The 27-year-old Nigerian, Dr. Bahijja
Raimi-Abraham, made history by
becoming the first graduate of
Pharmacy from the University of East
Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom, to
be awarded a PhD in Pharmacy. She
shares her experience with Olabisi
Deji-Folutile in this online interview.
Were you born in the UK?
I was born in Lagos, Nigeria in April
1985 and left Nigeria at the age of six
when my family returned to the UK –
my parents had lived and studied in
the UK previous to that.
After completing my primary school
education in London, I attended
secondary school in North Wales,
Penrhos College – where my mother
and her sisters also were educated;
and following my GCSEs I returned to
London for sixth form when I studied
and passed the Advanced Level
examinations (A – levels) in Physics,
Chemistry, Biology and Drama.
From where did you obtain your
first degree?
I was accepted to read Pharmacy at
the University of East Anglia – the
University had just opened its School
of Pharmacy and I was among the
first intake of Pharmacy students.
The course was of four years in
duration and led to the award of the
MPharm degree. Following this, I
applied to, and was accepted by
Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital in
central London to undergo my
Pharmacy Pre-registration year.
After passing my Pre-registration
exams and attaining full status as a
Pharmacist, I was invited by my alma
mater, University of East Anglia, to
apply and study for a Doctorate in
Pharmaceutics.
How many students registered for
the PhD programme?
To the best of my knowledge, there
were seven of us in the School of
Pharmacy at the University of East
Anglia (UEA) when I started my PhD
course in October 2008.
Were you also among the first set
of students to register for PhD in
the university?
No. UEA has been in existence for
almost 50 years – it was established
in 1963 and has produced PhD
graduates for a number of years. The
School of Pharmacy at UEA was
opened to accept its first intake of
Pharmacy undergraduates in 2003. I
was among the first cohort of
Pharmacy undergraduates to be
admitted to the university that year.
Approximately 90 of us were
accepted for Pharmacy, and
approximately 50 of us graduated
with the award of MPharm (Masters
Degree in Pharmacy) in 2007. I am
however, the first graduate of The
School of Pharmacy at UEA to be
awarded a PhD.
I consider this an achievement for
myself no doubt, as well as for my
family, the School of Pharmacy at
UEA, as well as an achievement for
Nigeria – the land of my birth!
What are your experiences in the
course of your study?
Overall my experiences have been
positive. Of course, studying
Pharmacy and then pursuing a PhD
has not been easy, both with their
own challenges and different
learning outcomes. I have always
tried to study areas that I have had a
natural interest in. For example,
during my A-Level studies I
thoroughly enjoyed Chemistry and on
advice from my mother, I decided to
study Pharmacy at university level.
At the start of the second year of my
undergraduate degree I decided I
wanted to pursue the highest form of
education and had a meeting with
the then head of school and another
member of the faculty (both later
became my PhD supervisors) to
discuss the requirement to study a
PhD. Although my experiences have
been positive, there have also been
some challenges. But through it all,
I’ve had the support of my lecturers
and my family which motivated me
to achieve. My study of Pharmacy
instilled discipline in me as a
professional – this discipline gained
as a result of becoming a Pharmacist
stood me in good stead as I
embarked on my PhD course.
What are some of the challenges
that blacks encounter in the UK?
Challenges encountered by blacks in
the UK are as wide and as varied as
you can imagine – because as with all
other individual experiences, one
must try to refrain from generalising.
For me, my life in the UK has
generally been positive. However one
of the major challenges is the issue
of stereotyping…a problem that, I
suppose, can be faced anywhere in
the world. Stereotyping leads to
presumptions which often take a
while to deconstruct.
For example, working as a locum
Pharmacist I have had experiences
when patients come into the
pharmacy and speak to my white
health care assistant first –
somewhat assuming that perhaps I’m
the health care assistant while the
white member of staff is the
pharmacist (and overall manager of
the pharmacy on a given day!). I
have had to be assertive – perhaps
more than I would have had to be if I
wasn’t black; assertive in ensuring
that I am considered and respected
in the workplace.
What are your personal
experiences?
As I’ve said previously, my personal
experiences have generally been
positive. I attended primary school in
London from the age of six and then
for secondary school I attended a
fee-paying boarding school in North
Wales where I was athlete of the
year for three consecutive years. I
was also a member of the school
netball and swimming teams; then
sixth-form college in London for my A
levels before attending University of
East Anglia to study Pharmacy.
I also played netball for my
university. Prior to starting my PhD I
worked at Guy’s and St
Thomas’Hospital in London for my
Pharmacy Pre-registration year.
During my entire educational life I
would say that I’ve been fortunate to
have met some extremely supportive
people. In general, I’ve learnt life is
what you make it – always do
something that is natural to you and
that you enjoy because if applied
correctly, you will excel in it.
What is the population of blacks to
whites in your school?
In my PhD group I was the only black
student in a group of seven white
people of mixed nationality.
Are there cases of lecturers
victimising students there?
To the best of my knowledge there
was no serious case of victimisation
from lecturers. UEA has a robust
complaints/grievance procedure
which all students are made aware
of.
What words of encouragement do
you have for young people in your
shoes either at home or abroad?
I would say to young people both at
home and abroad that education is
indeed the key to a myriad of life-
changing opportunities. It is
important to get a first degree so
that you always have something to
fall back on.
The choice of whether or not to
progress to Masters degree level or
indeed to Doctorate level can be
made once the first hurdle is in sight
or indeed after it has been achieved.
Stay positive about life in general.
Good things come to those who wait
– don’t try and “grow old” before
your time.
What are your plans for the future?
Do you intend to return to Nigeria?
I plan to pursue a career in
academia. I also plan to explore and
avail myself of all the opportunities
that are put before me. Included in
this plan is my wish to make a
contribution towards the
development of pharmaceutical
research and practice in Nigeria.
The University of East Anglia is a
publicly-owned university. What is
the rating of the university in the
UK?
According to the Complete University
Guide University League Table for
2012 and 2013, the University of East
Anglia is the 27th best university in
the UK. The School of Pharmacy at
the University of East Anglia is
ranked as No.1 in the UK!

SOURCE: blogs.punchng.com/franktalk/2013/04/16/nigerian-girl-emerges-1st-phd-pharmacy-graduate-in-uk-university/

Congratulatns, girl...