The Mass communication students’ association, UNILAG week closed yesterday with the unveiling of the winner of the Face of Mass communication contest, Adekola Oluwatofunmi. In this interview with ABIOLA OGUNLEYE, the beauty queen shares her foray into the modelling world as well as why she thinks Nigeria’s next president should be a female.
Can we meet you?
My name is Adekola Oluwatofunmi Gloria. I am 18 years old. I am a 100 level student of the University of Lagos where I’m currently studying Mass Communication. Apart from being a student, I am also a model, a writer and I own a You-tube channel. I love to cook for fun and I also love to visit new places and I also spend some time volunteering to help those in need. Thank you very much.
How has your experience been in the modelling industry?
I started out wanting to be a high-fashion model. That’s the runway part of modelling, the high fashion editorials and stuff like that but unfortunately, I didn’t get a warm welcome into that part of the industry. They said I wasn’t tall enough, wasn’t skinny enough. I got body shamed and stuff like that. But then, I didn’t want to give up on modelling. So the beginning of this year -2021, I delved into the commercial modelling industry and fortunately for me, they love me here. So I started out working with Glo and from there, I’ve been working with other reputable brands. I’m not saying I am where I want to be but then I am definitely going places from here and I’m grateful to everyone that supports me for that. I am also glad that my persistence is finally paying off.
Congratulations on winning the “Face of Mass communication” contest. What was it like for you entering the competition?
It was a very lovely process. I’ll like to commend the [MCSA] excos because they made the registration very easy and seamless. At first, I was unsure because of the exposure; my parents don’t really like me modelling. But I decided that it’s time for bigger things and for bigger exposure, so I decided a platform like the “Face of Mass Comm.” was the next big thing for me to do and that’s why I entered into the competition. And of course, I don’t regret it. I’m so happy I won.
Did you at any point feel discouraged during the contest?
To be honest, there wasn’t a moment where I felt discouraged or anything like that, not at all. I was just confident in myself and in my abilities. I’m grateful I have the platform but I just told myself that, ‘Tofunmi, if you win or if you don’t win, just know that you’re a good person and you’re going to go and do great things.” So that was my mind set. And I think that’s the mind set everyone should have. Losing is not the end of the world, after all.
In your entry, you spoke about Nigeria being ready for a female president. Can you speak more about that?
Yes, I did speak about Nigeria being ready for a female president. I honestly feel that is what this country needs right now, at this moment in time. As a matter of fact, I personally think that women are the strongest and the most intelligent creatures on this planet. I read a 2016 study that shows that women show more emotional intelligence than men. There’s this ability to nurture, ability to persevere, to multitask. The most understanding beings on this planet are women and there’s this compassion. I believe that if our leaders had compassion for us -the subjects in this country, I believe Nigeria would be a better place, the best place ever. So yes, we do need a female president. I can’t wait for that to happen.
Tell us a bit about your other interests apart from Modelling?
Like I said earlier, I like to visit new places. That’s because I’m an adventurous person. I like to try new food, just see new things and learn new things. It excites me. Then I started my You-tube channel during the lockdown just to have fun and connect with an audience while improving my vocabulary skills. The real reason I started the channel was to improve my oratory skills. I really want to be able to talk with people and flow with them, to connect with people. So about my volunteering activities, I joined the Girl Power Foundation two or three years back. The Girl Power Foundation is committed to helping young girls and women who are needy. Then, my mum also owns her own NGO, it’s called the Couples and Kids Social Initiative. I have a lot of plans with that NGO. I really want to start a movement with the students of Mass communication partnering with that NGO.
Moving on, what should we expect to see you do with this new platform?
When asked why I wanted to become the face of Mass communication, I answered that it was because I think this would be a good platform for me to give back to the society and I was really serious about that. With Mass Communication students, I really want to do a lot of charity work in partnership with my mum’s NGO like I also mentioned earlier. So by God’s grace, we’ll be doing a lot of charity work. So help me God.
Any last words?
I aspire to inspire before my reign expires. Thank you so much for having me!
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