Nigerian Newspapers
‘How I emerged the best medical student in a Russian University’
A Nigerian student, Victor Olalusi recently emerged the best graduating student with a grade point of 5.0 at the Faculty of Clinical Sciences at the Russian National Research Medical University, Moscow.
Olalusi in 2004 had the best result in the West African School Certificate Examination result in 2004 and was the best Science Student in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examination in 2006. He also had the highest Obafemi Awolowo University Post UME score in 2006.
In this interview with Lekan Otufodunrin, Olalusi speaks on his accomplishments and quality of education in Russia.
Congratulations on emerging as the best graduating student in your faculty, how did you accomplish this feat?
First and foremost, I would like to thank God for these successes. Mostly, I do the much I can, which can be very little, but with God, little is much. Besides that, I would say I was spurred on by a genuine interest to become better than I was yesterday. More pragmatically, I took every class as it came and made sure I gave each of them equal attention; attended my lectures, referred to resource materials and with the much-needed grasp of the language, things turned around. And of course, that’s not undermining personal study hours, hard work, diligence and self-discipline.
In a foreign country, you are your own parent, cum your own ‘child’, what I mean is, besides being a student, you do everything for yourself, so effective time management is key to anything you do.
How will you describe the Russian education system compared with your experience in Nigeria?
Besides the fact one has to study in Russian language, the education system in Russia is intensive and more students friendly. Everything, lecture materials, school books, internet resources are at the tip of your fingers. The lectures hours, lecture halls and classes are very decent – what I mean is the student study environment here is more conducive. For instance, you do not need to run to a lecture at 5:00am (as we students had to sometimes do in OAU) to grab a seat. There are seats enough, and those at the rare end of the halls get the gist of the lecture just in the same way as those in the front. The Lecturers don’t scare you; rather they welcome you and are always willing to help and assist.
And besides lectures, we have practical classes, where we study in small groups (of 10 – 12 students each) and each group has its own instructor. For any student willing to put in the needed effort, the system of education here just comes to your aid. And with a sound knowledge of the language, you’re home and dry.
There are options to study in English, but having to study in Russian language is a great thing and it can be very helpful, so most times I advise my friends to do the same. You know the same thing in two different ways, two different languages; and you think uniquely in the two languages, simultaneously.
With your brilliant records from secondary school, why did you opt to study in Russia?
Well, back at home, there are opportunities, but the issue is how many of such are made known to everyone. I believe, besides me, there are tens of thousands of students with quite impressive high school records, but the question is how many of such students have access to scholarship offers, schooling abroad. Throughout my stay, I did not come across any offers to study in the US or the UK, and of course studying there (without some form of scholarship) can be definitely capital-intensive.
I came across a scholarship offer to Russia (IN THE DAILIES), grabbed the application form and went for the interview; and that was how it all began. As for offers to the UK and the United States, I doubt if such information would be published in the dailies, you might need to have THE so called NIGERIAN EDGE (like KNOW SOMEONE) to even get to know that. Sad though.
How would you rate medical training in Russia globally?
Medical training in Russia is at par with the rest of the world, Europe and the Americas. Besides up-to-date theoretical knowledge, Russia offers training practically. I have heard Russian doctors beat their American colleagues, when it comes to physically examining a patient. The system is awesome, it gives you everything you need; but again it boils down to individual commitments and goals.
How will you compare the medical training you got in Russia with that of medical schools in Nigeria?
The training I got here has been very multi-sided. By that I mean, there has been a decent balance between theoretical and practical knowledge. Besides that, the standard here is just what obtains in the developed world – Nothing beats that. Patient management, operational procedures, maneuvers and manipulations are carried out to world standard. Medical school here is very intensive; besides lectures, we have practical classes EVERY DAY, where you have to write and pass a test, answer oral questions, and take part in discussions and procedures, as the case may be. Haha, they even take our attendance like we are in high school, and classes missed have to re-taken.
If you have an offer to remain in Russia based on your performance will you consider it against returning home?
Hmm, tough question definitely. But really, I believe my home country needs me more than any other nation does. I would return home.
What should the government do to discourage brain drain in the medical sector in the country?
ONE thing, …just ONE thing: EQUIP our hospitals. Our clinics are 50 years behind the standards abroad; this makes my heart bleed. I almost was crying when a Nigerian medical student told me over the phone of how doctors had to use a TORCH LIGHT (a lamp) to finish an operation.
Accidents/trauma at home is like a death sentence, because the ERs (Emergency Rooms) are not EQIPPED enough to take care of these victims. I cry each time I ponder over this.
Our doctors sometimes can’t even help the patients. It can be frustrating and depressing to work in such conditions. It’s sad when you have all the knowledge, but there is nothing physically you can do. That defeats the nobility of medicine (to help the sick and take off pain/suffering) and renders it lame.
It’s sad.
You are a believer in building a positive image for Nigeria and being a worthy ambassador, how much of negative image do you and your Nigerian colleagues in Russia have to deal with?
Oh, negative image, I can write a thesis on this. Corruption, bombings, killings, scams are the bane. It’s even worse when you’re held down, delayed (and MADE TO MISS YOUR FLIGHT) at airports because you’re a Nigerian. I study in a very international environment, with students from Greece, Italy, Russia, Malaysia, Africa, India and lots of other Soviet countries; and it’s sad to know that they come to you with stories of killings and corruption in Nigeria that you do not even know.
The first thing I DID was to take it upon myself to help build a positive image for Nigeria, I placed that weight on my shoulders and I started taking steps at re-defining the image of the country I COME FROM. I saw that even more important than my academics – being a man of character and leaving a sound impression of myself, my family and my nation.
I was mindful of the things I say, do and kind of activities I was involved in. With God, I began setting a standard for them to see; and made sure I talked to my friends about Nigeria each time such issues came up. Soon enough I was made president of the AFRICAN STUDENTS ASSOCIATION in my school and served in a variety of other positions. I used that opportunity to re-present Nigeria and I must thank God for what He has done through that.
Has your excellent performance changed the negative impression?
Yes, it has. And in a long way. Now, the world is gradually coming to understand who we truly are, we just need to be more consistent and true (HONEST) to ourselves.
How affordable is University education in Russia
Compared to the United States and the rest of the world, it is pretty affordable. I MEAN YOU GET the same level of education (except in Russian language) as you get in these countries. Living in Moscow can be very expensive though.
The facilities are up to standard. Internet, water, power, transport, everything works! Everything works! And as a young student, all these lessen your problems in a huge way.
Apart from your recent accomplishments what are the other high points and low points of your studying in Russia?
HIGH POINTS:1) Leading other team of international students (Russia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco) and bagging the best captain of the year award AT THE University’s annual quiz competition on Internal Medicine.
2) Being a part of and Representing Nigeria on the University’s Hall of fame.
3) Bagging an award from the National Union of Ghanaian Students NUGS Russia and the Embassy of Ghana as International Student personality of the year 2012/13
3) Bagging awards and several honours during my Russian language study years (2006 – 2007) – took part in and won Russian language literature contests, quiz competitions in the basic sciences.
4) Leading the African Students in my University also was a great honour for me
Low points: It can be pretty unfair and sad when you get treated or judged based on the things a few Nigerians/Africans have done wrong.
You said in your valedictory speech that you hope to use your wealth of experience and knowledge to help and serve in Nigeria; do you have a particular focus in mind?
I hope to work with other foreign-medical graduates (the Russia-trained and others) and see to it that we bring our experiences abroad to bear on medical practice at home. This might involve inviting our colleagues abroad over to the country, having seminars and workshops, going for further studies, seeing to it (and with the help of the government) that our clinics are upgraded to international standards.
Personally, I am a lover of Cardiology and Cardiovascular medicine; but I have been having a growing interest in Infectious Diseases, especially Malaria. I had once talked to a friend about a possibility of having an institute of Malariology at home, a clinic ONLY for Malaria patients, with ongoing research works aimed at stopping the manace and at reducing the number of deaths and complications.
Can you elaborate on your call to your graduating colleagues that that they should not forget, as young medical professionals to be “true to our calling ; true to our patients, true to our colleagues and most importantly be true to ourselves?”
In one phrase, that means being honest and very diligent in practice.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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