Lekan Otufodunrin talked to the brilliant student Olalusi about his accomplishments, quality of education in Russia and the future plans.
A Key to Success
For the great part of his accomplishment, Olalusi thanks God, saying “Mostly, I do the much I can, which can be very little, but with God, little is much.” The other part Olalusi’s success is his willingness to excel, perfect management and hard work. “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.”
Why Russia
Olalusi admitted that this is a challenge in itself - to find an opportunity to study abroad, and namely to get the necessary funding. He and not all the brilliant students will be able to continue education outside Nigeria. “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.” The problem, Olalusi reconed, is that to get the information about education opportunities abroad, one needs “to have THE so called NIGERIAN EDGE (like KNOW SOMEONE).”
As for his particular case, he said he "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." Moreover, it also turned out that education in Russia is more affordable than in other counties and particularly in the US. “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,” Olalusi added.
Medical Training: Russia vs Nigeria
Drawing on his study experience in both Nigeria and Russia, Olalusi described the Russian education system as more intense. On the other hand, he said, the atmosphere in Russian universities seems to be friendlier. For Olalusi, these features make Russian education more “conducive”. “Everything, lecture materials, school books, internet resources are at the tip of your fingers. “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.” However, one of the major challenges for a foreign student is the Russian language, which is rather complicated but still great to learn, Olalusi said.
Talking about medical training in particular, Olalusi highlighted that, from his point of view, the quality of medical education 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.”
Nigerian Brain Drain
When asked, what Nigerian Government should do to stop brain drain in Nigeria, Olalusi gave a direct answer: “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.” He also noted that lack of the appropriate equipment might sometimes to doctors’ inability to rescue those in need.
Olalusi concluded that “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”
Working on Nigeria’s Image
Upon his arrival to Russia, Olalusi found out that for many people from around the globe, Nigeria associates with “Corruption, bombings, killings, scams are the bane.” He added that “It’s even worse when you’re held down, delayed (and MADE TO MISS YOUR FLIGHT) at airports because you’re a Nigerian.” This motivated him to use every opportunity to start re-building the image of Nigeria among the people he studies and was surrounded with. “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.”
He believes that these efforts are not in vain, and he is not going to give up. “Now, the world is gradually coming to understand who we truly are, we just need to be more consistent and true (HONEST) to ourselves.”
Future Plans
Having graduated in Russia, Olalusi wants to bring the acquired knowledge home. He said, “But really, I believe my home country needs me more than any other nation does. I would return home.” However, he would like to keep networking with colleagues from around the world, as well as keep improving his medical skills, particularly in the field of Cardiology and Cardiovascular medicine, as well as Infectious Diseases, especially Malaria.
One of the ideas that Olalusi has in mind now is creation of an institute of Malariology in Nigeria. “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 menace and at reducing the number of deaths and complications.”
In the future, Victor Olalusi hope to always follow one principle: “In one phrase, that means being honest and very diligent in practice.”
No comments:
Post a Comment