Foreign countries may ask Nigerians to return home in future — Qatar-based scholar, Aluko

Assistant Professor at Liverpool John Moores University/Oryx University, Doha, Qatar, Dr Akinseye Aluko, shares with BIODUN BUSARI tales of his humble beginnings, quest to succeed and professional exploits abroad, among other issues

Can you take us briefly into your background journey?

My parents were fantastic. They prioritised our education. So, my siblings and I were brought up well. From childhood, I knew what I wanted for myself.

I always wanted to be on top of affairs, so I was working towards becoming a pilot. I enrolled at Michigan Flight Aviation School in the United States.

I was offered admission, but my father was not paying. Maybe he saw something different in me because he is a maritime captain.

But I grew up in Surulere, Lagos, staying with my grandmother when my parents were abroad. My father was a sailor. When they returned, we lived at Palms Avenue in Mushin.

What was your education like?

I first went to Kwara Polytechnic, where I studied Public Administration. Then, I proceeded to the University of Ado-Ekiti to study Economics for my first degree. I went to the UK to get a master’s degree in International Management. After doing that, I did my Master’s in Business Administration in Middlesbrough, and I did a doctorate degree in Sunderland.

After working for a while, I told myself I needed a teaching qualification, and I went back for a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. Then, I used to be with the University of East London. I worked there for five years. I was at Teesside. I did my PhD in the north of the UK. That is in the North-East of the UK. I worked with the University of Teesside for six years.

Did your childhood life affect your current achievement?

We used to say something like ‘Mushin to the world’. Though I lived in Ikoyi in the early part of my adulthood, growing up in Surulere and Mushin influenced my decision in some ways. When we gathered as friends, we always thought of how to scale up our lives as young people.

Though I had the good, the bad and the ugly, those childhood moments spurred me to greatness. As we evolved, I had friends and we kept encouraging one another and later helped each other to travel around the world. Some of them have become chief executive officers and chairmen of their own companies in Nigeria.

It is very important for any young person who wants to succeed in life to move around with people of great values to help. After we are comfortable, we still discuss how we can integrate back into the system.

Why didn’t you pursue your dream of becoming a pilot?

I forgot about the flight training school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, US. I later applied to the University of Teesside, where I went to study International Management. At the end of the day, I stayed back in Teesside to do my MBA, which was another master’s. It was the recession period between 2000 and 2009, and a lot of people were thinking of what to do with their lives.

I just decided to go back into education. I did a PhD in strategic change management in maritime crude oil transportation. I was trying to look at the strategic change that was going on in the maritime crude oil transportation sector in Nigeria. But now, I am at Liverpool John Moores University in Qatar.

How do you see Nigeria as a well-travelled person?

I am a believer in Nigeria, regardless of whatever we might be going through at the moment. I appreciate my ‘Nigerianness’ and ‘Africanism’. That’s why I wear native attire with a cap to interviews and conferences regularly. I don’t stop preaching my culture.

The reason is that while culture has been misinterpreted by many people, I try to reconstruct it because it speaks about our identity as a people. Even in classes with my students, I always uphold my culture as a Yoruba man, as a Nigerian and as an African. They appreciate it in Qatar.

When did you realise that you should be promoting Africanism?

I’ve always admired the way Professor Wole Soyinka dresses. He has been a role model to me to an extent, aside from my father. I also love his ideology. He also likes talking about African culture. So, back in London, I decided that I would portray myself like him as my trademark.

Have you been intimidated or humiliated dressing this way?

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When I appear at official gatherings, they may ask me about my outfit, and I would explain to them that I’m Yoruba from Nigeria. I let them know that I’m first a Nigerian before becoming British.

What are the secrets to your success in different academic and professional spheres?

As I said earlier, I’ve always wanted to get to the top of whatever I do. I’ve mingled with the right set of people. Then, I always give myself a target of five years to achieve any project. I went into publishing articles; I’ve contributed to economic research here in Qatar, in the UK and the rest of the world, even in Nigeria.

But one thing is that you have to be extremely determined to succeed. There must be a conviction. If you don’t have the conviction, you can’t be successful. Then, your success must have an impact on society. That’s why I’m an advocate of giving back to people. I used to run a non-governmental organisation back in the UK with some of my friends, where we donated books to schools and encouraged kids.

How can an average Nigerian thirst for a culture of excellence to thrive on the global stage?

How to do that is simple. Sell your Nigerian values to the world. Like me, I carry that weight and emblem of being a Nigerian any time. I can sell ice to Eskimos. Every Nigerian has one special gift that the world needs, so when you bring it on, the world will respect you. But many don’t do this, including our institutions.

For example, I approached a vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university because I wanted to be a visiting lecturer in their institution. I would just visit once or twice to teach every year on a pro bono basis, but he told me they didn’t have the resources for that. I was embarrassed.

This is a thing that any university in the world will jump at. But in my own country, I was not given that opportunity. In Qatar, they are searching for me to come and contribute to economic policies. What I’m saying, in essence, is that Nigerians have a lot to offer the world, but are we ready?

Do you think Nigerian professionals abroad are doing enough to help Nigeria grow?

Creating a very enabling environment for Nigerians to return to is very important. We’ve got a lot of Nigerian professionals doing exploits outside the country. This is because there are enabling environments, but what is the government doing about this for them to integrate back into the system?

I’m also planning on coming back someday, very soon. That is why I try to visit Nigeria two or three times a year. These are things we need to take into consideration. There are lots of Nigerians who would help the country, but the enabling environment must be available for them to thrive.

Do you have personal motivation that makes you visit Nigeria?

There might be a time when the Europeans or Americans will tell us to go back to our country. There might be a time when the situation or the environment of the diaspora will not be conducive for us. The best option would be for us to return home. So, we have to prepare the ground for our return to Nigeria or Africa. That’s what I tell my friends. Thank God I have some friends who also share that belief. Even my kids were born abroad, but they don’t throw away their origin.

Speaking of research, why do you think the country has numerous research institutes churning out papers that don’t reflect the practical activities of the people?

Research is not just about sitting in the corner of your office and writing. It is a whole lot of work. Also, researchers must be appreciated for them to do more. The day we start appreciating our researchers, things will turn around. Some people want to contribute to society; some people are in it because of money.

However, has Nigerian society appreciated its researchers? Research is not just about sitting down and doing things. It’s about investigating. In recent times, investigation is not cheap. It requires funding. It requires the government to compel companies and multinationals to invest in research in Nigeria.

Collaboration is needed as well. If this is done, research will be effective in Nigeria. When I was the Deputy Executive Director in Oil and Gas Management at the University of East London, I wrote about hydrogen as a panacea for poverty alleviation in Eastern Europe, using Greece as a case study.

From the UK, I went to Greece to work. At one point, I was looking at different parts of the world. So, I didn’t sit in my office; I went to the Netherlands to carry out my research, not to watch YouTube. A lot needs to be fine-tuned for research to do well in Nigeria.

How can Nigeria overcome brain drain?

There’s something in human resources called employee retention. It cuts across welfare schemes, payment, bonuses and others. As a leader of any organisation or state, put up mechanisms to retain your best brains in the system. When people are aggrieved about what you pay or how you treat them, they will go where they are appreciated.

Make their jobs attractive; there were times in Nigeria when the King of Saudi Arabia came to the University College Hospital, the University of Ibadan Teaching Hospital, for medical treatment. Can this happen again? Can this be said of our teaching hospitals in the country? When the environment at home is good enough, professionals will be retained.