Interview with a man of great virtue : Engineer Amusa (COLENG LECTURER)

Engr Amusa Kamoli Akinwale

FUNAAB Vanguard : We are FUNAAB Vanguard and we will like to meet you sir?

Lecturer  : I pray I will be able to answer all your questions, I'm listening.

FUNAAB Vanguard : Can we know your full name sir?

Lecturer : I'm Engr AMUSA KAMOLI AKINWALE

FUNAAB Vanguard :  Why have you decided to study Engineering?

Engr Amusa : Engineering is one of the applied sciences, and for us to have  a full administration of what Engineering entails, we need to know what science is all about.

There are 3 things that are interwoven and unless we are able to differentiate between the 3, we might find it difficult to really appreciate Engineering. Science is application of body of knowledge that is born out of observation and experiment before you can now make a firm decision. Engineering involves application of the body of knowledge from science to  solve human problems and improve quality of lives.

In the olden days, people trek a lot, they do tie their loads on their head and host of other things they accomplish through menial works  or hard means , but with the coming of Engineering , why do you have to trek all the way from Abeokuta to Lagos, why can't you use motorcycle to make life easier, so you can imagine available Engineering product, the sole purpose of each one of them is to improve the quality of life and make things easier, but you cannot accomplish that  unless you have a recourse to the body of knowledge from science.

We either use Chemistry , Physics and of course Mathematics is our language. Without Mathematics we are not talking.


FUNAAB Vanguard : Thank you very much sir. We want to know your experience as an undergraduate, was there any challenge academically?. In addition, which university did you attend?

Engr Amusa : FUNAAB will be my third university, I'm heterogeneous, not like some people that will start and finish all the education in the same university, I did my undergraduate at the university of Ibadan few years back and I did my Ms.c in Unilag, then while in the industry I  pursued my Master's degree in UNILAG and then did my Ph.d in FUNAAB here. so that is why I said my schooling has been an heterogeneous one.

FUNAAB Vanguard : Did you go for your Ph.d Immediately after your Ms.c?

Engr Amusa : Yes, Immediately I finished my  Ms.c, I went for my Ph.d because by that time i had said bye-bye to industry.

FUNAAB Vanguard : Most Undergraduates says Ph.d is not worth doing, They prefer working in a company to working for government, We don't know what you might like to tell them sir? Is Lecturing better than working for government?

Engr Amusa :  It is subjective, individuals have to set goal for themselves, Let me sight an instance, during my undergraduate days, Lecturers employed are those with industrial experience before coming down to lecturing and that's why I have decided to work in a company.

For me, I will say Lecturing is better for two reasons :

1. You will be able to combine the theoretical basic of the academic  with what is obtainable in industry .

2. To be loyal to academic, because If you don't have a taste of it, you might be thinking people out there are making millions , though they pay relevant money higher than academics but there is no freedom unlike lecturing, where I can leave for home when I'm  done with my courses, To me, if you  have passion for academic, you don't need to wait, Go for your Ph.d straight after your Degree and Masters, Although industry is tempting because  of monetary aspect but there is a limit to everything.

About 4 Professors are retiring in Engineering now :
Prof. Kehinde (Control System Engineering).
Prof. Omogi and Prof Komolafe(Power and Machine Professors).
Prof Adeniran(Communication Enginering).
Prof. Adegboyega( Pioneer DEAN of COLENG FUNAAB).

5 Professors are retiring in Elect/ Elect department now and there is no provision for substitute, Prof. Ayedun is retiring next year in Material Engineering and we are yet to find substitute. Dr. Adetunji (Mechanical Engineering HOD) is in material but He's not yet a professor that he may fit in into Prof.Ayedun's position when he leaves . If you polarize yourself in Academic, opportunities are there.

FUNAAB Vanguard : What challenge do you face with students in FUNAAB, Have you ever regretted Lecturing sir?

Engr Amusa : Hmmn, for once I have not, each time students turn back to be unruly, I will flash back to my time, instead of me taking offence, I will just relax. There are two courses in college of education people take for granted, I read them.

1. Psychology of Learning
2. Psychology of Human development.

Once you acquainted yourself with this two, you are better of.

FUNAAB Vanguard : When wil you become a Professor sir?

Engr Amusa :  Only God knows(smiling), But ideally, by UNAAB details, all things being equal, I'm not yet a senior lecturer, currently I'm a Lecturer 1, after lecturer1, there is Senior Lecturer, senior lecturer to leader, leader to Professor,, so i still have a long way to go, but the epitome of it is that the peak of Academic is  pursue is Ph.d, Once you have it, the other is Politics,let me give an instance, the current Dean of COPLANT Prof. Tayase between the time he was promoted as a Professor and as a Doctor was 20years, and some  people can have it in 10years.

FUNAAB Vangurd  : Undegraduate don't want to work for government anymore, they are saying, Entrepreneurship is better, Is Entrepreneurship actually better?

Engr Amusa :  Actually, there is nothing wrong in doing entrepreneurship, even this new curriculum 2015/2016 set is running is in that regard, Initially there is a course CVE350(Industrial Entrepreneurship), It is now been decentralized, Each department has its own Entrepreneurial course.

Just look inward, what can your prospective graduate venture into?, even before they get a paid job, they can use it to exercise there brain and get a legitimate money, programming is just one of it, nowadays we are moving towards micro-control, automation and host of other things.

Renewable energy source is another part of it which is equally applicable to virtually all work of engineering, To me, what I will advice is discover yourself, where lies your strength, and pursue it with your utmost figure because that is where you can get the best of yourself.

FUNAAB Vanguard  : What Course did you go for in your Ph.d?

Engr Amusa : Generally, we have 3 options in Electrical/Electronics Engineering in Nigeria. In UNILAG , Its 5, but in FUNAAB here, we are running 2 concurrently, we have Power and Machine option with Communication and digital signal processing option.

In my own case, I'm into Communication and digital processing, I don't know whether you know Mrs. Nuga , she has travelled for her Ph.d in Manchester, Possibly before the end of this year she's due to be back . Her area of major is in Electronics and Control Engineering.

FUNAAB Vanguard : What Advice do you have for Undergraduates?

Engr Amusa : They should be more cautious of there environment, they have more opportunities than people like us, they should endeavor to make use of that opportunities to there advantage , To seek Information now is easier, use the internet service well and gain maximally from the internet.

The first 3 classes of any course is  vital. Don't afford to miss it because that is the time you will formulate your policy about the lecturer and the course, No matter the level you are.