In this edition of IndyPress Spotlight, IndyPress correspondent Abdulrasheed Olokoto speaks with Sulaimon Afees, a final year Law student at the University of Ibadan and resident of Great Independence Hall, about his experiences as a marathon runner and the challenges of running his business, Mopefees Hub.

Could you briefly introduce yourself to our readers, including your academic background, sporting discipline and business interests?

I am Sulaimon Afees, a final year Law student. I attended St. John’s Primary School and Ibadan Grammar School, and I am currently a student at the University of Ibadan. I run marathons and own a business. I am the convener of Mopefees Hub, which deals in phone accessories, gadgets and related items.

I run long distances that are not tracked most of the time. The truth is that most competitions organise long distance races, such as 10 km road races, rather than full marathons, and that is what I participate in most often.

As for marathons, I have completed a full marathon, several half marathons and a personal ultramarathon of 62 kilometres, which was documented.

When did your passion for sports begin, and what first attracted you to it?

I decided to run because someone said I couldn’t run. I wanted to prove the person wrong, and in the process, I became an athlete. There was a time when I was working before I gained admission to the University. I would randomly jog six kilometres before boarding a cab to my workplace.

Also, reading books by David Goggins made me fall in love with running. Weird as it may sound, I am fascinated by ultramarathons and the like. I plan to run one someday.

What have you been able to achieve in marathons?

I came third in the last session’s VC Male Marathon and was first runner up at the 2024/2025 session’s Professor Bamgbose Marathon. I was also named the Law Students’ Society’s Most Outstanding Person in Sport for the 2024/2025 session, came fourth runner up at the Sigma Club Marathon this session and won a medal at the Ekiti Marathon, among other achievements.

What does sports mean to you beyond competition and entertainment?

I love the spirit of sportsmanship. A marathon is like a prototype of life. The person with speed may not arrive first, and even if that person does, the weaker runner will also arrive eventually.

In the end, the marathon has taught me that it is not about competing with others but about competing with myself. Am I willing to arrive? And much more.

You are not only a student and athlete but also a businessman. How did you get into business, and what motivated you to start one while still in school?

The business was actually a coincidence. I was involved in sales and marketing before I went fully into it.

How do you divide your attention between academics, sports and business?

I address them as they come. Training is mostly in the morning, and I find my balance between them. But seriously, it is about priority.

What has been your most difficult experience as a student athlete and entrepreneur?

As an athlete, I have had difficult experiences, including bottling races, missing my route and fainting during a race.

As an entrepreneur, sales are not stable, which can be discouraging, but we thank God.

What challenges do student athletes in Nigeria face that people outside the sporting community may not understand?

There are not enough standard marathons apart from state marathons. The roads are bad, and Nigeria’s sports management is poor. What schools organise are road races, not even half marathons. It is truly discouraging, both in terms of management and the attitude of students. It just shows that we have a long way to go.

I ran the Lagos Marathon and was not given a medal. They were selling medals at the event. There is no system in place, no compensation and a lot more. In long distance running, we are probably still in the 1990s as a country.

They did well in terms of welfare in Lagos State, but I was not given a medal. The problem was that I registered for the 10 km race but switched overnight to the 42 km race. I did not register again, which explains why I was not given a medal.

Do you think Nigerian universities are doing enough to support students who want to combine academics with professional or competitive sports?

They are doing worse. Much worse! The University of Ibadan, particularly, apart from football and basketball teams, what else do we have?

We are doing worse, and we can do better. Even some federal universities in our situation are doing better than us, like Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).