The
University of Lagos (UNILAG) awarded yesterday a PhD to Mr. (now Dr.) Olaoluwa
Oluwadamilola (24), Africa’s youngest PhD holder.
Olwadamilola
had the best PhD thesis, titled: “Studies on Fixed Points of Contractive and
Expanding Maps in Multi-Dimensional Spaces”. He scored 5.0 Cumulative Grade
Point Average (CGPA) as Bakre Oluwafemi Abubakar, a graduate of
Electrical/Electronics, emerged the 2012/2013 Convocation Valedictorian — he
graduated with a superlative CGPA of 4.86.
Oluwadamilola’s
parents are missionaries with the Deeper Christian Life Ministry.
They
gave birth to him while on missionary work in African Central Republic, a
French-speaking country, where Oluwadamilola had his basic and tertiary
education.
He
got a B.SC in Mathematics and M.SC and Physics before returning to Nigeria in
October, 2009.
According
to Oluwadamilola, he began his PhD in 2010, courtesy of a scholarship from the
General Overseer of the Deeper Christian Life Mission, Pastor Williams Kumuyi.
He spent the minimum three years for a PhD scholar in school.
Speaking
with reporters at UNILAG Auditorium One, Oluwadamilola said: “I used to come
first in my secondary school days, but not always. My performances became
better when I entered the university.”
On
his challenges during the programme, he said: “As a Christian, my schedule is
very tight. I am focused. There were times when I faced distractions from
friends who wanted to take me out. There is nothing bad in it, but it can make
you concentrate less. There were times when I had job offers and was tempted to
take them.
“I
was discouraged at the beginning. One gets a feeling at the beginning of one’s
doctorate programme that all the research topics had been considered by
previous scholars and so there is nothing else to do, except for the most
complicated ones that are most times beyond one’s ability. “Sometimes when you
send your papers to international journals, they return it for one reason or
the other. That does not mean your work is not good enough, but it can be very
discouraging.”
On
his next plan, he said: “I want to take another doctoral programme, which will
be in either Mathematics or Physics. I will think of what topic to choose
before I eventually go ahead.”
Abubakar,
the valedictorian, described himself as someone from a privileged home.
Born
of banker parents, he said it was not too difficult for him to study
Electrical/Electronics, adding: “I will not describe myself as a bookworm, as I
try to normalise everything I do. I am not a party freak, but once in a while,
I attend social functions with my friends. I am privileged to have been born
into a comfortable home. I must confess that I am a product of good advice. I
chose the kind of friends I knew would influence me positively and you will
always find me in their company.”
Executive-Secretary
of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof. Julius Okojie, who
represented President Goodluck Jonathan, urged the university’s management to
be more creative in boosting its Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR).
Okojie,
who also commended UNILAG for the prudent use of funds, underscored the need
for universities to seek help from the alumni.
The
week-long convocation wrapped up yesterday with the inauguration of three
projects – the Central Laboratory donated by an alumnus and the General
Overseer of the Mountain of Fire & Miracles Ministry, Dr. Daniel Olukoya;
the Biodun Shobanjo Mass Communication Multimedia Centre of Excellence,
courtesy of the Chairman of the Troyka Group, Chief Biodun Shobanjo; and the
Alumni Jubilee House built by the UNILAG Alumni Association in collaboration
with Guarantee Trust Bank.
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