In July 2018, the BellaNaija Features team decided to take a closer look at academia in Nigeria. We recognize that the current state of our educational system leaves a lot to be desired. However, in spite of all the difficulties, Nigerians still go through the system and manage to excel in their field of studies. Even more commendable are Nigerians who go over and beyond graduate level, by attempting and completing post graduate degrees. It is for this reason that we decided to specially recognize and celebrate people who completed their PhDs in Nigeria. Naija Doctorate & Proud is a celebration of Nigerians who have obtained their doctorate degrees from Nigerian universities. To follow this series, bookmark this page
Today, Dr. Olufemi Oke has graciously offered to share his Naija doctorate experience with us. Olufemi graduated from the University of Lagos as the overall best student in Creative Arts department, in 2008. His Masters and Ph.D degrees were from the same university. Greatest Akokites! Great!
He is currently a research scholar at the Department of Theatre Arts, University of Miami where he is working on a comparative analysis of the African Operatic theatre and the Western Musical Theatre especially as it influences and affects the presentation of the present day Nigerian Musical Theatre. He is also working presently on the study; Suicide, Euthanasia and Comparative Dramaturgy: A Comparative Dramaturgy of Selected American and Nigerian Films with some American scholars.
We asked Olufemi what he learned from his Naija Doctorate experience and his response was simple: “Highest level of patience, humility, bravery, confidence, belief and unshaken desire to achieve what I start out to.”
It is no mean feat to obtain a Doctorate any where in the world, and to do it in Nigeria means you rock! Enjoy our chat with Dr. Oke.
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Thank you for speaking to us Dr. Oke. Please walk us through the process of getting a PhD degree – from picking a research topic, to finding a supervisor, the methodology and thesis.
The PhD process is supposed to be quite straight forward. The student has to first have a desire to answer a particular question thereby having a specific contribution to knowledge. Then she or he seeks for a potential supervisor in a university and once approval is achieved, the student then applies to the university post- graduate school for admission. PhD does not follow the regular undergraduate admission process, as PhD study can start at any time of the session depending on the admission time from the post-graduate school.
Different schools have slightly different research process and it will interest you to know that even different departments and colleges have slightly different styles and so on. However, some things do not change and that is the linear process after admission. This linear process entails; after admission, the student does a mandatory course work before proceeding to departmental seminars based on the research work. The departmental seminar vary in different departments and schools but once the department certifies the student has done the needful in the research, he or she will then be processed for the post-graduate examination committee. This committee is the determining body for PhD student’s success or failures and it will interest you to know that even if a student has been in the program for ten years, if he or she does not scale this tough committee’s scrutiny the first time, then there is another opportunity after which a student may even be asked to withdraw. (I did mine once, so I really do not know much of the consequences though).
Once a student is congratulated by this committee, he or she is expected to finish writing the entire thesis in a given period, submit for final evaluation, attend a viva of select Professors and then addressed as a Doctor of Philosophy if all goes well. I have not heard of many people failing this stage of the program though.
That’s quite a rigorous process to go through. What inspired your decision to get a doctorate degree in your field of study?
I have always wanted to have pragmatic enquiries especially because I never wanted my researches to end up on just the library shelves as common in the Nigerian and African academia. I would rather have a physical impact on people than just have accumulated researches on the shelf. This is what inspired me into researching into one of the ways the output of our theatrical productions can be maximized in order to be respected and patronized again. I have been an actor and director and this also added to my resolve to research the ways the German and American theatres have retained some level of relevance in their societies in order to prescribe ways this could benefit the Nigerian theatre.
You completed your graduate and postgraduate degree in Nigeria. Why did you do choose to complete your PhD in Nigeria?
If I have to be honest, I have always been a strong advocate of doing all we can to make our country great and if that means studying under the conditions I did, so be it. I had to travel for some period in order to gather materials though but I just wanted to practice what I used to preach thereby contributing my quota to my primary society.
What was the cost implication of completing your PhD in Nigeria?
I spent five years against the three that I was actually done, (Nigerian PhD problem) and if I do not add the expenses of my traveling for six months to gather data in Europe, I spent an average of 200,000 Naira a year, including the school fees and other miscellaneous. If I consider the fact PhD is free in most advanced countries, then I might say ours is expensive.
Government authorities and different foundations give stipend and grants to PhD students because they are considered to be sacrificing for the development of the country. It is a complex situation in Nigeria because there are no grants for support, even to get materials for your research. There are a lot of provisions for PhD students abroad, and that is not the case in Nigeria. This makes the cost of acquiring the degree extremely difficult for Nigerian PhD students. Do you know as a PhD student in many universities in America, you get a monthly stipend equal to what many workers receive? You are even allowed to borrow books from the library and keep them for a year! I wish we had a quarter of the support PhD students have abroad.
We’re gonna get there, and that’s one of the things we’re hoping to achieve with this series. So, let’s talk about your experience in general. How was it?
My experience was somewhat a fusion of mixed positives and negatives right from the beginning of my admission process. I was lucky to have the privilege of being accepted by Prof. Duro Oni as my supervisor, one of the few Professors who truly care about their students/proteges accomplishments and successes. This eliminated the initial trauma, delays and frustrations many people encounter during their doctoral programs in Nigerian universities. I say this because I know what others go through and even with his supervision, I was still delayed after my work was ready for the post-graduate school defence.
After my course work, I was faced with a lot of oppositions at my first seminar simply because my research is not a common one in my field. While many people have studied literary dramaturgy, I decided to study production dramaturgy which is more common in Germany, America and Europe in general. My reason was to further investigate ways to make our theatres more attractive for people to come back to and also compete with the outside world in quality. While my first seminar went well, various questions were asked about how I intended to get materials for my research hence the insinuation of changing my research topic to align with the norm.
My supervisor, however, stood by me and helped me get the link to a German Professor for collaborative supervision and to DAAD where I got a short research grant to gather enough data and convince the other faculty about the feasibility and possibility of my research. My stay in Germany I must confess was more productive than the entire duration of the other part of my research. I had access to libraries, willing Professors and practitioners in my field to engage in and gather data for my study.
I will not do justice to narrating my doctoral experience if I do not mention the reason I spent five years instead of the three it should have been. After completing all my departmental seminars and requirements, I was supposed to be sent to the post-graduate school for my defence, in lieu of my thesis writing and final viva. But I was shocked when I was told that there was a mistake in my name on the computer system. This took SIX months for it to be rectified. SIX months! Mind you, this was the same school I had my BA and MA studies and my names were well written on my certificates.
Preparing my results to the PG school also took another six to seven months until I had to beg, plead, cry and do everything I could to make the results go. All of these took over a year and made me stagnant thereby costing me to pay two academic session fees for nothing! These would never have happened if I did my doctoral degree outside Nigeria. I must confess, I still had it good, because many have more horrific experiences; it does not make it right. I was lucky not to have had to wash my supervisor’s car, take his kids to school, and perform different tasks for him by force. So I would say my experience was still a pleasant one, especially if I recount my supervisor’s role in its entirety and other people’s experiences.
Wow, that’s a lot. In light of all of this, tell us about your current relationship with academia and your work therein
I have always been a performer before getting into the academia; and while I had to put this on hold to pursue my academic goals, I have been able to merge the two in my articles and publications. I am currently a research scholar at the University of Miami, working on a comparative study of some aspects of the Nigerian and American theatres in an interdisciplinary platform. I am also working with some theatrical production companies here trying to create a generic play that has cultural inflections of both societies.
Amazing to see how the practicals of your profession intersects with academia. Tell us some of the advantages of having a PhD
While I agree with people who say, you don’t have to go to school to be successful, I beg to say that, when push comes to shove, your degree will separate you from others.
I will ask you two questions as examples and allow you ruminate on what a PhD can do for you. Do you know that the last two elections in Nigeria have been supervised by Professors from Nigerian Universities? Do you know the respect given to a PhD holders all over the world is also shown in the extremely low rate of visa denial? While these might just be two examples people may want to count unimportant, the fact that doors seem to open for people with PhDs means, there is a measure of advantage attached to it.
I will give you a short story. I was in the office of a CEO in a Nigerian organization and while we were discussing, an elderly man entered and interrupted us without even taking a look at me (obviously because I am a young man). The CEO said, “Sorry Dr. Oke, I will be with you soon” and the elderly man suddenly looked at me and said, “Sorry sir, I am very sorry about that. I will wait”. I stood up and said, “It’s not a problem sir, I will wait”. Everything changed when he heard Dr. Oke. That is another advantage of having the doctorate degree, it gives you respect because people who are not even in the academia know it is not easy to have that.
So, what advice do you have for someone thinking of getting a PhD
Try as much as possible to be ready from the start. Choose your supervisor right because that is the beginning of your frustration or happiness, success or failure. Try and research on something the world needs and not just to have a doctorate degree. Spend your money to expand your horizon even if it means traveling during your research to know how people think and act outside our sphere. Prepare for the worst but envisage the best.
BellaNaijarians thinking of going back to school, that was sound advice for you. Okay, Dr. Oke, so what advice would you give the stalwarts of Nigerian Academia on how to improve the quality of the education?
It is very painful that we are in a society where the people in leadership positions travel every day to well-structured countries meaning they know what to do but they know once they do it, life becomes better for the majority and that is their major fear. If free education was achievable when we initially became naturally endowed as an independent country, then it is still achievable now. The fact that countries abroad enjoy free education until college makes education more accessible to everyone and lays a foundation for the great mind’s evolution. Until the corruption in the society is eradicated to the barest minimum, I am sorry, we would be wasting our time giving advice on how to improve anything. If a document can be missing in a student’s file for six months and found in two days after envelops exchanged hands…
Until corruption is dealt with, we are in for more tough times.
Hopefully we can stamp out corruption soon. Leave us with words on marble, Dr. Oke
I have always wished that ours become a place no one wants to leave. I still hope that materializes one day soon. I love your initiative on this project and I hope it bears positive fruits in the Nigerian academia and the society at large.
Thank you so much for chatting with us. Special shout out to Olufemi’s wife who tagged him on the Instagram post we shared calling for Nigerians who obtained their degrees from Nigerian universities.
BellaNaijarians, if you enjoyed reading this, please share with your friends. If you obtained your PhD from a Nigerian University, we’d love to share your story. Please click HERE to find out how to reach us.
The post BN Presents Naija Doctorate & Proud: Dr. Femi Oke – PhD in Theatre Arts from University of Lagos appeared first on BellaNaija - Nigeria breaking & top news to the World 24/7. Read Today.
