“You can be everything! You can be the infinite number of things that people are…” – KESHA
As if playing a script of his degree and doctoral courses, Economics; Dr. Idris journey through undergraduate to the pinnacle of his educational degree was all about WANTS that were usually out of reach, NEEDS that were never affordable, RESOURCES that were scarce and never available; and COSTS that were usually huge enough to drain his pocket and relegate him to perpetual bankruptcy! These were the hurdles he needed to cross and the wilderness he had to navigate to reach this stratum!
Idris came from a background of semi-literacy and material deficit! He was born into the family of hardworking but “have not” to cater for required standard of child’s upbringing.
He didn’t enjoy the luxury of life beyond the moderate basic necessity of life, he was nowhere around buoyancy or extravagancy! After having a robust and scintillating voyage of an average Nigerian; through primary to secondary school at Keke High School, Agege in Lagos between 1991 to 1995. He proceeded to the Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, (MAPOLY) Abeokuta where he had both National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Studies and Business Administration respectively between 2000 and 2005. While in the Polytechnic, the then “Brother Idris” could not survive with the little upkeep provided by his parents, so, he had to survive with largesse and compensation from tutorial and other extra coaching services he undertook as side hustle to bring body and soul together. The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), an umbrella body of all Muslim student’s impetus in all forms, was also a great propeller and pillar of supports during this dreary period.
However, a turning point in his educational career came when one of his lecturers, Mr. Qazeem Oni, noticed his brilliance, commitment and seriousness. He took special interest in him, became his mentor and sponsor at the same time. It was this God sent helper who encouraged him to pursue a degree course at OOU through Direct Entry. Mr. Qazeem complemented his encouragement and guidance with scholarship, he singlehandedly paid for 200 and 300 levels school fees with deliberate short payment of N2,000 for Idris to have his parent’s inputs. What a wisdom! Idris was running both degree and HND simultaneously, shuttling between Abeokuta and Ago-Iwoye daily and weekly as the case may be! This concurrent double degree pursuit was a very tight, strenuous, tough and capital-intensive project for insolvent personnel, with high level of impecuniousness like him; and it really tells on him while it lasted. However, with all the barrages of seeming insurmountable barriers, he kept going and he never stop!
He graduated from MAPOLY as a Business Administrator in flying colours; went for service, while still an undergraduate in OOU, and during his service year, he kept shuttling again between Ekiti, his primary place of assignment, and the department of Economics in OOU in pursuit of his first degree in Economics! This wasn’t an easy voyage either, considering the wide gap in distance from Ekiti, where he was obeying the clarion call, and Ago Iwoye where he was racing for good CGPA. Eventually, he weathered this storm with scores of missed classes, assignments and group projects. He survived both hurdles, came out in flying colours, kept going and never stop!
After his first degree, he was, and up till present, still not lucky with juicy employment as what fate always throws at him was “underemployment” at best description! He tried to join Civil Service both in Ogun, Oyo and Lagos to no avail. From 2006 to 2010, he worked as Field Officer for Amana Capital Pension Ltd and Pension Alliance Limited with a very poor remuneration undeserved of a graduate. In 2011, He got employed by his present employer, International College, Ibefun (ICI) as a Teacher. He rose to the position of Vice Principal, combining both Academic and Administrative functions.
Though, his take home at ICI too cannot take him home with the economic reality of the time now! Mr. Idris doesn’t allow this to discourage him, as he keeps his eyes on his dream and keeps moving. Realizing that he has found himself in teaching line and hoping to build career in that line, he enrolled for Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) in 2014 at Nigerian Teacher Institute (NTI) at Muftau Laniunwu Campus in Ibadan. After achieving that with the best grade available, he never stopped, he enrolled for his Master’s degree in Economics at his Alma-mater, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in 2015. He finished with PhD grade in 2017. Idris never stopped! In 2019, he enrolled for his PhD, again in his Alma mater, OOU; and he finished this day Wednesday, July 24, 2024, after he successfully defended his thesis “Health Aid, Economic Performance and Health Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa”. What a rugged, never say die and goal getter spirit!
Idris achieved all these with a take home that is far less than a N100,000 with no opportunity of “tips”, kickback or compensation in any form. This was the situation until August last year when he began to earn a little, above N100,000. He surmounted all these barriers with full responsibility as his father’s first born and breadwinner of his own immediate family.
He overcame all of these, even, when it became necessary for him to have a second wife in the midst of obvious pennilessness; which he did to the admiration of friends and foes! He becomes my hero for been able to do all these with the obvious cum surrounding limitations! He accomplished this mission with the little he earns and help from nobody, but Allah! In all these, he conquered fear in all its forms; Fears of – Poverty, Underemployment, Inferiority Complex, Matrimonial Family Pressure and others. He focused on the aphorism “Everything you had wanted is sitting on the other side of fear”. He confronted fear and came out victorious.
Picking from his many disclosures, Dr. Idris owes huge gratitude to certain individuals and Organizations for this milestone. Mr. Qazeem Oni comes first, after his parents and his two wives for his role as the initiator of the degree pursuit that eventually led to the current feat. There are handful of friends too, but the roles of people like Mr. Sikiru Adebayo and Mr. and Mrs. Maruf Omolaja (Abu and Ummu Gibtoh) can never be quantified because they never leave his lips for once when expressing gratitude. His Auntie, Nimatalah, usually gets intermittent mention during most of his financial troubled time. He never hesitates to appreciate the supports of his in-laws, the Odusanyas and the Mutalibs; He regards them as pillars of support throughout the journey in kind and at home front! Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Abeokuta Muslim Alumni (MAPAMA) comes first in the categories of organization. This I know for am privy to MAPAMA’s non interest loan and other supports. The immediate past and present administrations of MAPAMA which Dr. Idris himself is also a principal officer, ably led by Alhaji Taofik Adeola Salako and Prince Taofik Babatunde Oyeniyi deserve mention for their listening ears and soft-landing provision and position whenever the need arises. A platform of Muslim professionals, No Dull Moment In Islam (NDMI) also deserves a mention for her intervention through her palliative programme for the needy during the last Ramadan.
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The management of his place of work, International College Ibefun (ICI) deserves a mention for their many concessions and support in kind; for the liberty and conducive cum friendly environment provided from the second-degree pursuit to this pinnacle. Special mention needs to be made of the founder of the school, late Chief Babatunde Taiwo for his inspiration and the workable platform.
Dr. Idris story further lays credence to the aphorism that says: “If you believe in yourself and have dedication and shun pride – and you never quit, you ‘ll be a winner”. Dr. Idris just joins the league of winners and I am extremely happy for him.
Congratulations to the latest PhD holder in town, an unassuming personality, a meek, a scholar of reticent toga and paragon of virtues beyond and above the gown and glamour!
Welcome dear brother, to the league of scholars!
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