By TONY ONYIMA Ph.D

By any measure, it was a journey marked by grit, sacrifice and an unyielding belief in purpose. Today, Saturday, December 13, 2025, the University of Jos (UNIJOS) crowned a seven-year academic odyssey when it awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree to Friday Olokor, an Arise News staff and seasoned journalist, having found him worthy in character and learning.

For Olokor, the Ph.D was not merely an academic title; it was the fulfilment of a long, tortuous pilgrimage that tested faith, body and spirit. Armed with a B.A. from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and an M.A. from the University of Lagos, he journeyed to Jos in pursuit of doctoral excellence often at great personal and professional cost.

That journey nearly ended in tragedy. On May 1, 2019, shortly after a seminar presentation, Olokor was involved in a horrific road accident while travelling from Jos to Abuja. He survived against the odds. “Till today, I don’t know how I escaped death,” he recalls, describing the incident as a defining moment that reaffirmed his sense of mission.

At the time, questions trailed his repeated trips to Jos. Some accused him falsely of pursuing frivolities rather than scholarship. Unfazed, Olokor pressed on. Years later, he would offer a poignant rejoinder: the so-called “side chick” had become his Ph.D.

His doctoral thesis, A Postcolonial Study of Power in the Poetry of Tanure Ojaide and Odia Ofeimun, was supervised by Professor Nesther Nachafiyu Alu, with Professor Jeff Godwin Doki as co-supervisor. The work interrogates power, voice and resistance in modern Nigerian poetry, reflecting both scholarly rigour and the lived experiences of a journalist deeply engaged with society.

Born to late parents, Francis Okoh Olokor and Elizabeth Olokor, and hailing from Abavo in Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, Olokor’s journey underscores the power of resilience. He credits his wife, children, family members, lecturers across Ife, Lagos and Jos, and the ASUU leadership at UNIJOS for their unwavering encouragement.

Professionally, his academic quest ran parallel with a demanding journalism career. Transferred from Abuja to Jos as Plateau State Correspondent of The PUNCH, he worked in an environment many colleagues dismissively called an “infertile Siberia” for reporting. Yet, Olokor faced the assignment squarely—so squarely that he was once detained by the military for reporting stories deemed inconvenient.

His academic journey began during his years at The PUNCH and reached its climax at Arise News, where he now works. In his words, “My academic journey started in The PUNCH but ended in Arise News. And so, I have arisen.”

Olokor paid glowing tribute to Prince Nduka Obaigbena, Chairman of THISDAY and Arise News Global Group, for believing in his capacity to add value and for the support that made it possible to run what he describes as a capital-intensive Ph.D programme.

As he celebrates the culmination of seven years of intense research and perseverance, Olokor frames the moment with gratitude and faith: “This is the day the Lord has made.” His story stands as an inspiring testament to the triumph of purpose over peril, and a reminder that with resilience, conviction and support, even the most arduous journeys can end in victory.

•Dr. Tony Onyima, a renowned journalist, is the President of THISDAY Alumni Association.

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