Adeolu
Adekola

What was studying at NTU like?

First when opting to come to the UK, I wanted a location outside the ‘big cities’. Having lived in Lagos, Nigeria all my life, I wanted sometime away from the hustle and bustle. Secondly and this notwithstanding, a major decider was about the modules of the Public Policy programme itself because my intention was to enhance the years of experience, I had already gathered working in the charity/non-profit space. I did not want modules that just ticked the box. So in looking for where to sign up, I reviewed the programme modules of different schools. NTU drew me immediately I read that the final project is in form of a Policy Lab! Even though I wanted to work on a research project related to my home country Nigeria, I could not pass the opportunity of dedicating my research to a real life and ongoing policy issue. And so, the decision choosing NTU was an easy one.

What did you learn – both inside and outside of lectures? What still makes you smile when you look back?

I have very fond memories of NTU and Nottingham! We arrived the city without knowing anybody and it was a bitter-sweet affair when leaving. It was first a struggle securing accommodation on arrival. It took a month after landing in the UK, and I remember having to shuttle weekly between Sittingbourne Kent where my family first landed and Nottingham every week to view houses and secure appointments with countless applications. Once that was out of the way, it was gliding all the way. An understanding landlord, a welcoming local church and accommodating instructors in school made it all a worthwhile experience.

I made new friends and connected with like minded people. My family are so looking forward to a vacation soon in Nottingham just to relieve those moments. We spent about 16 months altogether in Nottingham and the memories still linger from visiting the Wollaton Christmas park to the ‘beach’ at the city centre during the summer. I also had great memories with my classmates on 2 road trips organised by the School of Social Sciences to London. We were taken on a tour of the Parliament and hearing about the history was breath-taking. We visited many monuments and landmark places too like 10 Downing Street, London eye, London bridge and so on.

Since completing my study, Dr Eva Zemandl has been a friendly critic and mentor. I have had the opportunity to stay in touch with her and her work on the food MARKET system and she has consistently linked me to other people within her network. She facilitated an introduction to a guest lecturer (Joanna Massie) who remotely took a class during the POLS40115 Theory and Trends of Public Policy module. That introduction enabled me work as a policy research analyst on a programme that synthesised complex political and policy data into simplified outputs for public understanding, reaching over 200,000 users during the U.S. and UK election campaigns in 2024. She alongside Professor Rose Gann and Dr Ana Nunes promptly offered references to a PhD application I made in 2024/25 even though it was not successful. My professional relationship with Dr Zemandl remains one of the greatest takeaways for me since graduating in 2023.

What does your current day involve? Take us through a “typical” day (if there is one!)

Depends on the day of the week and time within my project life cycle. Some days are full of meetings with my project executives providing status updates, my project team members to offer direction and project partners to facilitate beneficial collaboration. Other days involve conducting desk research, ensuring all project documentations are up to date, reading, reviewing and signing off on implementation plans or reports (narrative and financial), as well as measuring/amplifying impact through different channels from surveys to storytelling via media channels.

What attracted you to this field of work?

A personal assessment of my strengths and passion led me to my field of work. After working in and managing projects in IT and business consulting for nearly 4 years, I asked critical questions along the way and discovered that while I was productive and successful on the different job roles I had worked in, a sense of fulfilment was missing because I longed to undertake social programmes instead. So, I made a career switch and got a chance to work fulltime in the first non-profit organisation I worked for in 2016.

What challenges have you faced? 

It was hard forging a path early on after making a career switch because I had an Engineering background. I needed to learn different concepts on the job, and this got to me. I immediately ensured that I was not only reading a lot about the issues I was working in, but I also ensured that I was teachable. Prior to switching from tech and business consulting/project management, I had engaged clients and partners in large and medium corporate organisations. I had been on huge projects as well. But the first letter I ever wrote under my boss in the first non-profit role I worked in took nearly 6 hours before it got approved! Read that again: 1 single letter took 6 hours before it could go out! Every draft I wrote was corrected over and over again. At first, I felt embarrassing knowing where I was coming from. But I learnt communication in a business or private organisation is quite different in the social sector. Your beneficiaries whom you are designing programmes for are also critical stakeholders. Rather than react to that experience, I applied myself to gain mastery. By the time I left the organisation after 3 years, I had become the defacto person who all comms go through before going out publicly. This included media comms even though the core of my role was to manage programmes.

What have been the highlights and biggest challenges of your career so far?

The highlight of my career continues to be doing consequential work that goes beyond ticking the box to making tangible impact. Being involved in advocacy for good governance and improved citizen engagement has helped connecting the dots for everyday people by facilitating avenues whereby demanding for transparency and accountability is seen as a civic responsibility rather than an anti-government rhetoric. Also, helping journalists gain skills to inform and educate audiences and investigate social issues has been a channel of holding power to account, influencing policies and driving development. I have had the opportunity of working on a number of social issues that ranges from access to elementary education, electricity and healthcare in Nigeria to improving climate policy outcomes by reaching beneficiaries in at least 58 countries.

The challenges usually come from the resistance from critical stakeholders especially decision makers as well as the level of desired change needed versus what was achieved. Sometimes the political will to take necessary action by duty bearers is low or completely absent while other times, the weariness of saying the same thing repeatedly can set in. Understanding that social change is a marathon and not a sprint therefore is important to guide expectations.

What are your plans for the future?

I am actively working towards scaling my work by getting involved in the policy formulation framework for institutions – non-profits, think tanks and governments to bridge developmental gaps, deliver valuable solutions and improve livelihoods.

What advice would you give to new graduates?

A ‘perfect’ job or career could sometimes look like an illusion! It is important to identify your professional goals and what you are consistently doing towards achieving them. The popular phrase that "A moving man will surely meet his luck" is not just a cliché, but an encouragement to say that sometimes it may seem like you are stuck on a path, in a role or about an issue. But the ability to always self-assess and take decisions that moves you closer to your desired goals are traits that must not be lost. You may be flying, running, walking or running on the journey, what matters most is that you are moving in the right direction.

If you'd like to find out more about Adeolu you can follow him on LinkedIn.