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THE GENESIS Our History, Fall 2001
"S
orry sir, the position was filled an hour ago." This is what Okechukwu Ofili heard after rushing to the computer lab for a job opening. It was not until later that Oke discovered that the person who received the position belonged to a school-based cultural society that notified their members about job openings around campus. This experience only confirmed what Oke, Chigo Okere, Justice Akuchie and Tolu Ayoola and Nene Otum– among others – had been discussing for months. All of them thought that the Nigerians at the University of Houston needed an organization that would provide not only a place to socialize, but offer networking opportunities. After weeks of discussing, the four of them decided it was time to put their plan into action. Oke immediately started collecting contact information from every Nigerian he came across in the dormitories and together, they spread the word of this new organization in the making. The final step was for them to march down to the University Center and sign the necessary forms to create the new organization – thus, the Nigerian Student Association (NSA) was
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born. As their idea was starting to materialize, the founding members ran into a few unexpected road blocks. To their surprise and dismay, the newly founded NSA was not very popular amongst Nigerians on campus and many voiced their doubts that this group would survive very long. Oke found that at that time, many people were not proud to say that they were Nigerian and it was quite the challenge to unite Nigerians on campus. The lack of support was rather disheartening to the founders, but they were determined to stick to their guns. A couple of informal meetings were immediately called to generate buzz about this new group. The few members they acquired set to work passing out flyers, Tolu developed a website, and Debbie Oluwo worked hard to raise funds from family and friends. Their collective efforts finally paid off on October 1st - Nigeria's Independence Day. The turnout was great! NSA slowly won over Nigerians on campus as they finally started to believe in the new club’s vitality. Members were both relieved and enthusiastic as they watched their vision become reality. Ten years later, NSA is stronger than ever.
The organization includes hundreds of members with countless more joining each year. One cannot deny the success that NSA has found in the community. In the same way NSA members have given their time and effort to the club, in return NSA has also given its' members leadership abilities. Numerous members have gone on to become successful in various facets of life. Okechukwu Ofili stresses that one of the great things about NSA is that it helps mold leaders. Among countless others, Oke uses Abby Kotun – former NSA president and now the prominent co-owner of the popular nightclub, Zanzibar, as a prime example of NSA’s instilment of management skills in its members. Since 2001 until the present day, the rate at which NSA is flourishing is nothing short of inspiring. From giving back to the community to encouraging academic prestige, NSA continues to be a model of excellence for Nigerian students. Thanks to the hard work of the founding members, present and future members of NSA now have a place they can network, gain leadership skills, and acquire lifelong friendships.