By Aldelghaffar Abdelmalik Amoka
When I was admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University School of General and Remedial Studies (SGRS) in the 1992/1993 academic session, I registered with the intention to study medicine after the one-year remedial program. During the program, I started having a second thought on medicine and was considering Engineering. But by the end of it, I was offered Physics. I was like “what will I do with physics?”. This is a subject you can hardly find a qualified teacher to teach in secondary schools. So why physics? I wanted to change, but transfer rules changed that same academic year, and changing courses, especially to the so-called professional courses, became difficult.
I had two choices at the end of my first year when it was obvious I can’t change from physics. It was either I carry on with my studies or leave. So, l chose to stay but without any love for the subject. That continued till my final year when we were taught Solid State Physics by this Professor, an Indian, that changed my mind about physics. He made us see the beauty of physics. He made us see how basic physics is changing the world. He told us how physics concepts like the total internal reflection in optics have revolutionalised medicine and telecommunications. He was an inspiration. What he taught us in 1999 came to my mind when I had a shoulder operation in the UK in 2011 that was done without a visible scar on my shoulder.
That interaction in our final year made me desire I do my final year project under his supervision. I eventually returned to do MSc Physics under his guidance to tap more from his wealth of knowledge and personality. He introduced me to the field of dielectric physics, the field that opened the opportunity to my travel to some countries and has made me meet great minds. At the end of the MSc program, his recommendation got us a job in the department in 2005. I was walking towards the ABU North Gate when Prof’s call came in: “Amoka, where are you? Congratulations, the VC has approved your appointment. Please inform Tajudeen”. The best news for an unemployed graduate.
I was employed as an Assistant Lecturer under his guidance, registered for PhD in ABU in December 2005, and the work on dielectric physics continued. In August 2007, I informed him of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) scholarship opportunity that my brother told me about. Like he knew he had not more than a year to live from then, he encouraged me to apply. He followed it up till I submitted the scholarship application with the full PhD proposal that I was working on under his guide. A few weeks later, I was returning from Italy on a 2 weeks workshop trip in October 2007 and I called to inform him that I had arrived in Lagos when he informed me that he was sick and on his way to the airport. He got to India and was diagnosed with Cancer of the Colon. I became scared.
In January 2008, I received a handwritten note from him with a prayer request to make it through the cancer treatment. From the handwriting, I could figure out he was weak. I prayed hard that he get well and return soon. It was a shock when I made that call to India that early morning on Thursday, 17th April 2008, and I was informed that Prof was no more. The Giant was gone. He gave up that morning after about 6 months of battle with Cancer. I was broken. I have never seen anyone as humble as him. He has regard for everyone and he finds it so easy to relate with everyone including the cleaner. As the Head of Department, he made me realize that with proper management and financial discipline, which we lack these days, you can achieve a lot with little.
While I was still wondering how to proceed with the PhD without the only person that could supervise research work in material physics in the department, I got an email from IsDB of an award of scholarship for PhD under their Merit Scholarship Award for High Technology. The scholarship application was successful. It was unbelievable. Then the University of Leicester offered me admission for PhD in engineering research. That was how I met the famous Prof. John C. Fothergill, another Giant that I am standing on his shoulder.
Prof. Fothergill was such an amazing supervisor and shared similar characteristics with Prof. Hariharan. The 3 years 3 months with him was an amazing one with lots of memories. He doesn’t just bother himself with your personal development and the progress of your research but also your welfare. As he commends your efforts so do he point out the weakness to work on. With his tight schedule and the head of the department, I was always on his priority list.
Even after the PhD, John was concerned about my career development in my home institution. He sends to me any materials he finds useful to help my career growth and development. His notification and recommendation for a postdoc job in Norway got me the 2 years job. The postdoc job introduced me to partial discharges in power equipment components. He inspired me to start a lab. I did not just learn how to do dielectrics and electrical insulation research from Prof. John C. Fothergill, the British Professor of Engineering also taught me the benefits of writing in simple sentences. The Giant is still there for me to this day.
In my struggle to survive as an academic with all the peculiarities in our Universities in Nigeria, my path crossed with another Giant on whose shoulder I am standing. Academics are trained critics. They are also expected to have leadership skills. While I enjoyed being a critic right from my university days, I run away from leadership responsibility till I got a phone call in May 2020 during the ASUU strike about a letter for me and I told the caller I will pick it up when I get to the university later in the afternoon.
I opened the envelope and it was an appointment letter. I didn’t see that coming and could not run. The Giant found me worthy to lead (head) a Unit of the University. I was confused and scared as I have always had this feeling that critics hardly make good leaders. I later took it as a chance to see the other side of just being a critic. It has been tough but an amazing experience and have made me learn a lot. A colleague jokingly told me that I am an expert in reviving dead areas. I hope I will be able to live up to that expectations.
I think I am really lucky to have got many Giants on whose shoulders I am standing to see farther. If I have ever inspired or impressed you with my little efforts as an academic in the university, it was because God made it possible for me to meet these Giants in my life. They among other people paved the way for me to get here.
As the 2021 calendar year comes to an end in a few days, I wish to appreciate Prof N.I. Hariharan, Prof. John C. Fothergill, Prof. Kabir Bala, and all the giants on whose shoulders I am standing.
©Amoka