I Got a Ph.D.! How I feel About Defending my Ph.D. Dissertation by Dr. Ifeoluwa Olawole.

This year has been a LOT. A whole LOT for so many reasons. But, I can also say this year 2020 is the year I completed the most difficult task of my life. Exactly one week ago, I defended my dissertation and became a Doctor! 

I wrote on Instagram and Facebook that I was speechless. And I think I still am. I don't know what to say because the past five years have been a combination of torture, anxiety, anger, hard-work, resilience, grit, and extreme grace. Let's recount a little of what it took to get here: a dissertation of exactly 245 pages; a two-hour defense of said dissertation; a harrowing (and soul crushing) proposal defense a year ago; two brutal comprehensive exams two years ago; an oral exam two years ago; a qualifier defense two or three years ago (everything is a blur at the moment); tons of classes. But none of that matters now. What matters is that I PhinishedD. I have a freaking Ph.D. I said on all my social media that my amazing family was there for me so this degree is for all us. I meant it. 

The day I defended, I spoke with a lot of people over the phone. My family, my friends, a lot of people called (or messaged) congratulating me. One conversation stuck. It was with my aunty; my dad's older sister. She mentioned that my grandmother must be rejoicing in heaven that day. See, my grandmother had no education as both my dad and aunty reminded me. Not great grandmother, not some  far fetched ancestor, but my father's mother. She didn't get an education not because she wasn't brilliant but because her own parents could not afford to give her an education. It wasn't even a possibility. And then I got a Ph.D. 

We truly are our ancestors' wildest dreams. 

To be clear, I'm not the first in my family to get an education or even to get a graduate degree. My parents are educated. My siblings are very educated. My cousins are educated too. We are Nigerians after all lmao. I'm not even the first doctor in my family. And by the grace of almighty God, I won't be the last.

I'm saying I don't think any of my grandparents on either side, no matter how wildly they dreamt, could have imagined any of this for their progenies. And that truly blows my mind. I have been thinking about that a lot. 

Anyway, the good thing is I now have some time for some of my passions now and if Covid ever leaves (Lord!) I owe myself the most luxurious vacation. I really do. The best part is just having time. I just have time. I feel light, free, relieved. My gift to myself these past few days has been to wake up without an alarm; I only wake up when my body is ready to wake up. I eat my meals slowly, I luxuriate in almost everything but more so while eating. I love it.

I also can now write more about academia and be much more honest. I've never lied but sometimes, I've had to cool my jets. I already have a reputation for being *ahem* let's not complete that. So I couldn't risk getting in my own way.

But now, ohohohoh LOL

Seriously, though. 

I'm hoping to write more. About academia (sure) but also about everything else. I'm hoping to focus more on this blog and all the other things I rarely had time for. 

But if I'm missing in action in the next few days, please forgive me. So much is still happening as you might expect.

A normal person would post all the celebratory pictures from the defense, right? Right.  Turns out I'm not that normal. You would have to head over to my personal Instagram page for that. I don't know why posting my pictures anywhere (even on my PERSONAL page) comes incredibly hard for me. I'm not anonymous so you can definitely find me on the interwebs if you're curious as to what I look like. 

This is a full on ramble now.

TLDR: I did a thing: I got a Ph.D. I will blog more (I hope). And I have a serious problem with posting pictures online. 

Good recap.

Love,
I

In the Words of the Latest Academic Doctor in Town.

For a person who normally has a lot to say, I am still speechless.

I suppose that’s bound to happen after writing seven chapters and more than 250 pages.

On Monday, I completed the most difficult task of my life and defended my dissertation.

What a dream. I have TOO many people to thank but for now, I did it.

Hundreds of pages.

An oral defense.

A harrowing proposal defense.

Two brutal comprehensive exams.

An oral exam.

A qualifier defense.

Tons of classes.

But I Phinished.

I have a freaking PhD!

And my AMAZING family was there every single step of the way.

So this degree is for all of us.

Thank you Jesus!  

Placing Yourself where You will be Properly Valued.

A father said to his daughter “You graduated with honors. Here is a car I acquired many years ago. It is several years old. But before I transfer the ownership to you, I need you to take it to the Used-Car leadership downtown and tell them I want to sell it and see how much they will offer you.

 

The daughter went to the dealership, returned to her father and said, “They offered me $1,000 because it looks very worn out.”

The father shook his head and said, "Take it to the pawn shop.”

 

The daughter went to the pawn shop, returned to her father and said,”The pawn shop offered $100 because it was a very old car.” Once again, the father shook his head and asked his daughter to go to a car club to show them the car. The daughter did as she was told and returned to tell her father, "Some people in the club offered $100,000 for it since it’s a Nissan Skyline R34, an iconic car and sought out after by many.”

 

The father now smiled and said to his daughter, "The right place values you the right way.”

 

If you are not valued, do not be angry, it means you are in a wrong place. Those who know your value are those who appreciate you. Never stay in a place where no one appreciates your true value.

Joke for the Weekend.

President Buhari of Nigeria met with the Queen of England in London and asked her...how do you run such an efficient government here? Are there any tips you can give to me? I want to help Nigeria.

QUEEN: The most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people.

Buhari: How do I know the people around me are really intelligent?

QUEEN: Oh, that's easy. Just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle. The Queen sent for Theresa May, the Prime Minister. Theresa May walked into the room,

MAY: Yes, your Majesty. You sent for me.

QUEEN: Answer this riddle. Theresa, your mother and father have a child, it is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?"

MAY: Hmmm... that would be me.

QUEEN: Yes, very good.

When Buhari got back to Nigeria, he sent for Abba Kyari, his Chief of Staff.

Kyari walk in to Buhari's office.

Kyari : Sir you called me.

Buhari: Yes sit down and answer this; Your mother and your father have a child, it's not your brother and it's not your sister, who is it?

Kyari: I'm not sure, let me get back to you.

He asked all his staff in the office but none could give him an answer. Kyari then ran to Fashola.

Kyari asked:  Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or sister, who is it?"

FASHOLA: That's easy. It's me.

Kyari smiled and said, Thanks. Then he went back to speak with President Buhari.

Kyari: Sir, I have the answer to that riddle, It's Babatunde Raji Fashola...

Buhari got angry, and said to Kyari; No wonder Nigeria isn't moving forward, I am surrounded by dummies! The answer is... Theresa May! 

Basic Education on the Restructuring of Nigeria.

For those Nigerians still "geeked" by the term, Restructuring, here is an education by Chief Olu Falae: 

 

You know I am a leader in the South West and at the National convention, I was elected as the leader of the Yoruba delegation. So, I am central to the Yoruba position. The Yoruba position is my position and it is the same position I canvassed in my book, ‘The way forward for Nigeria’ which I launched since 2005 in Lagos. What we mean by restructuring is going back to the Independence Constitution which our leaders negotiated with the British between 1957 and 1959. It was on that basis that the three regions agreed to go to Independence as one united country. So, it was a negotiated constitution. 

This is because, if the three regions were not able to agree, there would not have been one united independent Nigeria. But because the three regions at that time negotiated and agreed to package a constitution, that is why they agreed to go to Independence together. When the military came in 1966 and threw away the constitution, they threw away the negotiated agreement among the three regions, which was the foundation of a united Nigeria.

This constitution we are using was made by late Gen Sani Abacha and the military; and Abacha came from only one part of Nigeria, so he wrote a constitution that favored his own part of Nigeria. That is why I am saying, let us restructure and go back to what all of us agreed before. That is the meaning of restructuring. The regions used to be federating units, but in today’s Nigeria, they would now be called federal regions because states have been created in the regions. So in the West, you now have federation of Yoruba states which would belong to the Nigerian union at the center. So, it is not like the region of old with all the powers. No. It is now going to be a coordinator of the states in the zone. That is what we mean by restructuring. And the regions would have a considerable autonomy as they used to have. For example, for the younger people, they may not know that every region then had its own constitution.

 

There were four constitutions at independence –the Federal constitution, Western constitution, Eastern constitution and Northern constitution. That was how independent they were and every region had an ambassador in London. The ambassadors for the regions were called Agent General so that you do not confuse them with that of Nigeria then called High Commissioner. So, Nigeria had four ambassadors in London. The ambassador for Nigeria then called a High Commissioner was M.T Mbu. The ambassador for Eastern Nigeria then was Mr Jonah Chinyere Achara, Western Nigeria was Mr Omolodun and for Northern Nigeria, it was Alhaji Abdulmalik. There were four of them. That was the kind of arrangement we agreed to, but the military threw it away and gave us this over-centralised unitary constitution.  

 

So, the military did not only throw away the constitution but a political consensus negotiated and agreed by our leaders of the three regions in those days. When we say restructuring now, we are saying let us go back substantially to that constitution which gave considerable autonomy to the regions. For example, each region at that time collected its revenue and contributed the agreed proportion to the centre. But when the military came, they turned it round and took everything to the centre. That could not have been accepted by Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe or Obafemi Awolowo.

 

So, we said this is not acceptable any more; we must go back to the negotiated constitution which gave considerable autonomy to the regions, so that they can compete in a healthy manner. For example, Chief Obafemi Awolowo wanted to introduce free education in the West and other regions said they could not afford it, but he went ahead to introduce it in the Western region. He said he wanted to pay a minimum of five shillings a day, while others were paying two and three shillings. He went ahead and passed the law, making five shillings the minimum wage in Western Nigeria.

 

There was no problem with that. In Western Nigeria, the constitution provided for a House of Assembly and the House of Chiefs. In Eastern Nigeria, there was no House of Chiefs because they did not think they needed one. There was no problem with that and that is the kind of Nigeria we negotiated in London, but that is different from what we have today. So, we are saying let us go back to that arrangement which all of us agreed at independence and not what Abacha imposed on us, which is very partial, unfair and one-sided. That is the meaning of restructuring; it is to restructure unfairness and give semi-autonomy to the federating units.

 

Chief Olu Falae is a leading Yoruba leader and was Head of the Southwest Delegation to the Jonathan National Constitutional Conference.

You're So Different: OK, But What Makes You Black?

“You’re so different. You’re so articulate. Why do you talk like a white girl? You’re the whitest black girl I know.”

Comments like these beg the question: What makes you black? Is it merely the color of one’s skin? Is it a state of mind? Knowing the lyrics to Cardi B’s songs?

It took me a while to embrace that my blackness was not the stereotype others believed.

In some ways, I am different. I was lucky to be raised in a household where I received all that I needed, with some of what I wanted. My parents encouraged me to spread my wings and move from my native New York to Miami for a job as a prosecutor. Being a black prosecutor was isolating but I found others like me midway through my career.

I lived in a weird juxtaposition—I was a black female attorney, holding down a teaching job on the side, which allowed me some luxuries in life like a nicer car and the ability to travel. I never took it for granted; but in certain circles, I got pushback.

The message? That I “don’t know the struggle.”

Every black person’s struggle takes a different path but has the same theme. In my legal career, the struggle is respect, being heard, and having the ability to make meaningful change to uplift communities of color. The bias looks the same—while some people of color may be hesitant to embrace you because you’re perceived as “bougie,” certain white folks marvel that you can afford a luxury purse or a high-end foreign car without being tied to illegal activity. I was once at an event when a judge joked to me whether or not my Michael Kors purse was a result of dropping cases as a prosecutor.

No lie.

In doing community work, I often had to work harder to gain the credibility of my fellow people of color because I just seemed “so different.” One day, I was picking up a friend who lived in a poorer area of the city. She sent a young niece to let me know she was running late. I told her no problem. The niece went back to my friend and said, “why does she talk like that?”

“Like what, Sweetie?”

“Like a white girl” 

 

I never was great at the code switch—I just was always me. Besides, I had no code to switch from. The result was working doubly hard in every environment.

Finally, I just stopped.

I always bristle when someone says “well s/he’s black, but you know, not really” or “s/he is the whitest black person I know.” Often this is said by a white person, possibly thinking it’s some sort of compliment, along the same lines of “You're just so articulate.”

 
Really? How is that? Because the person doesn’t fit some sort of stereotype? Speak in a certain way? Throw the black power fist in the air for your entertainment?

To me, it’s not just about knowing pop culture or the latest urban wear designer. It’s knowing your history and being authentic to your roots. I’m an African-American woman, born of two immigrant Caribbean parents. If you really want to get down to it—Afro-Caribbean-American. I wear my hair in dreadlocks as a nod to the natural beauty of my own hair texture, not what Hollywood or someone else says is beauty. I can recite every Public Enemy song, but not so much for hip-hop past the year 2000 (I feel the message has been lost—with a few exceptions). I serve my community and humanity at large to the best of my ability. I fight injustice where I can. I see my dark complexion in the mirror and feel proud, strong and beautiful. Being African American presents challenges because of the ignorance of some, but I was given the tools at birth to be a warrior for positive change.

I’m in a place where I believe that the work I do daily reflects my authenticity. The work of fighting for racial equality is too important to get caught up in how I look or sound to others.

This is me.

Courtesy: Melba V. Pearson-Mecham.

Goodwill Message to OBHS Old Students Association.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

As you celebrate our 13th OBHS OSA Annual General Meeting in Osogbo, Osun state, I bring good tidings from the entire members of the OBHS Old Students Association in the diasporas. Obviously, your gathering today is a great testimony of the grace of God upon our individual lives. 

We, in the disporas, noted and appreciated the various developmental strides and the many mobilization efforts of the old student association particularly under the stewardship of Col. Lanre Olayinka and now, under the indefatigable leadership of Mr. Muyiwa Oyeleke. Please be rest assured of our unflinching support to all and every lofty ideas and actions that the association will be embarking upon in the continued upliftment of our dear Oyun Baptist High School.

May God guide you in your deliberations.

Thank you.

Femi Olawole

President, OBHS OSA (North America).

American University Scholarship Recipients say Thank You.

This is in honor of Ifeoluwa, my beautiful daughter, in whom I am well pleased. To God be the glory.

The Hausa/Fulani North and the rest of Nigeria.by Lasisi Olagunju.

“I know that no captor, no slave owner wants the captive free. I know that the day the fool gains wisdom is the day the wise loses his power. But since Buhari no longer needs the Almajiri as the tap root of his electoral power, he should use his last years to assist all of us by taking his 'boys and girls' to school. It will help the future of Nigeria if the North gives us men and women who have competence and knowledge to contribute to the national asset pool.

Poor, illiterate Northern Kids

We just had an election in which the two major candidates were northerners. An election conducted by a president who is from the North and by an INEC chairman who is also from the North. These men just gave us a challenged presidential poll closely guarded by security chiefs all from the North. The North, through this election, has told us clearly that it owns the yam and the knife of Nigeria. It should therefore learn to be a responsible husband, doing things well and tidying up properly going forward. I would have said that we need an educated North to give us a believable election in 2023 but my friend would counter that. My friend would say 2023 is too soon for our unprepared North to do right. So how long should we wait for the North to be ready for excellence? This 2019 stuff is sick and sickening. Was it INEC's incompetence or pure mischief that figures in our 2019 presidential election became problematic? The figures announced by Professor Mahmood Yakubu are these:

Total number of registered voters: 82,344,107

Total number of accredited voters: 29,364,209

Total votes cast: 28,614,190

Total Valid votes: 27,324,583

Rejected votes: 1,289,607

Did INEC not tell us some hours to the elections that it registered a total of 84,004,084 voters? So where did it get the new number of 82,344,107 as our total registered voters? What happened to the balance of 1,659,977 voters? Did they vote in that election and if they did, where are their votes? Or they died before the elections or they went on exile renouncing their citizenship? Or they reside in Sambisa forest where there were (are) no polling booths? What happened to them

 

A Northern Nigerian King

Again, why did INEC announce different figures for accredited voters and for total votes cast when all of us who voted saw clearly that voting and accreditation were done simultaneously? INEC said accredited voters were 29,364,209 and total votes cast 28,614,190. Between those two figures are 750,019 voters and their votes. What happened to them? Or did INEC give ballot papers to these almost a million persons who took the ballot papers home instead of dropping them in the ballot box? Then there is the huge number of rejected (cancelled) votes - 1,289,607 (4.5percent of total votes cast). What explanation has INEC for these? Or, again, is it too much to demand reasons for the wasted efforts of millions of our compatriots?

Above all, if you have Buhari's ears, tell him to help us by educating the children of the North. They should not be useful only on election days.” 

Nigeria, We Hail Thee.

As far as the forthcoming presidential election in Nigeria is concerned, we might as well begin to congratulate President Buhari in advance. How can he lose his second term bid with the following setup? He has ensured that all the sensitive security and civilian positions are held by individuals from the smartest, most hardworking section of the country:

 

Chief of Army Staff: Northern Muslim.

Police IG: Northern Muslim.

Minister for Defence: Northern Muslim.

Minister for Internal Affairs: Northern Muslim.

National Security Adviser: Northern Muslim.

DG, DSS: Northern Muslim.

Chief of Staff to the president: Northern Muslim.

ADC to the President: Northern Muslim.

CSO to President: Northern Muslim.

Protocol to the President: Northern Muslim.

Private Secretary to the President: Northern Muslim.

DG; Customs: Northern Muslim.

DG, EFCC: Northern Muslim.

DG, Nigeria Prisons: Northern Muslim.

DG, Immigrations: Northern Muslim.

 

And the "icing on the cake" for Buhari are these sensitive civilian positions:

 

Head of Judiciary/Chief Justice of Nigeria: Northern Muslim.

Head, Federal Courts of Appeal: Northern Muslim.

Minister for Petroleum: Northern Muslim.

Minister for FCT: Northern Muslim.

Wake Up Nigerian Parents!

Years back in Nigeria, the most populous Black nation on earth, poor, illiterate parents produced Doctors, Engineers, Scientists, Accountants, Lawyers, Architects and Professors. I refer to the kids they produced as Group 'A' Children. 

These Group 'A' Children struggled on their own from the first grade to the twelfth grade to become notable personalities. As kids, many of them trekked to school barefooted and went to farm or did some menial works such as petty trading after school hours, to survive. 

Now Group 'A' Children, who have now become parents themselves, are producing Group 'B'  Children who are pampered and helped in their homework or school assignments from nursery school through high schools to tertiary institutions.  

Group 'B' Children are chauffeur-driven to very expensive schools or are sent abroad to study. They can watch movies from morning till dawn after school. They are treated like baby kings and queens with no household chores for them to do. They are served foods on some bright, shiny dining table. When done eating, their plates are removed and washed by parents or house maids. They are given expensive cars and clothes, not forgetting huge pocket monies to be wasted on dumb stuff. And in spite of getting help from parents in doing school assignments, many of these kids cannot properly express themselves orally and in writing.  

Group 'A' parents cared for their own parents and children. Group 'B' Children however struggle most of their growing-up years to find their feet, which some rarely find, even at the age of 30. They experience great difficulty in accomplishing the smallest of tasks on their own because they are used to being pampered and helped to think and do things by their parents (the group 'A' parents). Therefore, too many of the group ‘B’ Children are useless to themselves, their parents and the society. 

As a group ‘A’ parent, where exactly do you belong in the chore of parenting? If you belong to the group of those spoiling your kids instead of properly raising them, it’s time you stopped the silly pampering. Start raising your kids in the path of knowledge, wisdom, values and virtues. Let them face the truth and the realities of life. Teach them to grow into independent adults. Teach them to fear God, respect others and develop confidence in themselves. Parents, discipline your children to become disciplined adults, useful and not useless.

Preparing kids for the Future.

“We may not be able to prepare the future for our children. But we can, at least, prepare our children for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Desperation and Hopelessness in the American Inner City.

“A young man had been shot at by another teen. He was willing to let it go. Only now he is hanging with buddies who tell him, ‘Man you’re a bitch. You let them pop your ass, and you ain’t did sh— about it.’ They’re harassing him every day, and it’s psychologically destroying him. Now, he’s got to show his friends he’s a man. So one day he gets in the car and goes looking for someone to aggress against so he can come back to his buddies with a story. He sees a group of kids, talking loud. The boy shoots at them, the kids scatter, and now he can go back to his friends and say, ‘We aired them ni--as out.’ But in the process, he accidentally kills an innocent child. That isn’t gang violence. It’s desperation, hopelessness, despair, cultural confusion.” – Essence magazine. July, 2013.

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Realistic Secrets of Success.

This morning, I got an e-mail from a self-described well-educated, young urban professional who would like to build on his current great life’s foundation. He wanted my “blunt” opinion on what I believed to constitute the secrets of success in life. And he suggested that I posted the opinion on my blog so that others, like him, could also benefit.

In my humble opinion and in a nutshell, success in life entails either one or both of two factors. On the one hand, success can come from destiny. That is why some individuals (in spite of little efforts on their parts) are leading successful lives. By some divine reasons, they are always at the right place, at the right time. And, on the other hand, success can arise as the product of a great personal strategic plan. In most cases, this comprises of a good education, dedication and hard work.

In addition, success from either or both of these two factors can be accelerated and strengthened. To do this, all you have to do is surround yourself with successful or potentially-successful people. They will be the wind beneath your wings. The saying about birds of the same feathers flocking together (for good or for bad) can easily be applied here. It is your responsibility, as an individual, to painstakingly choose friends who inspire, motivate or challenge you to rise above your potentials. If the majority of your friends are people whose life history is all about failures in relationships, marriages, careers, finances, social graces and other life’s accomplishments, you are in trouble. You’ll be like the victim of a capsized boat who struggles to swim above water while some haters, out of spite, keep pulling him/her down. In your pursuit of success, frustrated and miserable friends or associates can never be happy for you. And it does not matter if their faces are constantly plastered with smiles each time they see you. So, here is the bottom-line: Choose your friends wisely if you want to be successful in life!