18/11/2025
How a senior lecturerâs recommendation inspired my journey.
Sometimes in life, one personâs words can open a door you never knew existed.
For me, that person was Prof. Kolwaole Olatunji, back then fondly called "Dr. K", a senior lecturer in the Department of Microbiology, University of Ilorin.
Let me take you back to 2009.
At the time, I was an adjunct instructor teaching Aâlevel and JAMB students. There were no locally written textbooks to guide them, so I started writing my own manuscriptâwhat later became Fundamentals of Botany and Basic Microbiology (now Principles of Bioscience Series 1 & 2).
But hereâs the interesting part:
Even though Dr. K was my lecturer, I had never met him one-on-one. Our classes had nearly 300 students, so he barely knew most of us by name. And to be honest, during my first four semesters, I wasnât fully present mentally. I had entered university dreaming of studying Medicine and Surgery. So while my body was in class, my mind was somewhere else.
But everything changed the semester Dr. K taught us Immunology, MCB 303
For the first time, something clicked. His passion, his teaching style, and the way he connected Microbiology to real-life problems, it woke something up in me. It was as if a light switched on. I suddenly became interested, curious, and present.
So when I finished my manuscript, I gathered the courage to take it to him for review. I wasnât sure he would even remember my face, but I went anyway.
And that single decision changed my life.
Not only did he read my work carefully, he wrote a deeply encouraging and compelling foreword for the book. That validation from someone I respected became the fuel I needed to believe in my writing, my ideas, and my ability to contribute to knowledge.
That moment marked the beginning of my writing and publishing journeyâŚ
A journey that later birthed Edpub Africa.
His recommendation wasnât just words, it was a turning point!
Proof that sometimes, all a young person needs is a mentor who believes.
Are you ready to start your own journeyâ whether in publishing, global opportunities, or skill development?