By Tunde Olofintila
The quality of education on offer in the 15-year-old Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has become more manifest with the admission of Cynthia Oluwagbemisola Falegan, a 2017 Petroleum Engineering graduate of the institution, to pursue her Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA, (UT) without a Master’s Degree.
Over the years, the quality of education offered by the university has been responsible for the avalanche Awards, Accolades and encomiums it has been carting home from national and international education stakeholders.
These include its recent ranking as Number One (1) University in Nigeria for three consecutive years (2022, 2023 and 2024) and Number 200 globally by the highly respected Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, thereby confirming that the future of education in Nigeria is indeed in private universities.
Cynthia Olugbemisola Falegan’s feat is coming three years after Mary Adeola Adeyemo, Esq, also a 2017 First Class Graduate in Law and a Second Class Upper Division holder from the Nigerian Law School, was offered a direct admission to pursue her Ph.D in the famous University of Oxford without going through the LL.M programme.
Generally, any student pursuing a Ph.D Degree is expected to undergo a course leading to a Master’s Degree in the concerned discipline with a Ph.D Grade before proceeding to Ph.D. However, just like in the case of Mary Adeola Adeyemo, who was offered direct admission to pursue her Ph.D at the University of Oxford without going through the LL.M Programme, Cynthia Olugbemisola Falegan has been admitted to pursue her Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at UT.
In a March 20, 2024, letter signed by Dr. Daniel J. Hammel, the Acting Vice Provost for Graduate Affairs, UT congratulated the budding academic for her well-merited admission.
Said Hammel: “…We are pleased to offer you admission to The University of Toledo’s Engineering (Ph.D) Chemical Engineering programme in the College of Engineering for the Fall 2024 term…We look forward to meeting you”.
The star of excellence in Cynthia Oluwagbemisola Falegan started shining like the bright Northern Star when she was elected Chairperson of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), ABUAD Students’ Chapter, for the 2014/2015 session.
While in still pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in ABUAD, she worked as an Intern at Addax Petroleum Development Nigeria Limited and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), two of the largest oil companies in Nigeria. She is currently employed as a Project Engineer at the Lagos-based at Nexus Alliance Limited, an oil & gas servicing company.
Rationalizing her decision to pursue her Doctorate studies in the US, Oluwagbemisola Falegan said: “I made the decision to pursue my Ph.D studies in the United States because of the research foundation I acquired at ABUAD on Water and Wastewater treatment as well as my love for sustainable solutions in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta Region”.
She added: “Even though I didn’t have a Master’s Degree when I applied, I was accepted into two prestigious universities and given full funding, which will pay for all of my tuition during my five years of study. I’ll be pursuing a Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toledo in Ohio, United States”.
The news about Oluwagbemisola Falegan’s rare feat came to the fore via an email her father, Mr Vincent Yomi Falegan, sent to the Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, intimating him about this development and congratulating him (Babalola) and the entire ABUAD community on the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Ranking which ranked the university as follows:
* Number One (1) in the world for SDG-7
* Number One (1) in Nigeria for three (3) consecutive years: 2022, 2023 and 2024.
* Number One (1) in the world for SDG -7 (affordable and clean energy).
* Number One (1) in the world in OUTREACH (98.0)
* Number One (1) in the world for STEWARDSHIP (98.2)
His words: “My name is Yomi Falegan, the father to one of your alumni, Oluwagbemisola Cynthia Falegan, who studied Petroleum Engineering in your institution and graduated with a Second-Class Upper Degree in 2017.
“The recent ranking of universities in the world by the Times Higher Education ranked ABUAD the best university in Nigeria and among the best 100-200 in the world”.
He added: “Let me congratulate you in particular and the ABUAD community in general on this feat. This recognition, among others, testifies to your love for education, management acumen, and sincerity of purpose. I wish you and the university more future successful endeavours.
“The above qualities dovetailed into the successes of your alumni, which I frequently followed on Facebook as well as LinkedIn. This has made me come to the realization that my investment in my daughter at ABUAD was never a waste!! Thank you, sir, for your mentoring both academically and morally.
“Both your good self and the university have scored another plus! Oluwagbemisola Falegan, my daughter, who graduated with B.Eng. (Petroleum Engineering, 2:1) in 2017 has been offered admission for a straight PhD (without a Master’s Degree) programme in Chemical Engineering at the University of Toledo, Ohio, USA (please see attached letter of admission). She will be under the direct supervision of Prof Maria Coleman. This will not have been possible without the sound background of ABUAD.
“I would like to appeal to you sir that this feat be celebrated by publishing it in the ABUAD Newsletter to serve as encouragement to other students as well as parents. Once again, thank you very much for your contribution to the development of humanity”.
In his reaction, the obviously elated Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Aare Afe Babalola, said his vision and mission for ABUAD which commenced Academic works on Monday, January 4, 2010, to institutionalize quality and functional education and produce a new generation of leaders who will make the difference in all areas of human endeavour has since become a reality.
This has indeed manifested in Cynthia Oluwagbemisola Falegan’s life as also in the lives of many of the Alumni of the 15-year-old 21st Century university who are making waves in the different continents of the world.* Olofintila, ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Affairs, writes from Ado-Ekiti.