I had looked forward to my graduation ceremony at SOAS University of London with great anticipation. Although I had received my certificate ahead, I knew that the actual ceremony was going to be special.
On May 20, 2025, less than four months before my graduation, I asked my father, Ch. Bayo Ige (now late), if he would travel to the United Kingdom for my award ceremony. He laughed and said he was too old for the hassle of complex travels and the hurdles of immigration (a sad contemporary reality).
Eight days later, on May 28, he passed on. From that point, my heart took a hit.
I never thought of my father as old – not even once! Whenever I looked at him, all I saw was the man who held me by the hand on my first day of primary education, and, subsequently, secondary school boarding house.
When I gained admission into the University of Benin, my dad was with me. He walked with me every step of the way.
In August 2022, when I had to choose my preferred institution for Chevening Awards, having been offered admission by three renowned universities in the United Kingdom, it didn’t require much consideration before I knew I wanted to study where my father had studied, his beloved University of London.
Since my preferred course of study was Development Studies, the choice made itself; SOAS University of London is easily one of the world’s greatest institutions for Development, and especially renowned for its critical approach to decolonising development and rethinking ideologies that shape Oriental and African development curation.
On June 15, 2023, I got the email that read, “Congratulations, you have been chosen for a 2023/2024 Chevening Award.” In that moment, a part of me went numb. I thought of all the events that led to that point, and all I could muster was a soft, “Wow.”
On the day that I gave the good news to my father, it’s hard to tell which made him happier: my Chevening Scholarship or my choice of university; I’m sure both had a combined effect, giving him a deep sense of pride. It was only natural, therefore, that on September 25, 2023, when I set foot on the soil of SOAS for my orientation, the first person I had on a video call was my father. I showed him around virtually to see and have a visual representation of where I would be spending my learning year “mastering” global development.
👩🎓GRADUATION
On September 3, 2025, as I walked the stage to receive my award, the image of my father and the pride he would have felt if he were alive dominated my thoughts.
Knowing how deeply my dad loved Nigeria, and how much he cared about its progress: a confident patriotism that runs in my family, I reckoned that flying my country’s flag on the stage he once walked would make him happy, so I did.
My dear father, I hope I made your spirit smile.
