Olubando: American University of Beirut Prepared Me to Face Life with Confidence

The Lebanese-Nigeria Initiative is a social impact group established by some Lebanese business leaders in Nigeria. A few years ago, it endowed $1.5 million at the American University of Beirut to award full MBA scholarship every year to a young deserving Nigerian resident in the country as part of building skillful human capital for the Nigerian economy. Ajibola Olubando, the first beneficiary of the scholarship shared his experiences with Oluchi Chibuzor

To assist some of those who are seeking opportunities like this, can you tell us how you got to know about the LNI scholarship award?

A friend of mine informed me that the LNI is sponsoring a candidate for an MBA programme to one of the best schools in the world, the American University of Beirut, Lebanon. I have been looking out to a scholarship opportunity to further my studies at masters degree level in such leading school and I was excited about the prospect hence I applied.

So how did you feel when you were informed that you have been selected among many candidates?

As at that time I worked in Abuja so I was in the office when I got a call from someone in LNI, telling me congratulations, you have won the LNI scholarship for 2019/2020. I was in shock and later I started processing the information I heard. I knew I did my best during the application processes and so as other candidates. But God said it was my time. So I composed myself and went to inform my manager in the office and we jumped in excitement. I called my partner, my brother and sister to tell them of the great opportunity. It was really amazing to me to win the scholarship

Give us a summary of your experience in Beirut, what was the education like, the people, the culture?

The LNI management and the Chairman, Mr. Faysal El Khalil, were helpful at the very point of my entry into Beirut, everything was covered. It was really a beautiful experience. On arrival at Beirut airport which was about 2am, the chairman had already sent someone to receive me and drive me to the university. As soon as I arrived the airport, I saw beautiful mountain and the houses doting the landscape. It was picturesque. That was my first good impression about Beirut. It was a beautiful site. We proceeded to the school and got there about 2:40 am to a warm welcome.

I was taken to my room and made sure I was comfortable, that was my first experience. The next day, the LNI chairman came around and took me on a tour of the university. I got to know where to get my food, groceries and was shown everything I needed to survive in the school.

In terms of academics, AUB is one of the best schools in the world. The faculty, curriculum, the intensive lectures, seminars and writing theses ensured you were kept busy almost 24 hours. Our class and indeed the school has multi-racial population with students from France, Spain, the Netherlands, the United States, among others. As part of getting hands-on information about production processes, we went on business excursion to China to learn about how the Chinese people’s work ethic that made China global leader in manufacturing. It was an enlightening experience for me. If I take on all the experience, I can write a book on it.

On the tourism side, Beirut is one of the most exciting cities in the world. For Lagosians and Nigerians, it is close to home because everywhere is bubbling and hustling: small streets, high rise buildings, very happy and warm people. If you have been in Beirut, you wont feel anything different from being in Lagos. The people are very welcoming. To balance it up, there are so many activities in the country side for visiting. I went skiing. I also visited my friends, their home town, went to an amusement park in the middle of Lebanon. Food was another experience. All together I will say, the education, social life, the exposure that LNI MBA scholarship at AUB has equipped me to face the future with great confidence.

On the lighter side, talk about the food culture, the language, how you were able to navigate those terrains

In Beirut, they eat lots of bread, flat bread, the type we use here to make shawarma. There is plenty salad and many other variety of meals. In the area of language, I was surprised to see that most people speak different languages: Arabic, French, English, Irish, etc. I also heard people speak Yoruba and Igbo, meaning that there are so many Nigerians living and doing business in Lebanon. Beirut like Lagos is a very diversified and inclusive city. In the class, people were speaking different languages and I was like, take it easy let me try and catch up. With the diversity of languages going to places was easy because the average person on the street could speak a little English.

If you are to advise the next set of LNI scholars, what will you tell them?

LNI MBA scholarship will definitely change your lives, change your world if you are lucky to win it. So you need to be diligent in processing the application, prepare yourself, It is not an easy exercise. I give you an instance. In Nigeria we take eight courses in a semester or there about, but at AUB, I took four courses but those four were deep and intensive. There are short lecture hours but you do a lot of research, writing, group seminars, and so forth. It is an intense experience that changes you and builds you up. I will advise any candidate applying to do his/her best and not allow the opportunity slip away.

As beneficiary of this MBA scholarship, what can you say to LNI?

To the chairman and all executives of the Lebanese-Nigeria Initiatives, I really cannot thank you enough for this fantastic opportunity that you have given me and all other Nigerians that have opportunities to get quality education and come back to Nigeria to be a tool for social and economic changes. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity.

How are you going to use the knowledge gained to impact the community, which is the essence of the scheme?

On the business side, a friend of mine has an agriculture business which we were planning before I went for the programme. The knowledge and training I have got will help me know how to advise the business better and will help us optimize our operations and help us avoid certain pitfalls and be able to plan our success. Personally I am able to manage my time, my income and expenditure is better planned now. I can discern profitable investment opportunities and plan how to get funding where necessary. I am already a part of the LNI family and will continue to be a good ambassador of the initiative.

I will also be looking at a small scholarship for local students, taking the expenditures of these local students in universities and secondary schools in my community in Lagos here and in Nigeria. We will also focus on those who are graduating from the universities and polytechnics to provide proper career roadmap for them. I will encourage them to take advantage of the LNI MBA scholarship at AUB because it gives you a leg up in wherever you find yourself in future.