‘Hard work breeds success’

The Lagos State Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Mrs Oluranti Idiat Adebule, was awarded PhD in Curriculum Education at the Lagos State University’s 18th convocation. she speaks with ADEGUNLE OLUGBAMILA, on her rough road to success.

How do you feel that a new feather has been added to your cap?

As an academic, it is indeed a feeling of fulfilment and satisfaction that I was able to surmount the odd because acquiring PhD is not a cup of tea. It is a very important requirement for any academic to reach the pinnacle of his career because it is the gateway to higher lights and achievements in the tertiary education environment. It is the key that opens all available doors and opportunities in a university environment because there will be no limitations. Therefore, there is no gainsaying that I feel elated to join the academic circle.

What new challenges has your new status thrown up?

The new challenges are numerous, but they are not insurmountable once you are prepared to take them on. The foremost is that you become more visible with resultant higher expectations in terms of publications, conferences and seminars, contributions to knowledge and practice and contributions to the university and the society at large. There is the notion that PhD holders know everything and therefore the big challenge is for you to continue to expand your knowledge in order to meet this ever expanding expectation. Indeed, it is a whole lot of challenges to keep with.

How are you able to combine your duty as SSG while doing your PhD?

In actual fact, I have almost concluded my PhD work before my appointment as Secretary to the Lagos State Government. Most of the rigorous work of writing, field work to the Southwest states, analysing and interpreting the results had been concluded before my appointment; and this was why I was able to submit my thesis to the department of Language Arts and Social Science Education in September 2011, two months after my appointment as SSG. Although, the final defence at the School of Post-Graduate Studies didn’t take place until June 19, 2012 due to so many months of strike action by LASU staff. Really, I didn’t have to combine my schedules as SSG with the PhD work.

What are the lessons the rigour of your PhD work taught you?

I don’t know if there are lessons to be learnt. But if there is any, one of it will be that hard work breeds success. There is no easy way to PhD; it involves a whole lot of hard work, sleepless nights, networking and in my case, travelling to the six Southwest states to get approval to administer research instruments and subsequently going to administer them. It is after this that the work starts, which includes collation, recording, analysing, interpreting, and recommending. In my case, my supervisor modified my topic twice after going far on the previous topics and I had to start all over. But with determination and hard work, I was able to successfully complete the programme.

After your PhD, what next?

I always put Almighty Allah first in everything I do and that I will not change Insha Allah. So, the Almighty leads the way and I follow. That is what I have done all my life. Despite this submission, looking forward is natural for me and this implies that I will have to continue to publish in local, national, and international journals because as an academic, you either publish or you perish. The implication is that through hard work and dedication, I hope to reach the pinnacle of my career as an academic, that is, become a professor in the near future no matter in what capacity or level I might have been called to serve my state, country or humanity.