Sometime in 2016, Farooq Kperogi shared a story of one Ibrahim Waziri, in an essay entitled “Ibrahim Waziri: From HND in Nigeria to PhD in America.” The story was both inspiring and intriguing. Dr. Waziri earned HND in Electronics and Computer Engineering at the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. Of course he was born in America, so returning to his land of birth was not as much challenging. He did his masters’ degree in Applied Engineering at the Georgia Southern University, after which he earned a PhD in Information Security at Purdue University.

He is currently a Senior Consultant (Federal Cyber Risk) at Deloitte; working with US federal agencies to mitigate cyber risks and threats. He also teaches graduate classes as an Adjunct Professor of Cyber-security at Marymount University. Upon reading the essay, I informed Kperogi, that not only did he inspire Dr. Waziri to success, he, along with Moses Ochonu (of Vanderbilt University) also inspired me in ways they might not know.

Although a focal part of my aspirations since my undergraduate days in Nigeria involved the hopes that someday I would attend universities in Euro-America for postgraduate training, I must state, however, that that inspiration was further buoyed up as a result of my encounters with Kperogi and Ochonu. They have always been intellectual mentors who helped me appreciate the prospects of Euro-American education which activated my curiosity for critical inquest.

That said, Dr. Waziri’s story has opened up another can of worms in the Nigerian education system. I have seen comments on the social media of people asking if Dr. Waziri, could even be admitted into a masters’ degree program by a Nigerian public university without being given some additional senseless hurdles to pass through prior to admission.

Needless to say, the norm in Nigeria is that HND graduates are at best advised to go through a Post Graduate Diploma program before they can apply for a masters’ degree program. I know a Nigerian PhD (who started with HND) who could not find a teaching position in a public university in Nigeria. The ‘logic’ that university authorities used against him was simple nonetheless pathetic. They said he could not teach what he does not have; which is a bachelors’ degree.

Meanwhile in England, some people do supervise doctorates yet they do not have doctorates themselves. My father told me that his PhD external examiner in the UK only had a bachelors’ degree, and was not in any way academic. Of course it is always the norm globally that a PhD or a professor supervises a student on a doctoral program, but there are also exceptional cases that must be factored in.

My father attended Cardiff University in the mid to late 80s. He earned his doctorate from a thesis entitled “Studies on a freshwater fishery of a city lake.” His supervisor was one Dr. Ron Williams, a Senior Lecturer at the time. And my father said that Dr. Williams only got his own doctorate after he supervised and graduated two doctorates. Then again, my father’s external examiner was one Richard H. K. Mann, who was from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxfordshire. The Centre was under ITE Monks Wood Experimental Station, in Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire.

Although he was not academic as he was not working for an academic organization, and he only had a bachelors’ degree because his job did not demand more than that qualification, Mann, nonetheless, was as much an expert on Fish Biology as any university professor. He had written and published research papers on freshwater fishes including the Roach (the fish species my dad worked on) for many years.

Therefore, with only a bachelors’ degree, Mann was thus, an expert in his own right when it came to the Roach. Back home, Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo attained the professorial rank without a doctorate. Also, I used to read some scholarly work of one late Professor Abdullahi Smith (a Briton who later became Nigerian, and who was formerly known as Henry Frederick Charles Smith) of the Department of History, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU). Professor Smith worked at the University of Ibadan before going on to ABU. Smith did not obtain a doctorate yet he supervised several doctorates in history, including, I think, that of late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman’s.

It seems that unlike in Nigeria, in other places around the world, getting the job done effectively is more important than clinging on to narrow parochial concerns such as focusing on ‘paper qualifications’ at the expense of all other elements and variables.

When I was a researcher in England, it was not uncommon to come across students on a doctoral program being nominated by journal editors to review submitted manuscripts written by a sundry of authors including professors as co-authors. With more Ibrahim Waziris, I hope that we will continue to voice out our concerns about the peculiar absurdities that characterizes the education system in Nigeria. Related HND and American universities HND/Degree: Fresh controversy over old disparity Give HND holders a breathing space.

Source: https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/ibrahim-waziri-jnr-the-hnd-graduate-from-nigeria-who-earned-a-phd-in-america.html

Lalasticlala...this is educative please.

When education is made flexible UNLIKE Nigeria and U.K.

The reason U.S is years ahead of U.K in education and technology progression is the fact that the educational system in the U.S is very flexible and simple with numerous options.
The U.K is rigid like the 90s-2000s WAEC and JAMB.

More volume please

Great

Nice

The truth of the matter is that if you have your way, run (as far as your legs can carry you) away from the educational system here in Nigeria......if to say na Nigeria now, with HND it will be more difficult for him to achieve those feats, cos he needs to convert his HND to B.sc first..

Nice!

My son shine on, you have our blessings.

This says it all; he was born in the united state!

Wonderful, and our people will be saying that HND is a useless certificate.

When you school abroad, you will know that our educational system is Stone Age old

After braving the odds (sex for marks, ASUU strike, lecturers' outdated knowledge, dilapidated classrooms/lecture halls, Polytechnic-University degree dichotomy etc), and graduate with a lesser degree than your worth - say 2:2, and you and travel abroad for another degree, your performance will baffle you.

Congratulations to him....He is actually putting our country's name on the map... Unlike em sharp shooters who do join illegal business over there

I don't know if it's only me but I think the amount of successful academics from the north is VERY LOW

At least a good news

Well done N more grace to you bro!

Arewa Amaka!

Carmit:
I don't know if it's only me but I think the amount of successful academics from the north is VERY LOW

Bro... This table that you are shaking eeh

Ok

Hope is not marks for grades

Good

To achieve that here, you have to scale at least 3 different hurdles

I wonder when discrimination of HND will stop

YorubaNinja:
When education is made flexible UNLIKE Nigeria and U.K.

The reason U.S is years ahead of U.K in education and technology progression is the fact that the educational system in the U.S is very flexible and simple with numerous options.
The U.K is rigid like the 90s-2000s WAEC and JAMB.

Study the history of America.
None of them owns that land. They all came from Europe and dragged black people from Africa there. The real natives of America are very quiet. Not very popular.
It is all these Europeans, once they landed US, their aim and goal was to surpass the whole world in everything.
They all have positive mindset.
Build road, bridge, tallest building, fastest plane, strongest weapon.... and Education is the back bone to all this.
Hence very good education available to all.

Interesting. But not everyone has the capability of doing their PhD in da UK. Its very expensive. Cos the value of School there is so high. Unlike Nigeria who doesn't give a crap if you're a master holder. You won't still see a job

Carmit:
I don't know if it's only me but I think the amount of successful academics from the north is VERY LOW

Don't be tribal now...

Carmit:
I don't know if it's only me but I think the amount of successful academics from the north is VERY LOW

No shiit Sherlock

He is an American...

So things don't happen in Nigeria.. Not unthhr Buhari regime..

Na food first for now.