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Achieve These Three Things Before You Graduate – Former DOS of Akinyele, Rufai Abdulwasii

Ad-Dhkir Press Organization in her weekly Meet-Our-Scholar Episode brings to you yet another insightful glance into the life of the erstwhile Director of Studies, MSSN Akinyele Area Council. Stay tuned with us as we learn from this great engineer.

As-salam Alaykum wa rahmotullahi wabarakatuh.

Adh-Dhikr: Can we meet you, sir?

I am Rufai Abdulwasii Oladimeji, a graduate of Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Ibadan. I am currently a graduate trainee at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals, Free Zone Enterprise, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. I work with both the Maintenance and SAP departments under Hydorgen Generation Unit(HGU) and I must say, the experience has been amazing. Though currently, I’m in the industry, but in the future I see myself impacting the classroom. I came from a family of seven, with four siblings, I happen to be the second child. Aside from studying, I love teaching, playing soccer games, and getting problems solved. I love the Qur’an and I enjoy reading it. Every good food is a go but then, a combo of beans and plantain tops the list. That’s a summary of myself.


Adh-Dhikr: Could narrate your sojourn in the University of Ibadan?

Alhamdulillah, my sojourn at the University of Ibadan was a rough, but incredible, and interesting one. It was a mix of good and bad, but not terrible times. I went into the university with so much enthusiasm, with a level of experience from the Lagos State Polytechnic. I was ready to tackle any challenge and that was just what I did. Though, the experience was quite different from what I was used to in the polytechnic, but nevertheless, I was able to get myself integrated with the system and blended and triumphed.

The university allowed me not only to develop myself academically but also to enhance my problem-solving skills and leadership skills. During my stay in the school, I was a resident of the great Baluba Republic, the Nnamdi Azikwe hall, the home of anything you can think of in the life of students. It was so much fun being in Zik. No dull moment there. I won’t forget to mention the beautiful moments with my brethren both in MSSNUI and MSSN Akinyele Area Council, the Tuesday and Thursday programs, COL, the camps, and the committees. They made my stay at the university so memorable. I was the Naqib during my days in COL. I miss the COL family, most especially the Asaatidh, Bro. Giwa Mukhtar, Seebah, Imam Toyyib, and Anuu’maany, to mention a few. So summarily, the institution allowed me to grow academically and spiritually. Alhamdulillah.

Adh-Dhikr: Apart from being the Director of Studies for Akinyele Area Council, what other posts did you hold while in school?

Apart from being part of the team of the Directorate of Studies, I was also the PRO for MSSN Akinyele area council, Welfare programs program, and tutor at Muslim Tech Students Gathering (MTSG). I was also a member of RPC during the chairmanship of Efficacy. I think that’s all.

Adh-Dhikr: How did you manage your time between academics and the posts you held?

Well, Alhamdulillah. It wasn’t so easy really, but Alhamdulillah because sometimes your time management skills would not even work. What I did basically was to prioritize the urgency of my activities. It wasn’t all my classes I attended, though I didn’t deliberately “stab” those classes, but most probably because I had more demanding tasks to attend to. Those classes were classes I knew I could handle on my own. So basically, it’s a matter of how well one can multitask and how many things one can handle at the time.

Adh-Dhikr: In what ways has being a Director of Studies contributed to your growth as a person?

I can say that being a DoS is one of the major contributors to my leadership skills, and not just that, it also allowed me to meet different people from different places. It allowed me to impact lives. All these are basic ingredients for one’s personal growth. Alhamdulillah.

Adh-Dhikr: You joined Parochemical as a graduate intern. How was the experience?

Alhamdulillah, the experience has been very insightful. The refinery, being the largest single-train refinery in the world with the latest technologies, has given me the opportunity to bridge the gap between theory and practicality. It has exposed me to different aspects of my field and beyond. Apart from being in the maintenance team where we solely relate to the machines, I’ve been able to learn the Refining chemistry, understand the process of instrumentation and automation of Plant maintenance through SAP-PM. In summary, it’s a very good place to start.

Adh-Dhikr: Your advice to Muslim students at the University of Ibadan?

To my wonderful brethren of the prestigious University of Ibadan, I wish you success in all your endeavors. So basically, I’ll summarize my advice into just three points. As students of the University, we must try to achieve the following things before we graduate:

1. Academic excellence: we have to strive as much as we can to attain excellence in our chosen field, and get the best result we can, 2:1 at least.
   
2. Spiritual uplift: This is even more important. As much as we can while in school, we should try to build our spirituality. Learn the Quran, memorize it, learn your Deen, and work on your morals. These are precious values our children will get from us.
   
3. Learn a skill and be good at it. It can be more than one, but build one at least and be a pro at it.
   
   Baarakallahu feekum ❤️