Emmanuel Jimmy, 31, graduated with 4.50
CGPA from the Department of Philosophy, University of Calabar, in the
2014/2015 academic session. In this interview with TUNDE AJAJA, he
reveals the secret to his success
Some people believe that it
is difficult to be a philosopher and still uphold one’s faith, be it
Christianity or Islam. Did you have such fears before taking the course?
No, I didn’t, because I already knew a
pastor of a popular Pentecostal church who was a professor of
philosophy. However, I think it is a misconception that has been peddled
over time. Contrary to such beliefs, philosophy should illuminate the
dark alleys of religion. Over the years, there are well entrenched
belief systems whose underbelly have been exposed by philosophy and
sound reasoning. In the medieval period, the task of philosophy was to
bring faith to be at par with reasoning. In other words, theology was
shaped by inputs from philosophical reflections. So at what point did
they part ways? Just like Ibuanyindanda would say, the subjective biases
and prejudices of men in interpreting scriptures have predisposed them
to see philosophy and religion as strange bed fellows – because of their
warped conceptions. So, that feeling that they clash is a myth. There
will only be a clash of interest when we fail to delineate between the
subjective utterances of capricious individuals and the inspired word of
God. It will be difficult to obviate the clash of interest where
religion has been used as a tool for exploitation.
Is it true that philosophers believe there is no God?
It depends on the school of thought one
belongs to. We have theistic philosophers who have a belief in the
existence of God and I belong to that group. But we also have
philosophers who don’t believe in the existence of God. These are
atheistic philosophers. There are other strands of atheism. There are
also agnostics who are not sure of the existence of God. Some like the
Deists posit that God created the world and later abandoned it. Like I
earlier alluded to the philosophical activities of the medieval era,
which was pre-occupied with harmonising faith with reason, rational
arguments were developed to prove the existence of God. These models of
arguments still hold sway today. I’m a philosopher and I believe in the
existence of God. I do teach in Sunday school on Sundays in church. No
matter how man tends to pull away from the radar of God, there is
something inherent in him that will still crave the divine. The Danish
existentialist philosopher Soren Kierkegaard succinctly captures it in
the three different stages man has to navigate through in life. At the
last stage, man reaches a point where he becomes dismayed and
disillusioned about life. Here a leap of faith to link with the divine
becomes inevitable.
Was it the instinct to unravel these beliefs that made you choose philosophy?
I used to be in the Faculty of Education
but I had to withdraw from the programme in 2008 after two academic
sessions, owing to huge financial constraints and dwindling interest.
That affected me a lot, but I thank God for his mercies. Meanwhile, when
I was in Education, we were taught Philosophy and Logic, History and
Philosophy of science and citizenship education as General Studies
courses. I discovered that I always felt at home during those lectures. I
was so thrilled by the subject matter of philosophy and the way the
lecturers in charge taught the courses held me spellbound. I decided
that when I would be readmitted, I would opt for either philosophy or
political science. So, in my Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination
form in 2010, I chose political science as my first choice and
philosophy as my second choice. I scored 263 in UTME and 360 in
post-UTME. Out of sheer providence, my name was omitted in political
science department and I was offered admission into philosophy
department at the University of Calabar.
What does philosophy aim to achieve?
Philosophy is a rational inquiry into
the nature and meaning of reality. Over the ages and different epochs of
history, man has sought to grapple with existential questions about
himself and the universe in which he lives. One of the fundamental
templates on which philosophy thrives is on the template of
criticism. Philosophy raises fundamental questions which border on
Epistemology, which is the theory of knowledge; Ethics, which appraises
the rightness or wrongness of an act, who and what should be the
standards of morality; Metaphysics, which explores the nature of reality
and the transcendental; Logic, which deals with science of
distinguishing correct and incorrect reasoning, evaluation of arguments
etc., and Social and political philosophy, which deals with theories
about the state. Philosophy also operates as a second order discipline
and plays the role of a gadfly to other disciplines. Its importance in
national development is what makes it to be included in the curriculum
of universities as a general course compulsory for many other
departments.
It is not common to see job advertisement for philosophers. What are the job prospects?
We have a lot of that. Philosophers, by
virtue of their knowledge, are better human resource managers and they
can be employed in the different arms of the military and police,
especially in the intelligence unit. It is not uncommon to find job
adverts specifying abilities of the applicant to be able to reason and
communicate in a logical manner. Without equivocating, it is only in
philosophy courses that these skills are clearly exposed. There are also
job opportunities in the academia. Philosophy teaches people how to be
thinkers and innovative enough to create job for themselves.
Philosophers are very versatile and can easily fit into employers’ needs
in banking sector, media houses, broadcasting, etc.
What would you ascribe your success to?
Studying philosophy was just like being
in a natural habitat. Many of the things I enjoyed reading during my
leisure time had direct bearing on philosophy, coupled with the
spiritual orientation that I had. When I was readmitted in 2010, my
intention was just to get a good second class honours degree. I never
thought of having first class, but after my first year, I had 4.73 GPA.
That was when it dawned on me that this feat was possible after all.
Although the stakes were high, through hard work and divine assistance, I
succeeded. I was happy when I found out that I made first class and it
was a very significant feat for me because my academic reputation had
become blighted. I had to downplay anything that could hamper my
academic success, and then focus on only those activities that would
help me. There was a year I had to spend my Christmas break in the
hostel so I wouldn’t lose traction. Another factor that helped me was
that I lived on campus right from my second year. I was allotted a bed
space at Peter Okebukola male scholarship hostel, an exclusive hall of
residence for high fliers in UNICAL. We were very few in that hostel and
the facilities there were not overstretched. The atmosphere was very
serene and congenial for learning. That was one of the privileges I
enjoyed free of charge on campus till I graduated. I thank God for how
far he has brought me; I remember that when I sat the West African
Senior School Certificate Examination, I had four As and four Cs in one
sitting, but I couldn’t proceed immediately to the higher institution
because of the impecunious state of my parents. It was much later that I
struggled to find my way to the university. So, I have every reason to
be grateful, more so that I was the only one in my class who had first
class.
What was your reading style?
I usually read in the morning starting
from 4am until I left for lectures, and after the day’s activities, I
read in the evening, usually around 9pm to midnight or 1am. I only used
the library when I wanted to do research and assignments because I don’t
like reading in a crowded place, my concentration spikes when I’m alone
in a closet. There were textbooks that were not written in contemporary
English but in Elizabethan or Victorian English, and that required some
more attention. My capacity to concentrate doubles when I’m alone;
that’s why I like to read even when I’m in the toilet. In fact, there
was a day I was so engrossed reading in the toilet that my roommate went
out and unknowingly locked me in the room. Also, I always took some
notes while reading, which some of my colleagues found useful. And when
there was need to, I also read during the holiday.
Were you in a relationship?
I was in a relationship in my first
year. At a point, it was about eating deep into my academic schedules
and when I raised my observation, the relationship became strained and
eventually ended unceremoniously. Later on, I only had platonic
relationships. I was conscious of the fact that I had lost time, when I
dropped out of faculty of education in 2008. Some of my contemporaries
then were already doing their postgraduate programmes. So, to me, every
second counted and so, I had no time for frivolities.
What have you been doing since you graduated?
I’m working as an academic staff in the
University of Calabar. I was employed as a Graduate Assistant and I
resumed duty shortly after convocation in March 2016. In this regard,
I’m particularly grateful to my Head of Department, the Dean of Arts,
and the Vice-Chancellor for my appointment. As a kid growing up in the
remote village of Ikot Ekong, Mkpat Enin LGA of Akwa Ibom State, I had a
tall dream of becoming so many things in life, but it never occurred to
me that I would one day end up as a university lecturer. To God be the
glory.
What are your aspirations?
I want to make it to the apex of my
career as a lecturer in the university. I am enrolling for my
postgraduate studies immediately. In due time, I want to run a
non-governmental organisation that will be exclusively devoted to
educating gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds. They abound
in our societies. It’s just unfortunate that many of them just rot away
due to abject poverty and neglect.
Now that you are a lecturer, what would be your counsel to students?
Students should not give up. My GPA
dropped from 4.73 in my second and third years. In year three, I was on a
CGPA of 4.43, but I worked harder and I was still able to have first
class. Also, I had issues with finance and there were times I borrowed
but I remained focused. Students should avoid distractions, start
reading as soon as school resumes, move with students who are more
brilliant and be punctual in classes. They should also take their
assignments seriously and arrive at examination venue early so as to be
stable. That alone helps them to be stable, think straight and suppress
all kinds of anxiety and fears. Those things matter greatly. Looking
back now, I’m always amazed by the mercies of God in my life. There were
times of lack but God saw me through. And in spite of all that, I was
able to have a very good result.
permission from P
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