Against All Odds: From Polytechnic Dropout to Ph.D. – A Journey of Resilience

By Dr. Oluwadare Deji Ogunbiyi

When life’s storms hit, they rarely send a warning. In my second year at the Polytechnic, my world was upended by a call no one ever wants to receive: my father had suffered a devastating accident, his leg shattered, and our family thrown into crisis. Hospitals turned us away, and the silence from home was not neglect, but a desperate struggle for survival.

Stranded at school, penniless and hungry, I felt abandoned. By the time I made it home, my academic dreams had crumbled. I was forced to drop out, lost and without hope. But as the firstborn, I knew I could not give up. My family needed me.

I found work as a laborer, carrying bricks under the harsh sun for two months. The money I earned allowed me to register for WAEC again in 2006, determined to rewrite my story. After passing, I worked as a hotel porter for over a year, saving every naira. I sat for JAMB, passed, and cleared the Post-UTME for two universities—yet, no admission came.

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At my lowest, two remarkable people—Otunba Olukayode Tunde Ejimokun and Mrs. Abioye Roseline Funmilayo Ojo—urged me not to give up. They encouraged me to start afresh with a Pre-Degree program. Though reluctant, I listened. That decision, made on a dusty roadside between Ekiti and Osun, changed my life.

Otunba Ejimokun not only encouraged me but also gave me a home throughout my Pre-Degree program, asking for nothing in return. With their support, I completed my B.Ed. at UNAD (now EKSU), despite delays from strikes and unrest. I graduated in 2013, served my country through NYSC, and saved nearly all my allowance to fund my Master’s degree. Teaching jobs helped me through my thesis, and eventually, I earned not one, but two Master’s degrees and a Ph.D.

From carrying bricks to standing as Dr. Oluwadare Deji Ogunbiyi, my journey is proof that failure is never final. Setbacks are setups for comebacks. When life knocks you down, rise. Your breakthrough is possible—if you refuse to give up.

Keep rising. Keep believing.

Dr. Oluwadare Deji Ogunbiyi, B.Ed. (Hons) Ado-Ekiti, M.Ed. (MUN), M.Ed., & Ph.D. (Makurdi)