In Yoruba, the word ‘Ọmọkọmọ’ roughly translates to “an irresponsible or wayward child”. But for several preclinical UIMSAites, it represents something more, or more accurately, a group, the 2k24’s Ọmọkọmọ Association. In this interview with the UIMSA Press, the group, consisting of Ilugbaro Tolulope (Scarlet), Chidinma Nwannevu (Nevu), Oreoluwa Jadesimi (Ory G), Ademola Ayomide (Ayo), and Ariyo Adeoluwa (Ade), sat down to discuss their guiding philosophy, wildest moments so far, and thoughts on everything else. Read on.
I: Good afternoon, guys. The basis of the interview is to have an insight into your group, the Ọmọkọmọ Association. Ọmọkọmọ has been quite intriguing personally for me. I’m curious about many things like if the name of the group is an intentional misnomer or if it represents what it says and who the administrator is.
Scarlet: Ehn, there is no WhatsApp group exactly. It’s not really a tough-knit brotherhood. It’s just a… how will I put it?
Nevu: [interjects] An interesting moniker, a concept.
Scarlet: Something light. So there’s no admin; there’s no head of the association.
Ory G: I feel like he said it’s more of a concept. It’s not as if we woke up one morning, and we said they should start calling us that. People just started perceiving. It’s just their perception.
Nevu: Exactly!
Ory G: They just feel like we are like that. They don’t have evidence. There’s no “yes, this is why they are this”. They just ran with it.
I: So, then there’s no structure?
Ory G: This Ọmọkọmọ Association is of the people, by the people and for the people.
I: Wod. Wod. So how exactly did you guys meet?
Ayo: If I remember well, it was that dinner that we took the first group picture, that 100-level dinner, the Starlight one.
Nevu: That’s just a group picture, but we had been in operations before that night.
Scarlet: We had been tagged previously.
Ayo: Just say us wey like woman for that class.
Ory G: Apart from that, we have common interests. You feel me? And when interests are common, you know it makes the work easier. Also, about 60% of us in the association found our rooms beside each other.
I: When you talk about common interests, what are these common interests?
Scarlet: Basically, we like to play games… I mean.
I: For clarity, please mention the games.
Scarlet: Yes… PES. We hunt. We like night walks. You know, just to stroll and receive fresh air.
Ory G: At the same time, we also value music, you feel me. It might not be formal, but there’s an artiste and there are people that make decisions with him. So it’s not really formal that this is the manager, but like there is someone making music and there are people that are like “this how you do it” “this is when to do it”, and take decisions alongside too.
Ayo: And we literally play PES too.
I: So if I’m being correct, you guys like playing football games, and then hunting.
Ory G: No, no, no hunting is not there.
I: I’ve heard hunting twice.
Scarlet: Oya Ory G, explain hunting.
Ory G: We hunt for a better life.
Nevu: [interjects] Goals.
Ory G: We just want to keep getting better, and better.
I: Real. What do you like most about this group? What do you think is unique about your group?
Scarlet: I think it’s the fact that there is no structure you know. In PES, for example, you can have flexible formation, and you can have maintain formation. It’s a very flexible unit; the rule is there are no rules. So there’s no particular way to put it, it’s just people enjoying their friendship.
Nevu: Well, it’s the same thing he has said. It’s a breath of fresh air. You come in, you see your people, you see people you have been tagged with it, and you’re like “Okay, this is my guy”. Not for any particular reason, just someone that will have your back. You have been inducted.
Scarlet: You say na inducted, you don dey talk am like cult [laughs].
Ayo: Well, uhh. I just like the fact that, the way people see us you know… when you hear Ọmọkọmọ, what do you actually think of? I like the fact that we actually portray the bad boy vibe, and then the pictures we take together too, they are always so hard, especially the dinner ones.
I: Hmm, the structureless brotherhood. I suspect you guys will soon have a structure. Scarlet seems not to want a structure.
Scarlet: I like where there are no rules.
Nevu: …where things can be spontaneous.
Ayo: no come near my babe oo.
Ory G: What are friends for?
Nevu: Sharing is caring.
I: Were there ever instances where you felt like, this thing that could have stopped happening? For example, when exams are coming, you stop talking to some people and then you just feel like you need to move on and find another clique.
All: No.
Nevu: That has never come into it.
I: Or you guys have had a bout of disagreement, that actually degenerated?
Ory G: Just like he said, there’s no structure so as much as we read together, vibe together, we can also read with other people. It does not really [matter]. [Just] live your life.
I: Like an open relationship.
All: [laughs]
Ory G: Even when we fight, it does not last up to 20 minutes. When it happens, within minutes, we are already laughing with each other again.
I: Nice. Individually, I want you guys to run me through what your best memory has been with this particular group.
Ayo: I think it should be the dinner!
I: Please what happened at that dinner? [laughs]
Ayo: Is it [on] individual scale or group scale?
I: I want to hear both.
Ayo: The first one, Starlight and something. For me, the dinner was wild!
I: You keep mentioning this dinner like something happened there [lol]
Ayo: Someone has those videos. If those videos leak, I’m finished [laugh]. It was really good, and I can’t forget it. It was special.
Nevu: My best memory with this crew, hmm… let me think. Well, I’d say at every party we go to, we enjoy it. It was around one of those times I got drunk at one of them. That was my first time getting high like that.
I: We all have our first time.
Nevu: I do know that at a point, my head was turning, and I was smiling like a fool.
Scarlet: My most memorable Ọmọkọmọ moment was Bonfire. Not the most recent one. That night, let’s just say the second half of that night was for me. Let’s just leave it like that. I’ve also enjoyed other moments [like] the nights out strolling to different hostels.
Ayo: Female hostels.
Scarlet: All hostels just feeling the ambience around the university. One memorable one that I’d prefer not to remember was the after-party for FOP our class did. Let’s no dwell upon it; the association carried me.
Ory G: Like they said, you know every time we go out to party, to relieve some stress, the usual school stress and all. When you’re at a party with your guys, you know how different it is from partying alone. It’s a different vibe. Apart from that, other nice moments are when a brother wins, and everyone is happy. And then you win and everyone is happy. Like Mr UIMSA here, him winning. Scarlet here, winning a contest in Bello, and I remember when I too won Artiste of the Year in UI. You know, different scenarios of when one wins and everyone is happy.
I: So, it’s been nice hearing all these memorable events. Now, let’s say the family grows, what do you think will stop an Ọmọkọmọ from being an Ọmọkọmọ?
Ayo: Banging [laughs].
Ory G: As he said, failure in any aspect of life, [and] it does not have to be academics every time you feel me. Like if we talk to each other, we pick up each other again
I: But picking up each other again doesn’t mean the person stops being an Ọmọkọmọ. I’m saying “This person ceases to be my brother the moment…”.
Ory G: Oh!
Scarlet: I feel, it entirely depends on the person. There are cases where the person feels “Okay, I don’t want to vibe with this particular set of people again”. So in cases like that, there’s literally nothing we can do except to say “Talk to us let’s know what’s going on”. That kind of thing. I mean if you need space. You can’t force somebody.
Ory G: If the question was, what can change an Ọmọkọmọ? You know; Ọmọkọmọ boys don’t fall in love o.
I: So if you fall in love?
Ory G: How will you be falling in love? What is love? We don’t deal in [the] abstract; we deal in what we can see. [laughs]
I: Who is the most social person here?
All: Ory
I: Who is the party animal?
Scarlet: Actually, Investor (Ayo).
I: Who is the best dancer?
Scarlet: I know it’s definitely not me or Nevu. [laughs]
Nevu: It’s investor.
I: Who would you pass the aux?
Nevu: Na Ory now.
I: Who is the most fashionable?
Nevu: We’ve never considered it
Scarlet: Mhm. Who would I pick as the most fashionable? My narcissistic self. [laughs]
Ayo: Judging from a very honest view… na me dey dress pass out of all of us [laughs]. Let’s look at the two dinners.
Scarlet: For Diamonds and Starlight, we literally wore the same thing. Aside [from] the fact that you wore all black and I [wore] black, white and silver.
Ayo: I think that was one of the things that inspired us to take that picture.
Nevu: Although, Ade wore a white shirt and black trousers.
Ory G: Wo, we fit put two people slash cos I no like all these fight.
Scarlet: Most of us just dress the same way actually.
I: Fairs. Who is the best chef? Since you guys stay together.
Ory G: It’s one of these two. I’d put Nevu/Scarlet. But if it’s another type of cooking, na me o.
I: Most likely to poison someone with horrible cooking?
All: [laughts] Ory!
I: Who is most likely to use three days to respond to texts or calls?
Scarlet: E fit be me o
Nevu: I think it’s me actually. I can text very late.
I: Who is the most likely to stab a class?
Nevu: I think I’m the least likely to stab though.
Scarlet: Most likely will either be me or Ory G.
I: Who is the most emotional person? Who is most likely to fall in love?
Nevu: Na Ade! I swear na Ade!
Ayo: Even on the field, when he concedes.. na Ade.
I: Who is the player?
Scarlet: Ory G no dey play for field but e dey net
I: He’s never beating these allegations. Who is most likely to spend on stupid things?
Scarlet: No idea… E go gats be Nevu. He does impulse buying more than me.
Nevu: True true. But not so much sha.
I: So you guys like gaming a lot. Who’s the best player?
Nevu: It’s between [the] two of you (Scarlet and Ayo).
Scarlet: For the record, I have the better win.
Ory G: Actually, na me.
Nevu: Ory G stick to your type of game [laughs].
Ayo: I no gree.
Scarlet: We’ll settle it later and give you our response
I: So, it’s between Ayo and Scarlet. For the final question, I want you all to tell me your favourite thing about the four other members.
Nevu: My favourite thing about AY: I won’t lie, your pictures [chef’s kiss].
My favourite thing about Ory G [is his] words of wisdom every time.
My favourite thing about Ade [is] seeing him play [and] watching him keep.
And my favourite thing about this one [Scarlet] which is the same thing I hate [is that] he’s inclined to spread violence.
Scarlet: My favourite thing about AY is he’s very free. Like he relates very easily, [and he is] very jovial. I like people that don’t take life too seriously.
Ory G! Well let’s say, he’s like this random wrecking ball that if you want to scatter everywhere you can just toss, like a grenade now. If you want everything to dissolve into chaos, just let Ory G loose, like the life of the party that kind of thing.
Nevu. He manages to set you up with food; like he comes through for you.
Ade. I like watching him ball.
Ory G: AY. AY is free with people, [and] it’s obvious in the way he relates. There’s no bad blood with anybody.
Ade is really talented, on and off the field. With his drawings and when he’s keeping.
Scarlet and Nevu. Both of them are really intelligent, book-wise and off-books, and they’re both great cooks. Yeah, that’s it basically.
Ayo: Nevu, I like the fact that he is really easygoing, very soft. It’s just something I admire in him.
Scarlet, my bro. I like the fact that there’s no time I go to him that he does not offer help, he’s a team player. I stay off campus, so anytime I come, be it 10 o’clock I know I have somewhere to charge.
Ory G, his talent! I don’t know how he can juggle. I was once a musically inclined person. Bro, it’s too crazy, and the fact that he hasn’t dropped in his academic life. It shows how resilient and coordinated he is.
Then, Ade, I like that we share a few things in common. Like movies. And then his talent too. His art!
I: It’s been very interesting to learn about you guys’ brotherhood. It felt good hearing you guys speak about yourselves and the memories you’ve shared amongst other things. It was nice having you all.