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.
Falegan’s feat is coming three years after Mary Adeola Adeyemo, 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.
The star of excellence in 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, 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.
“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.”
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 Adeyemo, who was offered direct admission to pursue her Ph.D at the University of Oxford without going through the LL.M Programme, Falegan has been admitted to pursue her Ph.D in Chemical Engineering at UT.
In his reaction, the founder and Chancellor of the 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.
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.
Hammel said: “…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”.
