IT WAS JUST A MERE DREAM

We were in Senior Secondary Class 1 at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha, when the rumour spread like wildfire that it's hard to obtain a University education in Nigeria because of JAMB. I knew I will always score above average due to my past academic records but the rumour peddlers made it more difficult by stating that even right academic standing can't even save you if you lacked requisite connections. Examples of a few smart & intelligent ex students of DMGS, Onitsha, were cited as part of those still struggling to obtain admissions in their preferred Universities of choice & programs. Then, fear gripped me as I believed I had very slim chances of obtaining a university education due to JAMB difficulties & lack of connections. In the midst of my fear and panic, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw myself in what appears to be like a lecture theater but was surrounded by few ladies wearing what I know later as "hijab". When I woke up, I realized that this could be a University located in the Northern part of Nigeria. I discussed this dream only with my neighbor, Chika Anthony (Now, a medical doctor). We both laughed it off because we saw it as practically impossible. In our interpretation, we both said, "While it's difficult for us to obtain admission in the Eastern University, how then would it be possible to get same in the Northern part of Nigeria?". While in SS3, Chika reminded me of my dream but I told him to forget about it because, "It was just a mere dream". FUTO (Federal University of Technology, Owerri) was my choice and I had fantasised on how I would spend my holidays at Aba immediately after my O'Level exams to enable me pass through Owerri. Man proposes, God disposes. I planned to spend my holidays at Aba but ended up at Abuja in a relative's house. The environment changed my taste, choice & life's decisions. I wished to study, live & work within that part of beautiful city instead of going back to the east. As luck would have it, His Excellency, Olusengu Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria initiated the POST UME Exams with the right to participate in any University of your choice. This was how I later got enrolled at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMx). It took me almost two years right inside our Lecture theater and sorrounded by few female students on "hijab" before I could realize that this was a dream come true. This made me to know that it was not just a mere dream but my destiny.

Engr. Chidiebere Okekeozor,

REP® Old Boy| DMGS, Onitsha| 2005. Engineer | Environmental&Sustainability| U.S.A

Footnotes : Engr. Chidiebere Okekeozor, REP®, after his Bachelor’s degree from the Federal University of Technology in Minna, Nigeria, was posted to Owerri for his NYSC service year. He later lived and worked in Abuja before relocating to Germany for his Master’s program at the University of Stuttgart. Currently, he is an Environmental and Sustainability Engineer working in the United States, with expertise in engineering, corporate sustainability, and renewable energy systems. In addition to his Master’s degree, he holds an Executive Certificate from the Stern School of Business at New York University and a Certificate from Harvard University. Beyond his professional pursuits, Engr. Okekeozor is passionate about community service, writing, and traveling.