A filmmaker, business executive and social entrepreneur, Dr. Odera Ozoka, has said patriotism was the spirit behind his decision to return to Nigeria to run his PhD programme at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka, Anambra State, after studying in Harvard University and University of Business and International Studies (UBIS), Switzerland.
In an exclusive interview with our reporter in Abuja, Friday, Ozoka said many Nigerians would have embraced the opportunity to stay abroad to complete their studies, but that he took a different route by returning to Nigeria for his PhD studies.
He said: “When I embarked on my Doctorate degree in Business Administration, I didn’t expect some life defining tragedy in the form of the death of my mother, Chief (Mrs) Uju Uchendu Ozoka, a prominent business woman from Anambra state and one time vice presidential and gubernatorial candidate in Nigeria.
“In fact, I was halfway through my PhD program when my mother briefly fell ill and within a span of 5 months in July 2023, she was pronounced dead. Like I said, I was half way through my doctorate, so I was at a crossroads. I contemplated on whether to quit my PhD program to mourn my beloved mother or stay the course.
“After much soul searching, I was determined to finish the PhD program, so I began juggling between planning for the burial and school work.
“It was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do, mourning my mum in silence. We successfully buried my mother in November, 2023, and I continued with my education, deciding that the best way to honour her was to complete the program and be awarded my Doctorate.”
He added: “I grew up in the United States, where I worked as a banker. My love for cinematic arts made me an overnight entrepreneur when I launched a film company, Black Tower Productions, in California in 2006.
“I produced several award-winning films with laurels in Nigeria, United States and the United Kingdom. I won accolades such as Best Film by a filmmaker in the Diaspora at the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Audience Favorite Film at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, a prestigious festival considered the largest black film festival in the United States.
“Upon returning to Nigeria and completing my NYSC, I founded the solar company, SunPawa Energy Ltd, and qualified for the Federal Government Initiative: the Nigerian Electrification Program (NEP), under the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), which aims to provide off-grid power to rural areas across the country.
“Most of my education was outside the country, so the VC Prof Ikechebelu and the Director of the Business School Prof Anayo Nkamnebe complimented me for doing my PhD in Nigeria. They had mentioned how rare it is for people who grew up outside the country like me, to come back and study in Nigeria.”
Odera Ozoka, PhD, is a product of Columbia College Hollywood and Harvard University, earning his Masters of Business Administration (cum laude) from the University of Business and International Studies (UBIS), Switzerland.
In this current clime, achieving the pinnacle of academic success by earning a Doctor of Business Administration from the highly respected UNIZIK Business School is a testament to Ozoka’s character and tenacity, and doing it in Nigeria is highly commendable.