How UNILAG Mathematics Lecturer Bagged His PhD After 25 Years





Every doctoral voyage has its own length, most, with the lowering of the mast and the conferring of the cap lasting two or three years after.

For Dr. Adetunji Adeniyan, a lecturer in mathematics at the University of Lagos, his journey with sums and equations took an unlikely route, lasting 25 years!

Dr. Adeniyan said: "I went to school in the village, it was in the Western region at Ikire, a few kilometres to Ibadan...I was a very good lover of mathematics.

"In those days there used to be elementary mathematics and additional mathematics, we weren't much who took the course but I stood out and did very well in it so my background in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology became very sound" he said.

The lecturer who has always been a keen lover of mathematics and a prestigious student never foresaw the problems that will hinder his progress and had logically concluded that he would have his qualifications in.

"My late uncle, he was a lawyer and I used to live with him in Ikoyi. He wanted me to study engineering but I opted for mathematics against his wish. He was worried that I will end up just teaching"

Despite stern warning from his uncle he said, "I went for an interview to get a banking job and at the same time, the University of Lagos was recruiting and they offered me a job as a graduate assistant."


Omoyele Sowore shared his experience with the Maths lecturer who Bagged His PhD After 25 Years:



"When I got admission into UNILAG in 1989, I was told about a compulsory Maths course handled by an uncompromising teacher, Adetunji Adeniyan. This guy taught the largest class size I've ever been all my life and this guy is truly an enigma in class, he was not afraid of anyone. He'd a powerful memory, gave out assignments almost every week and graded and returned it to the class. I didn't recall that he had an assistant. Recently I inquired about him and courtesy of my good friend, Modiu Olaguro I was able to reach Adeniyan. I was surprised to hear that it took him 25 years to get his Ph.D. when so many of the students he taught at UNILAG had obtained their Ph.Ds and moved on.

This is one of the most interesting stories of a man with real-life experience being a "Nigerian."


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