Incoming Nigerian students have wrong impression of US -Prof. Gazal

By Wasiu Sodeinde

Professor Oladele Gazal

Professor Oladele Gazal is many things to many people in the African community of Minnesota, USA. To many of his foreign students, especially the Africans, he is the teacher, father, guardian, adviser, and facilitator. To the Saint Cloud State University where he chairs the Department of Human Relations and Multi-Cultural Education, he is the link between the authority and the diverse communities. He is highly revered among the international students as well as the Nigerian community.
He was the Interim Chairman of the department of Biological Science of the University before his current position. He is also the President of Ijebu Descendants Union and an influential member of the Minnesota Institute of Nigerian Development, (MIND.)

Prof. Gazal had his PhD in the area of Physiology of Reproduction from the department of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames. He is reputed to have helped many Nigerian and other African students achieve academic excellence at Saint Cloud State University.
Most Nigerians who have gone ahead to become medical doctors, engineers, lawyers, professors, owe their achievements to his counseling. Our correspondent, Wasiu Sodeinde, drove to the sleepy town of Saint Cloud, which is about 60 miles north east of the twin cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the capital of Minnesota State, to speak with this erudite scholar.

Background

I am from a very humble background in Ijebu Ode. My dad was involved in the local politics before I was born. He had a friend who was a candidate for the Olisa chieftaincy title. The friend was already set to become the Olisa but the King of ijebu Ode then was not favorably disposed toward his candidacy. Overnight, everything was turned upside down, they told my dad and all those in his camp to leave the town otherwise they would kill them.

My dad had to shift base to Obiaruku in the old Bendel State. The place is a Kwale- speaking area and it was while my parents were there that I was born in a town called Eku. We were there till I was four years old when I lost my dad. I was raised by a single mother and it was very tough on her. I'm the twelfth of the thirteen children. My mum was pregnant with my kid brother when my daddy’s corpse was being brought from Obiarukwu to Ijebu-Ode for burial.

We were coming from Obiaruku with my dad’s corpse when we got to Sapele area, our vehicle had an accident and my immediate brother died in that accident. He was buried alongside my dad on the same day. You can imagine how rough things were for my mum. She labored very hard to send us to school. I thank God for her for all she did and my older brothers and sisters who assisted me while in school. I was the first person in my family to have university education.
A lot of what I am able to achieve today is owed to a late sister of mine who really went through a lot to send me to college. She worked at Nigerian Life and Pensions in Lagos. She died tragically in 1992 and it pained me so much because I never had the opportunity to say thank you to her. We named my daughter after her.

Life in the Northern Nigeria

That is a twist in my life, it wasn't planned. I trained as a teacher in the NCE program. I actually planned to attend the then Federal Advanced Teachers Training College, now University of Agriculture, Abeokuta UNAAB. But when the admission came up I was posted to Federal Advanced Training College, now known as Federal College of Education, Yola. It is so funny that none of my family ever traveled beyond the South Western State, but my late sister said "Dele, you have to go; there are people living there" she bought me tickets, it was my first time in the airplane. That was a very pivotal point in my life because the decision changed my life.

Most of us that attended the college are doing tremendously well; we are professors, medical doctors and PhD holders. Some are in the US and different parts of the world. The school was modeled after Unity schools concept except that it was post secondary in nature; it was like most of us were picked from different parts of the country. I did agric education and while there I sat for my A-level and I did well. I did my youth service corps in Ondo State.
After my NCE, everybody thought I should proceed to the university for a two years Bsc. program, but because I love hard core science, I chose to enroll for a four year degree program in the Animal Science department at the Ahmad Bello University (ABU), Zaria while some of my colleagues went for two years degree program.

I was a little more mature than most of my classmates then because after my youth corps, I taught for a year in Ijebu-Ode. It was so funny because after I got the admission into ABU, I didn't have money, but my siblings and my girlfriend, who is now my wife rallied round to get me started. I worked very hard and I was lucky to bag a national merit award after my first year at the university in 1983. The bureaucracy did not make it easy for the money that came with the award to be disbursed to me on time, but having that letter really spurred me on and I carried that to my second year. The teacher in me helps to potentate my being a student. I shared most of what I knew with other friends during group studies. By the time I finished my second year, the head of the Animal Science department, Professor Umuanah, a true Nigerian, summoned me to his office one day and asked me to tell him a little about myself. After telling him all about myself, he then asked "Do you like to teach?" this was in my second year and I told him that I love teaching, he then told me he would hire me to teach the course called "Fit and feeding" at the end of my four-year program if I continued to excel in my studies. I thanked him and left his office but I kept up with my studies and by the time I finished, I graduated with a first class honor.
Prof Umunah later called me after my graduation to tell me the offer he gave me was still on the table but told me to go back to Ijebu to relax after the hectic school session since I didn't need to go for the national service again like my other colleagues.

Teaching experience in Nigeria

That was another unfolding drama in my life... After waiting for a long time without a job, a former classmate of mine at Yola who was teaching at Muslim Girls High School Ijebu-Ode asked if I could assist the school by teaching biology. The school Principal agreed to pay me stipend from the PTA money because of the under-funding of education in the state in those days, which was in 1986. I started getting worried when I didn't hear anything from Zaria; Unknown to me there was a lot of politicking going on in ABU while I was at Ijebu waiting to be called up. I later learned that while I was away some people in the faculty did not want me to be hired, but my departmental head was very resolute in his fight for me to be hired and would not understand why I would not be employed while some of my classmates who graduated with second class upper were being hired as Graduate Assistants ahead of me. After a lot of pressure, a position was created for me at the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI), an affiliate of ABU in Shika, an outskirt of Zaria.
I was going for the interview when I saw the messenger of the Animal Science department at the bus stop who told me that he had just mailed an interview letter to me. I told him I was going to Shika anyway, when I got to Shika, I was told that there wouldn't be any interview since they were aware of the opening position for me at ABU. That was how I became a
lecturer at ABU.

Rotary Club International Scholarship Award

While I was teaching in the high school at Ijebu, I remember going to the Principal’s office one day, it was while in the waiting room that I saw an advert in the Sketch newspaper talking about Freedom from Elder’s Scholarship being organized by Rotary Club International. They were looking for Agric Science graduates and the deadline was the day I saw the advert. And when I saw the principal, I asked her if she knew anybody in the Rotary and she said the past President was her uncle. She called the Uncle who told me that the program was closing and that he did not have any forms left but directed me to go to Lagos to meet the owner of Domino stores, Mr. Ben Murray-Bruce who was the Chairman of the award committee.

I had to take the public transport same day to Lagos. Coincidentally, my late sister resided near the Domino Stores in Sabo, Lagos. When I got there, I was told Mr. Murray Bruce had traveled to return the following day. The clerk however gave me his home address. The following morning I was at the gate of his house. When I met Mr. Murray-Bruce, he told me the program had closed, but still went ahead to give me the forms. He told me that I needed to fill and return the form within two days with my transcripts, letters of recommendations, letter of proficiency in English language and other documents required in the forms. I had to travel same day to Zaria, got my transcripts and other necessary documents in Ijebu-ode.

My late sister said something to me that day which I would never forget. She said ‘Dele, you are going to make it because ‘‘ninu ofi ninu ola ni omo pandoro ndagba" meaning children of peasants may go through hardship and poverty, but would end up growing to become great men. I was able to submit all the documents and went on with my life teaching in Ijebu Ode and later at ABU
In October of 1987 I got a letter from the Rotary Club inviting me for an interview at the corporate headquarters of Domino Stores in Lagos.

I was interviewed by some professors drawn from different universities in the country and I think I made a good impression on them because they told me they would write a good recommendation for me. I went back to my work in Zaria but around January 1988, my girlfriend called from Ijebu Ode to say I had a telegraph from US. She read the content to me and basically the content said I could go anywhere in the world to study an Agriculture-related course for three years. While I was filling the forms I selected Australia, United Kingdom as countries where I would love to study but this scholarship said I could study anywhere and I chose US. Before the letter came, my head of department at ABU, Prof Umunah was promoted the Deputy Vice Chancellor for academic affairs

When my letter came, I had to inform him and he was highly supportive of me and that is a great lesson I learned that irrespective of what people say about Nigerians, there are some people who are very much above tribal and religious sentiment. Prof Umunah never knew me from Adam but became a very good adviser, brother and father because he realized my potentials and also wanted the best for the University.
When the scholarship came through, he was the first person I told and he organized for my sabbatical leave so that I would be able to come back to ABU when I finished my studies.

Why I help my students

If you have been following my stories, you will realize that I drank from the rivers or wells built by great people. This is not about money or anything, being a professor is a privilege given to me by great men who allowed me the opportunity to climb on their shoulders. When I go all out to assist my students or other people, I believe I am just returning part of the favors others did to me. That is very important to me. A Nigerian, an Ibo man and a Christian, Prof Umunah did all he did to me, not because we were related or because he wanted popularity but because he is a good Nigerian who wanted to do the right thing. There are lots of other people who helped me to this position I am today and I am grateful to them. The only way to show my gratitude is by helping to lift others.

Challenges Nigerian students face in US

There are lots of challenges that Nigerian students face in the US today. Unlike most of us that came here when we were already mature; most present day Nigerian students came right after high schools and they have a very false impression of what this country (USA) is all about. They see all things that glitter and first they want to get their residency but forget completely why they are here. I am all for the visa thing…the green cards, but I think people need to remember that where there are rights, there are also responsibilities. When I came, my first focus was my degree not residency or making money.
One thing I also noticed is that Nigerian female students tend to be very easy to manage than their male counterparts. The females are more focused than the males because from experience male students tend to drift away from their original missions.

I think this has to do with maturity. Also most students that had university background are more ready and mature for the rigor of the new environment they found themselves in. When you send an 18 or 19 year olds to this country without proper preparations, such students may tend to get into trouble initially. If I have the choice, I would advice parents to allow their children to come here to do graduate works because that maturity is very important. I have seen some improvement on most of the students we have in last five years compared to what we had in the past. These Nigerian students listen to advice. They come to my house when they need help. In fact some of them call me "Daddy"
We have worked hard to get the university to recognize that because Nigeria is an English speaking country, those students coming here would not need to sit for TOEFL once they have letter from their schools that they are proficient in English language.

Ijebu Descendant Association and Book Drive

The principle behind Ijebu Association is not just to be a social organization; we are looking at ways to assist each other and our communities in Nigeria. We have embarked on book drives and our intension is to donate many books to several colleges and schools in Ijebu. We are also part and parcel of the Minnesota Institute of Nigerian Development which has a larger goal for the country as a whole.

Giving back to Nigeria
I did my PhD research at ABU and the fund was made available by Rockefeller Foundation. I bought some cattle that were used in the research then. One thing I discovered during my research is that most of our cattle attain puberty very late and that affects their production. When I went for my research I took everything I had back to Nigeria with the intention of going back after defending my PhD thesis. Unfortunately things were very rough and I was persuaded to come back to the US, my family and others put pressure on me then because of the economic downturn in Nigeria. I still like to go back and teach in Nigeria. I'm looking at a possibility of teaching every summer. I still like to impart the little knowledge I have on the students back home.

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