Husband, wife bag PhD same day in UNILAG

By Feyi Afisunlu

The Samuels

It was an eye opener to several people who witnessed the 50th convocation ceremony of the University of Lagos when A couple, Dr. Olusegun Samuel and his wife, Dr. Temitope Samuel became the cynosure of all eyes by becoming the first couple to bag doctorate degrees on the same day at the institution.
Samuel did his PhD work on Marine Ecology, with a focus on Ecotoxicology, the study of how poison and chemicals affect the ecosystem, his wife focused on Dermatophyte, a group of fungi that causes skin diseases.
The husband, who joined UNILAG as a lecturer in the Faculty of Science in 2007, met Temitope at the same institution and they got married in May 2010.
They are blessed with a child but decided not to have another until they complete their PhD programmes.

Dr. Temitope said, “We decided that we were not going to mix pleasure with business. The two don’t go together. Why should we have another baby so soon? When we got married on May 1, 2010, we both agreed on what would happen before we started our PhD programme. But now, the programme is over, we can return to that.”
While reflecting over the hard work, sleepless nights, and huge financial resources invested to complete the programme, Dr. Samuel said, “It took a lot of sacrifice. But since we were both involved, we were able to manage our time. Whenever I was not at home, my wife would be there. Again, at times, we worked so late on the campus that we did not get home until 11.00pm.”
He assured that he doesn’t feel threatened but rather proud of his wife’s achievement.
“It is what we both agreed to do. I don’t feel threatened that my wife has attained the same academic feat with me. It is for the benefit of the family,” Samuel said.
They also look forward to harnessing opportunities that the new status may bring their way.
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