With the recent paradigm shift caused by the pandemic, especially in Business Administration,

Finance, and Human Resources, it is with no doubt that one has to make himself/herself relevant
not just because of what one has been able to achieve over time but how such an individual can
be creative, innovative and unique in 0nes field of specialization. I learned this in the 11+ years
working with The World Bank that it is not just about one’s level of habituation that keeps you
relevant but also the ability to work outside the comfort zone of the individual.

I started my professional career as a trainee with a non-government charity organization Kudirat

Initiative for Democracy in 2004. In 2005, through a competitive selection process, I was
selected and trained to be a trainer with the same organization. With funding from British
Council and the European Union (€99,000) Ninety thousand Euros) I trained a total of 2,500
female students between 2006 and 2007 from three geopolitical zones in Nigeria in Life Building
& Entrepreneurial skills.

With the groundwork and activities, we were able to secure a €99,000 (Ninety-nine thousand
Euros) grant from European Union in 2006. Leading a diverse team, of individuals with varied
professional backgrounds, and communication styles were challenging. Many of the team
members had different competing priorities and levels of commitment, experience, and level of
authority than I.

To resolve this challenge, I worked with all team members to gain agreement on our aims and
vision which enabled us to successfully set aside these differences and integrate and drive the
experience of every member into the actualization of our goals and vision. In 2009, I got an
appointment with World Bank, Nigeria as a Program Assistant, and with the experience that I got
from Kudirat Initiative For Democracy and other training and Seminars such as World Youth
Employment Summit (YES Kenya 2006), Inter-Africa Conferences on Woman’s Leadership
(2005 Lagos, Nigeria), I was able to adapt quickly to the modus-Operandi where I was saddled
with Administrative, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Logistics and Project
management roles. As a Project Assistant, I have been pre-exposed to more administrative work
and I have been in more discussions with my supervisor and some of my team members on how
to perform more effectively in such a vital position.
With the energy I have drawn from my conversation with them, the reviews, tour of the website,
faculty, and staff, it is no doubt that Sussex is the right place for me. With the master’ Program at
the University of Sussex, I would not only be equipping myself on how to function more in my
professional career path but also be widening my horizon to other fields of Development and
Public Policymaking but also in Negotiations and Compromise in order to bring about results. I
would be honored and excited to spend the next year learning and getting to have the Sussex
experience firsthand.