7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Prof. Folasade Ogunsola – Winner, The Business of Academia - video Dailymotion

Guardian Nigeria

Watch 7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Prof. Folasade Ogunsola – Winner, The Business of Academia - Guardian Nigeria on Dailymotion

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00:00Good morning. Good morning. Thank you so much for being here live at the Guardian Studios here in

00:06Lagos. It's a real pleasure to be here. Thank you so much. You're welcome. You are the winner of

00:13you know the seven wonder women award under the category of academia and learning the business

00:22of academia and learning. Tell us how does this make you feel? You know it's often said that your

00:30reward is in heaven but getting this I think it's very gratifying that some of the work we try to do

00:40is recognized and I want to thank Guardian Women Festival for recognizing what we try to do. It's

00:47a very tough terrain as you know tertiary education in Nigeria. So I'm really grateful and I think I'm

00:55taking this on behalf of all women in academia and especially because there are not too many women

01:04in leadership in academia. I think till date only about 11 percent of all the vice chancellors and

01:13there are 279 of them are women. Right. You mentioned you know women in leadership. It's actually core and

01:23key for us. You know that's why we're out to always spotlight women and make sure that they understand

01:29that they can be there, they can get there and they can do the work just like the men. You know so

01:35what for you what does it feel like for you knowing that you have crossed that huddle. Would you want to

01:43share with us you know just a bit about your experience because I'm sure you must have worked

01:4810 times harder than the men to get to where you are today. Yes and I think like every woman

01:57many of us we never actually think of being in leadership especially administrative leadership.

02:03I think in academia we're quite comfortable being in leadership in scholarship which is being a

02:12professor. You know that's natural. You just do your work academic work but administration requires that

02:21you're dealing and managing people. It means that you're out there to be criticized, to be misunderstood,

02:29to be you know just you become the butt of everything and for many women we don't like that

02:36and I think what I have learned over time is that that too shall pass. The bad public as long as you

02:47know what you're doing you have a goal and that in academic in administration you take the long-term

02:52view. Once you have the vision you have the goal you're working towards it then it's less likely you

02:58get derailed by short-term criticism but also to tell them that no matter how bad it looks out there

03:05those who know what you're doing you still do have a lot of friends so look to your you know have

03:11your circle of people who support you always have that network so it's your network is important so

03:17I want to share with women it's not that bad you can do it just have your network yeah absolutely so

03:26this is of course one of the many I want to come and one of those who are that joined the list how does

03:33it what what does it mean for you I think this spurs us spurs me on um when I saw it um you know

03:43one told me I said I thought how did I get there you know um I I think it's really really gratifying I

03:52feel uh very proud to have this um I really I wasn't expecting it um of course you know that there

03:59are always a lot Unilag is always in the news somebody's always saying something I think where

04:04the butt of when they're looking for something to say about universities so I certainly would not

04:08have expected that I would be here but it is um it makes whatever we've done worthwhile um and I think

04:17it's from where I'm sitting it validates the work we've I've been doing and the the direction I'm

04:25trying to take the University of Lagos so I want to thank you I think this is um

04:31it's one of the awards I would truly cherish it was totally unexpected thank you very much thank

04:38you so finally um what is I want you to give a word out there to younger women who are definitely

04:45of course a lot of women are looking up to you well um I think I said it at some other

04:51that we in many ways for women please step forward um you don't have to know everything you don't have to

05:02you know you don't have to be sure that it will be okay step forward and start the journey I think

05:09what I would like to tell the way if you really if you think about it you think you'd like to do it

05:15step forward just do it you'll be scared but start that journey take one little step and gradually

05:22you'll find that if you break down what you need to do in small steps it's so achievable and one day

05:28you'll wake up and say oh I've traveled very far and I think that's the story for many of us

05:35in anything you want to do start so what I'll tell the women is start no matter what that little

05:41voice in your head is saying you're not good enough you are good enough you're enough thank

05:46you so much it's so good to have you here thank you so much thank you very much thank you

7 Wonder Women Awards 2025: Prof. Folasade Ogunsola – Winner, The Business of Academia

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