Encomium
‘Every knowledge you acquire enhances your being’
Popular comic actor, Afeez Oyetoro, popularly known as Saka, is a man of interesting sides. The actor is currently running a doctorate degree programme at the University of Ibadan (UI).
ENCOMIUM Weekly had a chat with him and he talked about life as a PhD student and his plans for 2016.
How do you feel being a PhD student?
It feels good. I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity. I have a lot of challenges now but to the glory of God I have overcome the challenges. I am supposed to have finished my PhD programme but my department got burnt, that’s why my programme was prolonged.
But it’s going on well now and I know God will give me more power and more grace to accomplish my PhD programme.
How do you cope with studies and film making?
I’m trying. For instance, I just came back from Victoria Island, Lagos, where I went for a seminar. It’s a PhD programme not class work. What you do is just go to the field, attend the seminar, write and submit your report to your supervisor for correction and you go.
So, I only go to Ibadan once a week but sometimes the seminar could be once in two weeks and I thank God for His grace.
What’s next after your PhD programme?
I pray that Almighty God will help me with the grace to finish the PhD programme on time. When I finish the programme, I intend to continue with academics. The essence of going for the PhD programme is to enhance my ability to do better, to add more value and also improve my life and the life of people around me.
What impact will the PhD programme make in your career?
Knowledge is power. Every knowledge you acquire in one way or the other enhances your being and I believe the PhD programme will enhance my career. I will have more opportunities within and outside the country as a theatre practitioner, researcher and lecturer.
Will you like to retain your job as a lecturer at Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education or be employed elsewhere?
I will still retain my job. First, I am a lecturer and I love lecturing. Like I said, both acting and lecturing are almost the same. The slight different is that one is official, the other is not, one is common. Teaching in the class is another way of impacting knowledge formally or officially.
When you go out to act, it’s another way of impacting knowledge informally so, I will still retain my job.
Can you review 2015?
2015 was a wonderful year to me, my family and my career. I want to thank MTN, Bajaja and all my clients who made my 2015 rewarding. I want to specially thank Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education that gave me the opportunity to express myself academically and the opportunity of teaching.
My 2015 was wonderful and rewarding. Although there were challenges which we least expected but I really thank God that made me scale through those challenges. 2015 was one of my good years and I believe 2016 will be better.
Were you able to meet your target in 2015?
No. I wanted to be a PhD holder in 2015, but it was not achieved and I wanted to do some things also but I couldn’t accomplish them but I thank God I’m still alive and I believe I will achieve them.
What are your plans for 2016?
My plans are first, to work harder on my PhD project. Second, to complete my production, We We, which is a comedy series. We have been working on it for one and a half years. Due to logistic reasons we have not been able to complete it but by the grace of God, we will complete it this year.
Third, I want to go far and be more useful and relevant to MTN, that gave me the platform to express myself.
These are the things I want to achieve in 2016 and I pray God will give me the grace to accomplish them.
-GIDEON ONIYIDE
