Sodiq Oyeleke, popularly called OYE @newstrawl, is a young and energetic communication experts. He is the founder of newstrawl update. In this interview, he speaks about what motivated him to starting a news update platform.
What's your growing up like?
It has always been a rough one for me. I grew amidst numerous challenges but I tried as much as possible not to let those things weigh me down. Thank God for standing by me. I grew up in an area you will hardly expect people to excel academically. When I preach to people to change, I usually tell them I grew up with the worst set of people. I have smokers, gamblers, humanisers and homeless people as friends but God's willing I was not influenced. Those were things I hate most. Right from time, my friends know me for who I am, they know our differences and areas of similarities. I won't just do certain things not because I was told not to do it, but because I can detect them to be wrong. I think that is one thing my friends respect me for - that despite all their rough lives, I didn't leave them but didn't join them. Today, most of them have changed as they can see that I didn't do those things and I am growing. My experience made me a grassroot person. I love the paupers because I am one of them, I grew with them and I would not because of education leave them. I still go home. I still visit them in our 'jungle' and I hope that others that are still living a rough live will change.
What gives you the courage...any mentor?
I must sincerely say I was hurt with my background but all thanks to God. It is just God not anyone, I have no human mentor then, I still don't have up till now and I am not planning to ever have because It must just be God. He is enough for me.
My research about you shows that you have struggled a lot, Am I right?
Sigh!!... Hmmm. I have. But that is not unique to me. Every human being struggles for survival. I am struggling to survive and God is granting my hustle. Or I won't say i really struggled, I will say I was hardworking and prayerful. I did quite a number of what people called dirty jobs in dirty areas but with legality (religious and constitutional). The struggles still continue, it has not ended. I say struggles because it's not all about earth struggle, one must also struggle to secure a place in heaven. I just advise youths to be calculative regardless of the job they do. I did all manners of job and was even asked to come and be a 'gateman' at a point. Sincerely, struggle is part of life. It makes one wiser and experienced, you obviously see beyond others and you easily compete favorably with people that are older than you.
You founded the popular news blog @newstrawl, what do you want to achieve with it?
I did not start @newstrawl because of profit, it was product that emanated from defeat. It is a response from the embarrassing defeat I got from some students at Ghana Institute of Journalism. I wish I met those guys again, they really challenged me and made me look like a local champion
How?
One day, GIJ students came on tour to Nigerian Institute of Journalism. On their arrival, they met some few guys and I under the coconut tree. And at a point, we started discussing about happenings around the world, Africa and even Nigeria. For a long while, none of us from NIJ could say a word, the GIJ students seem to be better informed than us. Most embarrassing was that they knew Nigeria better than us. They told us things we don't know about our country. I was so ashamed of myself and I thought about how the situation can be corrected. I realised that Nigeria youths are too busy to read newspapers and in some cases poor to buy. Of course, one won't expect a person that can't buy a newspaper to buy a television, where is the power? As a remedy, I thought of creating a platform where at least headlines update can be viewed with a mind of getting people current. I never knew @newstrawl would go so far as it has gone. The objective still stand and I pray it won't change.
Do you think @newstrawl as achieved its goal?
Yes, it is achieving its goal. Many youths are glued to me. I have got a lot of advice on how to commercialise the platform but I refused. I only advertise young entrepreneurs at no cost. But I thing I have more people on Facebook. I am trying to make the twitter handle more popular. It's really tasking but I see it as my own charity and way of contributing to humanity.
About September 4..?
Smile...that's my birthday. I thank God for keeping up till today. I wish to live longer as a pious being and in good health. A day to cry and laugh. A day to remember grave calls and the judgement galleria. It is a great day. I wish I don't grow older but death is inevitable. I hope it meets me in good health. I am a product of chance and every moment is worth being appreciated, celebration is not really necessary here. I have just got to reflect.
How true is it that you are nominated as one of the most religious in OAU English Department?
It is true in a planned class award, but I don't like that. I have pleaded with the organisers to remove my name from that category. Being Religious is not something you can easily measure, you can't judge anyone. I serve my God to my best of understanding but won't accept that I am religious. I think they are taking some characters of mine for being religious. Maybe because of my decency and that's due to my humble background.
END
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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