By Omen Bassey
A few weeks ago, precisely on 4th September, I wrote my last examination as an undergraduate student of the Department of History and International Studies, University of Uyo.
How and why I returned to school as an undergraduate from 100 level, exactly 17 years after bagging my first degree in Law and 16 years after being called to the Bar is another interesting story I will recount soon.
A few persons were pivotal to this particular accomplishment and I will be using this medium to acknowledge them, starting from my boss and mother, the amiable and workaholic Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator (Dr) Akon Eyakenyi.
“Mummy, I’m sorry I missed your call last night because I went to bed early as a result of stress.”
That “early’ was actually close to 11:00pm. Anytime you sleep before your boss is too early.
“I had a busy day in school yesterday and decided to sleep early.” I told the Deputy Governor in the morning in a phone conversation as I drove into Uniuyo permanent site for another lecture.
Before I put my phone in silence mode and went to bed that night, my instinct told me my boss would call. It’s difficult to predict when she sleeps and her rising time because she seems to work round the clock. As I suspected, it happened. I woke up to realise she called. If you work closely with Senator Eyakenyi, expect her calls anytime there’s work to do – early in the morning, late at night, in the afternoon or evening.
Frankly, I had been seeking an opportunity to inform my boss that her Press Secretary was an undergraduate student. I didn’t think it was healthy to perpetually conceal such information. That occasion presented a perfect opportunity to let the cat out of the bag.
I didn’t know exactly what her reaction would be but her well-known love for education and the fact that she studied to PhD while working and raising kids gave me confidence.
“School? Are you pursuing a Masters Degree?” She asked.
This was always a somewhat difficult question to answer while the adventure lasted.
“No, mummy. I am studying History and International Studies as an undergraduate.” I responded. Then the expected follow-up question:
“Why History when you are already a lawyer?” I offered the same honest reply I gave everyone who asked. I don’t know whether or not I made sense to her because it was a phone conversation. We ended it there and proceeded to discuss the reason she called the previous night. Of course, I didn’t tell her I was answering the call from school.
This was my second semester in year three. About an hour later, I was fully settled in class in the middle of a lecture when she called again.
Throughout my sojourn in the Department of History, I always sat in the front row by the entrance door in anticipation of a call from either my boss, the Permanent Secretary or any team member. These are calls I don’t ever want to miss. I always prayed they shouldn’t call during tests or examinations. And God answered that prayer.
As I rushed out of the class to answer the call in a way that wouldn’t attract attention, she probably sensed a difference in my tone.
“Are you in class?” She quickly asked. I answered in the affirmative. My boss’s immediate reaction became one of the biggest lessons I have learnt in life and informed my decision to dedicate that particular academic accomplishment to her.
“Ohhhhh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were in class. Continue with your lecture.” She said as the call ended. This was an aide in school when he ought to be at work.
“What manner of person is Senator Akon Eyakenyi? How many bosses can be this humane and magnanimous?” I asked myself.
Make no mistake, being a full time undergraduate student while occupying the demanding office of Press Secretary stretched me to the limits. Because I went to school in pursuit of new knowledge, not another certificate, I achieved a minimum of 98% attendance in class.
In order not to fail in either important endeavour, most days, I would leave the office at about 11:00pm or later. I must clear my table every evening in order to be free for school the following day. If I had an early morning lecture, I must at least resume in the office to register my presence before proceeding to class. In between lectures, I must rush to the office.
I am grateful to Senator Eyakenyi because that project could have been called off and the investments lost if she wasn’t the kind of leader she is.
To everyone who wondered why a lawyer went back to school to study history, my response today is: history is not law and law isn’t history. Both are useful to me.
