Inside OAU: The Untold Realities of Student-Athletes
Adedoyin Onajobi As early as 5:30 a.m. on a daily basis, Zuco, a final year student from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Recreation (KHR), who is also the captain of the OAU Handball team, is already awake or at least preparing to be. Zuco sometimes finds it difficult to get up, but by or before 6 a.m., he is already on his feet, rushing to be ready 15 minutes before his 7 a.m. lecture. So, by or before 11 p.m., he will finally fall asleep, till tomorrow where he follows the same routine. Zuco’s reality is not unusual at Obafemi Awolowo University. Across different Faculties and Departments, a number of students live a somewhat “double life,” in that they attend lectures, write exams, and still represent themselves, their department, faculty and even the university on the pitch, court, and pool, simultaneously. Findings revealed a 64.2% sport participation prevalence among Nigerian undergraduate students,...