All You Need To Know About Nigeria’s First Veiled (Eleha) PhD Graduate, Why She Likes Acting 

Her name is OYAREMI Motunrayo Kafilat, née Bakare. She is a mother of five. She was born and bred in Lagos State.

She is from Ifako Ijaye, Lagos. Her father is late Alhaji Uzamat Adekunle Alani Bakare while her mother is Alhaja Rizqoh Arike Bakare.

She spent her early life with her late grandmother, Alhaja Khalilat Omolola Lawal who died while she was rounding up her PhD programme. Her grandmother was the mother she grew up to know while she was very young.

She had her primary education at African Church Primary School, Ifako Ijaye, Lagos while she had her secondary education at Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako Ijaye, Lagos. She belonged to the Press Club and Drama Society in her primary and secondary schools. She was a very active member of the two societies.

Though she was placed in science department in senior secondary school, she loved acting and casting news. She never wanted to be a science student but she was placed in science class because of her academic performance and everyone believed she would excel in the department.

However, she was never fulfilled. She only had passion for the Arts. Though she was among the best students in the department, but she was never satisfied. She wanted more.

She wanted to be the best, she  wanted to go for her passion. In her second year in senior secondary, she changed to Arts but her father was highly disappointed and sad. She went back to make him happy but she was sad. She continued to assist her friends in Arts and Commercial classes to do their assignments and she was extremely happy doing this.

Her father was confused, he wanted to know where she actually belonged. Eventually, she took a bold step in SSS 3 and walked up to the Vice Principal academics that she prefer Arts class and that is all she wanted.

He was baffled, he couldn’t understand why she wanted to change when the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) was just around the corner. She pleaded with her father, sent emissaries to him, promised him she would never bring the family name into disrepute if given the opportunity to pursue her dream of studying Theatre Arts and later becoming an actress.

Her father was flabbergasted, he couldn’t comprehend why she would prefer Theatre Arts to every other course. He humorously offered to take her to Baba Sala (the late veteran comedian) to learn acting from him instead of wasting four years to get the certificate.

After much persuasion he allowed her. She sat for JAMB and chose Theatre Arts. In the year 2000 she was offered admission to study Theatre Arts and her name was number four on the merit list. That day she was very sure it was one of her father’s happiest days. He was very happy that one of his daughters would be studying at the Premier University, the prestigious University of Ibadan.

He took her by the hand and handed her over to Prof Abdul Afeez Ayinde Oladosu of the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies who is a nephew of his boss and friend Alhaji Popoola of Ifako Ijaye. It rained cat and dog on this particular day but both father and daughter never felt the rain because of their happy states of mind.

Immediately they got home, her father gave her sister Mrs Taiwo Kafayat Arulogun some money to keep for her registration whenever it starts. But Alas, man proposes God disposes. We plan and Allah plans, Allah is the best of planners. Her father took ill the following week and died. She couldn’t go for her registration until after his Fidau Prayer, eight days after. The family members contributed money for her registration because the money set aside for registration has been spent on his sickness.

They later went for the registration (herself and her sister) and they  were asked why they were just coming. Her sister narrated what happened and fortunately that was the last day of registration. They got to UI around 2:00pm and the registration would end by 4:00pm. She was able to beat deadline and Alhamdulillah she became an undergraduate of UI.

The journey in the Department of Theatre Arts began with her sister’s advise of becoming a triangular student; Room- Class- Library and back to the room. Her sister enlightened her on the journey to getting a first class and that the journey starts in hundred level.

She became a Federal Government Scholar in 100 level and was one throughout her undergraduate. Worthy of mention is also that she won the Mirinda Excellence Award for the best Arts student in her department in SSS 3 first term when she changed to the department.

She later graduated as the best graduating student in the Department of Theatre Arts in 2005. She specialised in Educational