Jumoke Olatunji, a student of the Federal University Oye Ekiti with a small stature, tells ABIODUN NEJO how focused she has been on achieving her purpose in life and becoming a reference point for positive things
How old are you?
My name is Jumoke Deborah Olatunji. I am 19 years old. I am a native of Igbara Odo, Ekiti State, born and brought up in Ibadan. I am a 100-level student of Linguistics and Language at the Federal University Oye Ekiti.
Who are your parents?
My mum is a teacher in a private school, and my dad is a fashion designer.
What was growing up like as a child?
I thank God for my life. It has been God; if not for God, I would not have been alive.
Is that to say you did not enjoy good health while growing up?
I enjoyed good health. I had no challenges growing up; I am just giving all glory to God.
But then, how did you feel that you were not growing like your age mates?
When I was in primary school, I felt ashamed because I thought that my age mates were growing up and I was not growing. So, I thought it was not normal. Then, sometimes I would cry, sometimes I would not. But that was then; that was in the past.
How many siblings do you have?
I have two younger siblings. I am the eldest. They are far taller than me.
Do they give you funny treatment because of your stature?
No, they do not.
When did your parents notice that you were no longer growing?
I don’t know about that.
Did your parents tell you that they took one step or another to remedy the situation to ensure that you grow like your age mates?
Yes. My mum and I went to Adeoyo Hospital in Ibadan. After some days, they said they would transfer me to University College Hospital, Ibadan. But I said I would not go because if God wanted me to grow, I would.
Do you think it is still possible for you to grow like your age mates?
I don’t think about that. I am not thinking about it.
How were you treated by your schoolmates when you were in secondary school?
We were given equal treatment. In secondary school, then, at times we fought. But I was not treated as if I was nothing.
How do you feel when you are cheated because of your stature?
I don’t allow people to cheat me. I let people know that I can never be cheated.
What does education mean to you that you still chose to have a university education?
It means a lot. They say education is the best legacy. Education gives you knowledge. Education has many advantages. If I had opted for any vocation after secondary education, lack of adequate education would always be a missing link. But with my university certificate, I will be what I want to be. By being educated, I can expand my reach, get what I want, and make people marvel at me.
Naturally, what course did you always love to study?
I wanted to study Theatre Arts then, but now, I am studying Linguistics, and I am happy.
How do you feel not studying Theatre Arts?
When my score was not up to what the school required to study Theatre Arts, I just felt that everyone did not have to belong to Theatre Arts and that what God wanted for me was different. That is why I am in Linguistics and Languages. It is what God wants for me.
Is that to say you are no longer thinking of Theatre Arts?
I am no longer thinking of Theatre Arts because after I failed to meet the cut-off, I had to change my course. Now, I can see that Linguistics is very broad; it is an interesting course. So, I now find it lovelier than the Theatre Arts I wanted. When I completed my secondary education, I was thinking of Political Science, but after a while, I thought I could act and do anything that had to do with the stage. That was how I changed my mind about Theatre Arts.
However, after a while, I fell in love with Linguistics. I realised that by studying Linguistics, I could become anything I wanted. Linguistics deals with language. By studying Linguistics, I can work anywhere: in a hospital, law firm, etc.
Getting to FUOYE, have you been embarrassed by coursemates and friends because of your size?
I have not been embarrassed by my friends because my mum was with me the day I resumed. When we got there, I entered the class and noticed that there were many people there. I sat at the back with a girl I met by the roadside.
According to the girl, she is in the Linguistics Department. She helped me locate the class.
When we got to the class, I sat with her at the back. Some people took my photographs and posted them on the departmental WhatsApp platform. I did not even know. After some time, based on the photos sent to the platform, I became very popular in my class; people could remember what they saw. People were now telling me that the day I came, some people took my photographs and posted them to the platform.
They asked on the group’s platform, ‘Whose sister or daughter is missing?’ After that, they didn’t make fun of me. Then, one day, a lecturer in our department came to our class. When he noticed me, he asked me to stand up because I usually sit in the front row.
He asked whether I was a student, and my coursemates replied in the affirmative. He called me out and told the class that I should be treated like all other coursemates and that I should not be body-shamed or disrespected. He said my coursemates should not treat me badly because of my stature.
Specifically, what was unique about your first day in the class?
I was afraid and asked my mum whether the school security personnel would not send me back from the school gate or ask who brought his or her younger sister because of my stature.
My mum told me that so far, I attended primary school and went to secondary school, there was nothing different about university. She said from my looks and how I responded to their questions, they (security guards) would know that I was not of little age and that I was far older than some people there.
In my mind, at that time, I saw the university as a strange place where I didn’t know anybody, but when I got there, I noticed that people were saying, ‘Ta lo lomo yi? Ta lo lomo?’ meaning, ‘Who owns this child? Who has the child?’ Some were speaking pidgin to inquire about my mission and who brought me there.
Looking at your stature, what can happen overnight that will give you the greatest happiness?
It is sleeping and waking up that makes me happy. It is not by my power. Again, what can make me happy is being at the top of the class, coming out with good grades, and making my parents proud of me. I feel satisfied when my parents are not sad and when they get to hear good news about me.
Again, what makes me happy is that when I think about myself, I feel unique. I don’t look at anybody. I don’t care about what people say about me. I do not do anything because I want people to like me, but the way God wants me to do it. I do unto others what I want them to do to me. I treat others the way I want to be treated.
Did you get special treatment from your teachers in secondary school, and now in the university?
No special treatment. They treat everybody equally.
What would you like to be in the future?
I like to become what God wants me to become. In my mind now, I am not thinking of anything; I am praying to God to make me become whatever He wants me to become. I desire good things; I want to become a good person in the future; a person that people will look up to. I want to be looked up to as a good example.
Which sports do you like?
In secondary school, I did not partake in any sport; I only clapped for them. I also play the Ludo game.
What are you most grateful to God for?
I am grateful to God for keeping me alive, and for keeping my parents alive. I am also grateful for the wisdom and knowledge. That I am small in stature does not mean I am small in intelligence. I am grateful to God because I am alive, my parents are alive, and He gave me wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. I am not short of these at all.
What has been your saddest moment?
When I was going to do my WAEC and NECO exams, people made fun of me. At that time, I was always taking my handkerchief with me because some people would say, ‘E wo bo seri’, ‘Se won ran wa ba enikan sise ni?’ meaning, ‘Look at how she is,’ ‘Did someone send her to come and sit the exam for anyone?’
Sometimes, the jests would make me cry, but I would not want people to see me; I would use my handkerchief to wipe the tears. That made me sad, but that was then. If someone comes to me now and starts body-shaming me, I will tell the person he or she is not God. God wants me to be like this, and that is why I am like this. If God did not want me to be like this, I would not have been like this.
Is there a way your small stature is affecting you in your studies?
At times I am happy, at times I am sad. But when I am happy, I am happy for a reason. That is why I always say, ‘Jumoke, this your stature should not deceive you. When you get to school, be a good child your parents want you to be. Come out with good grades; you don’t have any boyfriend that will disturb you with ‘I love you,’ this and that. You should not have anything to distract you. Think straight and focus on your education.’
That explains why I am always happy; I don’t have anything to distract me. I am not crazy about food; even if I don’t have food at home, I am not sad. If I want to eat now, I may decide to do so maybe around 5 pm. I am not a food lover to that extent.
You said you don’t have a boyfriend. Is that to say boys have not been coming around you, or you have made a decision?
Well, boys have not been coming to me, and I don’t want anything like that now. I am not thinking about that now. It is not in my plan; it is against my personal decision. I am focused on my education now.
What is your impression of yourself?
I see myself as a person that God took time to create. I see myself as a perfect person; I see myself as a person that people will, in the future, look up to as a good leader.
What words do you have for people who tend to look down on themselves?
I love to advise them that they should not look down on themselves again because they cannot tell what tomorrow will be. As I am, I cannot tell tomorrow, but I will ensure that my future is bright. That is what I say all the time.
What I want to say to them is that they should profess positive things to themselves. They should believe that with God, all things are possible. Things can turn out amazingly positive for them in a way that their generation cannot imagine.
How do you spend your break?
I spend my break as a teacher in a private school in Ibadan. I teach Primary 4.
How are the children (pupils) relating to you?
They are familiar with me because I worked as a teacher for about three years in the school after my secondary school education before I got admission to FUOYE.
