A member of myJCR UCC Team, Andrews Kwakwa Peprah, had an interview with Prosper Dzitse, the National Union of Ghana Students President-elect via WhatsApp on October 1, 2014 at 8:23pm…below is what ensued:
myJCR: myJCR will like to commence with our interview.
Prosper Dzitse (PD): Good evening let’s start in the next 7 minutes
myJCR: Ok
@ 8.30pm prompt
myJCR: Can we start please. I promise not to take too much of your time
PD: Ok
myJCR: Who are you please?
PD: I am Prosper Dzitse, A student of University of Ghana reading Bachelor of Public Administration. I am a former Local NUGS President of UG City Campus, a former Greater Accra Regional SRC President, and a former Head Prefect of O’Reilly SHS.
myJCR: Ok… so where do you come from?
PD: I come from Tefle in the South Tongu district of Ghana, a town located in the Volta Region which shares boundary with Sogakope
myJCR: Tell us something about your background and family.
PD: I come from a very large royal family. I am the 47th child of my late father Torgbe Mensah Dzitse
myJCR: Oh really.. then I guess you had a tough time with your elementary school. Tell us, where did you have your primary education and how was life that time?
myJCR: Hello… (after several minutes of not receiving a reply)
PD: Sorry. Someone called my line. Well, I must say my education was not a matter of difficulty until I lost my parents. I used to have one of the best form of parental support.
myJCR: Did you lose both parents?
(Delayed reply for some minutes)
PD: Hmmm..Sorry ooo. The interruptions…Yes I lost my mum at the age of 10 and my dad when I was 12. So even though not both at a time, it really had big effect on me. Both positive and negative. But I think sitting back today, I realize the positives are more.
myJCR: Oh what a pity… so which class were you in and how did u manage to sail through?
PD: I was in class 3 and 5 respectively but was later promoted ahead of my colleagues. I was also given a scholarship that covered my boarding and tuition because of my academic prowess that God endowed me with.
myJCR: Interesting… so would you say you were the best in the class?
PD: Yes I was always the best student in the class.
myJCR: Wow… so which year and school did u complete your basic education?
PD: I came to Accra in 2006 after I left Ebenezer Preparatory International School in Dambai, Volta Region in the Krachi East of Ghana. I came in 2nd term so no school wanted to admit me since they were almost done with the registration of their candidates for BECE.
It took the intervention of one teacher to make the Headmistress of Boundary Road Basic School to allow me examined after which she agreed that I was extremely good and should be registered. Surprisingly I emerged as the best student in the whole Accra Metro after our BECE and was nominated for the Presidential Special Awards in 2007. I won many academic awards in that regard.
myJCR: Why O’Reilly SHS and what experiences can you share from your school?
PD: Well, I think that O’Reilly SHS because God wanted me to be there. I must say O’Reilly was my 4th choice but that was where I had. I tried to change it but it didn’t work so I had no choice than to go and to be frank with u if I were to change it, I don’t know what would have happened to me or the school because God used me for a lot of things there.
I had a lot of leadership challenges thrown at me over there and by God’s grace I responded appropriately.
myJCR: What made you decide to be the senior prefect?
PD: I happened to be the first student to have been school prefect and SRC President two consecutive times. It is not as if there was no re-election, there was but the students voted for me again despite all the opposition from the ‘wrong’ people with the wrong motives.
I decided to run because God had nurtured that dream from basic school and I also identified certain challenges that I know I could help provide solutions to, but above all my class and a lot of other students pushed me.
They told me they believed in me, having been the first ever student to become an SRC Organizer in form one, and having been able to handle that gave them a lot of confidence that I was the best person for the job.
myJCR: Oh ok. Which religion do you belong to and where do you worship?
PD: Christianity. I am a Pentecostal and worship at the Church of Pentecost, Redemption Assembly, Adabraka.
myJCR: How is life on campus and how do you combine your academics and political life?
PD: Well, life I will say is normal because everything I do fits into the plan of God. He has always been there for me every step of the way and always order my steps.
I try to attend class any time am available but if there are things to be attended to which concerns humanity, I sacrifice classes for it.
myJCR: There is a story circulating that you have the backing of one leading political party. What is your response to that?
PD: Lol. (Laughs) That sounds funny anyway but I think that everyone who has followed NUGS election this year can attest to the fact that my backing was from God. They will also attest to the fact that my ability to build relationship with people coupled with the hard working team I had worked the magic for me and not any political party backing.
myJCR: Are you in a relationship?
PD: Lol.. (giggles) Yes I am in a relationship with someone who will prefer not to be mentioned.
myJCR: What are some of the ways you intend to move NUGS forward for the benefit of Ghanaian students?
PD: I think that in the days ahead we will be outdooring our action plan since it must first be approved by Central Committee of NUGS. But in a nutshell I will say that we will be the leaders that will provide:
1. Good governance and leadership.
2. Proactive activism or advocacy.
3. Proper welfare actualization.
myJCR: What do you aspire to become?
PD: I am born to mentor and raise leaders for my generation and those yet unborn. With my leadership philosophy, “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
I want to use my life raising quality and result-oriented leaders for my generation and those yet to come. I want to be a leader that my generation will be proud of, a leader who will always aspire to be the best I can be and stand the test of time for the masses even when progress is intercepted.
myJCR: Any advice to the Ghanaian student?
PD: To the students of Ghana and the youth at large, I will say they should take whatever they are doing very seriously. They should also have faith in NUGS and in Ghana and continuously do their part to make Ghana a better country for us all.
myJCR: Thank you very much for having a time with myJCR.com. God bless you.
PD: The pleasure is mine.
Interview ended at 10:30 pm
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