AfriPulse
Professor Catherine Oreh, the first female PhD holder and first female professor from Abam in Abia State, has recounted how she lost her husband on the same day she graduated with First-Class Honours from the university.
Oreh, who spoke to THE WHISTLER moments after her induction as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Education (NAE) at the Conference Hall of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja on Thursday, described the recognition as an inspiring milestone.
“The Nigerian Academy of Education, as you heard the chairman say when he was making his opening remark, is the highest educational body in Nigeria,” she told THE WHISTLER.
“All other educational bodies are encompassed by this body, and it is the second organisation in Nigeria apart from the Academy of Science.
“Today, the Academy is celebrating its 40th anniversary. When you become a professor and you still have more than five years in service, you are nominated to become a member of the Academy. Progressively, they will assess your work, both at the university and in the development of education, and you will be nominated for induction.
“The position of a fellowship is the highest position. There are members, there are associate fellows, there are core fellows of the Academy, and today I’ve been inducted as a core fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Education, which is quite inspiring to me. Having retired six years back, they still found me worthy to be made a fellow, so I’m grateful.”
Professor Catherine Oreh
The professor recalled starting her career as a classroom teacher in 1973 and rising through the ranks to become a university lecturer and researcher.
However, she noted that her academic rise was marked by the loss of her husband.
“I started in the state school, then I came into the university school in 1975 as a kindergarten teacher, and then moved to grade 5, grade 6. From there, I transitioned into the Institute of Education to become a research fellow/lecturer,” she said.
“So I’ve gone through the levels. On the biggest challenges I faced, they were not easy. First of all, I was studying, I had two scholarships and one bursary award, an education bursary, a federal government merit award, and a Senate University scholarship. So I was studying with ease, and my husband was in the House of Representatives.
“But the day I had my degree paper was the day my husband died. And it was quite challenging. I never imagined that I would make it. My eldest child was ten years, seven months. My second son was nine years. My third son was seven years, five months. You can imagine that age bracket, what to do with them. And given the type of culture we have in our place, of dispossessing widows, I had a lot of challenges — financial, emotional, psychological, name them, I had challenges. But because I trusted God and I still trust him, he waded us through this storm.”
Despite her loss, Professor Oreh emerged as the best student in both her department and faculty, which she credited to determination and discipline.
“Whatever I do, I get determined to do it. And I believe in success. Five of my grandchildren are studying abroad. And I tell them, as you take each course, grade yourself before the lecturer finishes the course. So I used to tell myself I would make an A in this course. And I would study towards making an A. It wasn’t easy, but nothing distracted me,” she told THE WHISTLER.
Professor Catherine Oreh
According to her, maintaining focus amid motherhood and widowhood was a challenge she overcame through faith and hard work.
“It wasn’t easy to balance anything. I was looking for money to pay their school fees. I was looking for money to pay rent. There was a car I had as a student. We rode that car for 17 years. But now, when I look around and see cars all over me, I begin to wonder. The Bible says, Sorrow may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning. That is where I am,” she said.
“I balanced because I didn’t have an entitlement mentality. This person must do this or do this for me. I trusted God, and I asked him to guide me. I did all kinds of things. I farmed. I became a trader until I became a consultant. Then things turned around.”
She also paid tribute to her late husband, who was the first PhD holder in Abam, describing him as the one who “brought me to the limelight.”
“He took me to the university community, even though I had already gotten my WAEC teacher’s grade 2. But if I had stayed back in the village, I would have retired as a primary school teacher at 60,” she said.
“So, I’m still grateful to him. What happened yesterday was Thanksgiving, more or less, and a remembrance unto him.”
Oreh, who is a passionate advocate for adult education and inclusive learning, further told THE WHISTLER that “Age shouldn’t be a limitation for anybody to be educated. Age shouldn’t be a limitation. That’s why we emphasise on education for all. When you mean education for all, all should be all, both young and old, and adults in particular, no matter the age.”
The professor also used the opportunity to recommend her new publication, Retirement Education Manual for All, which she said was inspired by the struggles faced by Nigerian retirees.
“If you look around and see what retirees are going through in Nigeria, they are regarded as nonentities, as people who never made any contributions to the development of this nation. All their labours, more or less, are forgotten. Do you know that there are people whose pensions are N15,000 in Nigeria, and whose pensions are N20,000? Like I said yesterday, when they invite them from time to time for verification, they come.
“The government brings an ambulance, because they know some of them, out of hunger, out of weakness, weariness, they can faint. Some can die. So is this supposed to be the thank you or the reward for someone who had contributed significantly to the development of the nation?”
She called for retirement education to be introduced as a core subject from secondary school to help Nigerians prepare early for life after work.
“People will know what to do, plan, save, organise themselves, how to make use of the extra time that will be in their hands, and how to get engaged in leisure, not idleness,” she said.
In her message to young female academics and widows, Professor Oreh said, “Whatever you do, be serious about it. Be determined, be focused. Don’t keep the wrong company. As a widow, you lose your friends. Your friends don’t come close to you because they think widowhood is infectious.
“But for young people who are widows, life still continues unless you decide to commit suicide. And since life continues, you want to maintain the legacy of your late husband. You will work hard to sustain it. That is my advice.”
Source: TheWhistler | Read the Full Story…
