By Damilola Abiola
Former General Secretary of the Lagos State House of Assembly Correspondents’ Association (LAHACA) and ex-Lagos correspondent for Peoples Gazette, Dr. Temitope Musowo, has been awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Policy by the University of Ibadan.
The highest degree was conferred during the University’s 2025 Graduation Ceremony and 77th Foundation Day Celebration, held on Monday at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan.
In a post-convocation interview in Lagos, Dr. Musowo described the milestone as the culmination of years of hard-work, dedication and perseverance through significant personal and academic challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, prolonged ASUU strikes, and the notoriously rigorous PhD process at Nigeria’s premier university.
“Getting to this point wasn’t easy,” he reflected. “Many in my inaugural PhD cohort in Public Policy couldn’t complete the journey. The UI PhD experience is like queuing behind people who have come to deposit church offering at a bank, you only know when you walk in, but you never know when you’ll leave the banking hall. Sometimes, you may even have to switch queues just to leave on time.”
Dr. Musowo revealed that his pursuit of the highest academic degree was fueled by both personal resolve and professional ambition. “Years ago, as an NCE holder, I was rejected by a lady partly because I didn’t have a degree. That moment planted a seed: I vowed to earn the highest possible qualification. Besides, in my home state, education is the industry, having a PhD is almost the norm,” he said.
He recalled how his journalistic experience also played a pivotal role. “Another motivation was that while covering the Lagos State House of Assembly for over a decade, some lawmakers would engage me on policy research ahead of plenary debates, yet my contribution was seldom valued beyond a token ‘brown envelope.’ Then, I decided to earn a PhD so they would engage me not just as a reporter, but as a policy consultant that I am.”
In addition, his interest in public policy was further sparked during a 2019 election reporting training co-organised by the International Press Centre (IPC) and the European Union. “A facilitator challenged us to hold politicians accountable on policy during interviews. That session lit a fire in me,” he recalled.
Coincidentally, while attending that training, he learned that the University of Ibadan was starting its PhD programme in Public Policy, and he applied immediately for the 2019/2020 academic session.
The achievement for Dr. Musowo holds deep personal significance as he reflected. “Left for my late father, I probably would not further my education beyond secondary school. He believed that if you didn’t pass all your exams on the first attempt, you weren’t ‘designed for academics’, his words were, ‘Iwe o ki n sona e, lo kose’ (‘You weren’t made for school; go learn a trade’). My older siblings fell victim to that obnoxious educational policy, but my mother insisted, this one must go to school and paid for my re-enrollment. Although, my father later supported when I gained admission to higher institution”
Dr. Musowo expressed profound gratitude to Partnership for African Social and Governance Research (PASGR) and the Carnegie Corporation of New York for fully funding his doctoral studies.
Now holding a PhD alongside an MSc in Sustainable Development with his background in journalism and policy analysis, Dr. Musowo is poised to deepen his impact at the intersection of media, governance, and public policy in Nigeria and beyond.