admin
Academic excellence is a matter of hardwork and attaining the highest academic qualification is not as uphill a task as people make it out to be. If you remain focused, you can be a doctorate holder long before your 30s.
Herein are a few Nigerians who did away with the educational status quo and joined an elite list of scholars who earned their doctorates at relatively young ages. The oldest in this list attained his at 25.
Nkemehule Karl Omebere-Iyari
The Nigerian received his PhD in chemical engineering from University of Nottingham, UK, in 2006 when he was 22. An old student of Kings College, Lagos, Omebere-Iyari had 8 As in his WAEC result at age 16. He emerged the best graduating student in chemical engineering that year. Having received a university scholarship, he went ahead to pursue his PhD and specialized in multiphase flow. He completed his doctorate in the record time of three years and also holds an MBA from INSEAD/Wharton.
Opeyemi Shodipe
When she was 19, she received her bachelor’s degree from Babcock University. Following the completion of her national youth service programme, Shodipe entered for a master’s program at the University of Ibadan, where she graduated best in her department. She crowned it with a doctorate degree in information science from Babcock University at the age of 25.
Olaoluwa Hallowed Oluwadara
He became a doctor of Mathematics at the age of 24, with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 5. The Ekiti State indigene born in Bangui, Central African Republic (CAR) graduated from the University of Lagos as the Best Graduating PhD holder. He has two first degrees in mathematics and physics which he pursued simultaneously. He also has master’s degree in the same courses, which he run concurrently.
Dr Salihu Dasuki Nakande
Born in October 1987, he is one of the youngest PhD holders from northern Nigeria. He graduated with a first class degree in Information Technology from Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU), North Cyprus at 21. Dr Salihu completed his Master’s degree at Brunel University, U.K. He topped it with a PhD in the same University in 2012 when he was 25.
