the story of creation and how Dominion is our God-given mandate that everyone (including teenagers in rural areas like Akoko-edo) must exercise in all aspects of our lives. We should not leave room for mediocrity. Extraordinary should be our own normal, excellent performance should be our average. We should not let the unfavourable situations around us define us, We should not let our backgrounds put our back to the ground. The place of God and prayer in fully exercising this dominion was well stressed. We had over 50 participants at the conference."

The project to refurbish the school library at Akoko-edo is one of the highlights of Favour's service year. Despite the imminent success, challenges were there too. For Favour, the major challenge faced was lack of funds.

"The project was a capital-intensive one so, there was a limit to what I could do without adequate funding. One major lesson I learnt is to never assume that the people you are trying to help will see the need to help them and buy into the effort at all times. There are times, you might need to focus on spreading your tentacles and create a reason why you should be supported beyond service to humanity. I learnt that personalized messages that aligns with the values of individuals and companies will go a long way in convincing them to invest in what you are doing.

"Another major lesson I learnt was the importance of constituting a team and delegating tasks to them."

Some of the second hand books Favour was able to gather for the library refurbishing and equipping.

Hosting a reading conference and essay competition titled "A READER'S MIND- A GOLD MINE OR A DUMP SITE" further demonstrates Favour's commitment to literacy. What inspired this initiative happened one month into her service year. "I realized that most of the students in my school were performing below average, and with close observation, I realized that a major contributing factor to their performance is that they don’t read.

I further found out that most of them don’t attach importance to reading. Hence, I decided to host a conference and an essay competition where the importance of reading was to be stressed and emphasized. Then I came up with a topic.

"Ihope that the students who will be future participants of the conference will begin to see reading as an important rudiment in their becoming whatever they wish to."

Favour's Passing-out Parade photos (December,2023)

In her current role as an IT graduate trainee at Zeta-Web Nigeria Limited, Favour sees an intersection between her teaching background and the IT field. "Data services and internet connection is what links every educator to educational resources and materials that are stored in the cloud.

So, as an educator in the IT Field, I can be likened to a house owner who is concerned about the processes through which water enters into her house and wants to be involved in the process."

Looking ahead, Favour envisions combining her passion for teaching and her newfound skills in IT to make a positive impact in both fields. "I am looking forward to using both skills –IT and Education— for EDTECH Purposes, organize seminars and outreaches to teach primary and secondary school students digital literacy, combine my skills with a software developer to develop a flexible learning management system that teachers, students and parents can easily navigate for use in and outside classes with gamified learning engagements, filtered internet access, classroom calendar, videos and quiz function."

In whatever we do, there's always a way to make a difference. In Lagos, it starts with Favour. In your community, it's you.

Until we meet again next month, keep changing the world, as always, for the better.