I have always taken a keen interest in public affairs, always wanting to know what was happening in the

world so studying politics and international relations is a natural attraction for me. I have been encouraged
to pursue concentrated study due to my incredible fascination with the impact that political decision
making has on humanity.

Politics affects our everyday life more than we realise, one governmental policy can affect so many.
Furthermore, I hope to carry my higher education learning forward and transfer my skills and knowledge
into a professional environment.

It has never seized to amaze me at what is being described as politics in my country Nigeria. The political
parties are not guided by proper ideologies unlike those parties in the United Kingdom.

This made me come to the conclusion that this was the main root of corruption in Nigeria. Chinua Achebe,
the famous Nigerian author once said "Nigerians are corrupt not because they are different fundamentally
from any other people in the world but because the political system under which they live today makes
corruption easy and profitable; they will cease to be corrupt when corruption is made difficult and
inconvenient."

Nigeria is the largest country in Africa by population but majority still live in poverty. Nigeria being the 6th
largest oil producer in the world has huge potential only if it can solve some of its corruption issues.

I believe by me studying politics and international relations I will gain the skills and experience which will
enable me to make a difference in the political system in my country. It might take a while but with so
many people in my generation showing an interest in politics, a change will eventually come and I want to
be a part of that change.

Aside from studying, I enjoy keeping up to date with current affairs by watching the news and reading
newspapers, I play various sports but my passion lies in athletics; long distance running to be specific in
which I represented for my secondary school team and won medals.

This helped me develop a sense of time keeping skills as I always need to time myself. I also enjoy
reading books of different genres, although my favourite genre is historical and my favourite author being
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her books are inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies which all but
forgotten by recent generations.

"The thing around your neck" was one of her books that really inspired me; it's a collection of stories,
about Nigerians struggling to cope in their corrupted country. Reading so many books over the years has
helped me improve my vocabulary.

I participated in the citizenship and leadership training course at sea school, Lagos, Nigeria. The
environment was completely different from what I was used to but I was able to adapt so as to enjoy it
and complete it successfully. During this course we had to engage in team building activities, address
audiences and also complete various tasks such as canoeing and rock climbing.

From this, I was able to develop leadership skills and also improve my team working skills.

I look forward to the challenge of me undertaking a Master degree and the challenges it will bring, I am
very motivated and I believe that this along with my skills I have gained over the years will not only help
me cope with the pressure of attainting a Master degree but will also enable me to make a real
contribution to the course.