A Medical Doctor, Justin Chukwudi Olewuezi, has become the first Nigerian to graduate from the Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk in Russia. In an online interview, Olewuezi revealed that not many Nigerians and Africans for that matter come to that part of Russia, preferring the western part of the country.
Dr. Olewuezi’s journey to the European nation started in Nigeria at the Air Force Comprehensive School in Enugu. After writing the United Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admission Matriculation Board twice and scoring 247 and 260 respectively, he did not secure admission into a Nigerian University; he decided to set his sights abroad.
With his mother’s assistance, his dreams were realized.
Olewuezi said, “I had always wanted to study abroad and obviously make something of myself back in Air Force Comprehensive School, Enugu. So after failing to gain admission twice even with JAMB scores 247 and 260 respectively, I decided to study abroad. So after talking with a Russian-trained Medical Doctor, (Dr. Okere, then a medical student), I decided to go for it.
“My journey in Russia actually started at a Polytechnic University, Tomsk Polytechnic University, where I studied Russian language and some science subjects also in the Russian language. Then I moved to Siberian State Medical University, Tomsk.
Dr. Olewuezi stated that his sister’s wise counsel helped him. She also bought him a winter jacket when he got into the country at the beginning of winter, with an extreme weather in the country.
He said, “Yes, I am. As a matter of fact, a lot of Africans didn’t come through this city 6-10 years ago and most African/Nigerian students preferred to study in the west part of Russia. “My university was founded in 1888, so it 133 years old.”
In addition to being the first Nigerian at the Siberia State Medical University in Tomsk, Dr. Olewuezi also graduated with the highest grades the university has to offer.
“I graduated with a 5.0 CGPA in 5.0 grading system,” he said.
In one of his Instagram posts, Dr. Olewuezi revealed that he didn’t exactly set out to study medicine. He retorted that the profession chose him.
When asked about the post, he said, “I was in a Technical/Science class back in Air Force Comprehensive School, but I later understood that Engineering wasn’t for me (I wasn’t really into Mathematics and Further Maths), so when it came time to fill in my JAMB form, I decided to go for Human anatomy.
“I sought my mother’s advice, and she said why not go for medicine, that I shouldn’t be scared of anything. I was scared of the competition though. And ever since then I’ve been thinking about becoming an Oncologist. So in a way medicine chose me.”
“My experience has been quite a memorable one. I’ve made some good friends, especially with the locals and I think that the nicest people on earth are Russian grandparents.
“I’ve also had both nice and not-so-nice experiences during my clinical practice. The food here is quite different from ours, but there are ingredients to prepare “Naija Jollof”.
Crediting his mother, who is now a pensioner for his success, Dr. Olewuezi, who is the last of three children said that his mother understood the importance of education and was willing to go the extra mile to get her kids educated.
He said, “My elder brother’s an Urban and Regional Planner with a PhD and my sister is a Civil Engineer with Masters in Education. My family isn’t rich, so you can understand how much my mother had to work to put me through med school. My mother is the story of my success. She is now a pensioner.”(sic)
