Ace comedienne, actress, filmmaker and TV host, Helen Paul accomplished an uncommon feat among her contemporaries in the entertainment industry,
as she bagged a PhD from the University of Lagos, last week.
Popular Comedian, Helen Paul discussed about the importance of education, why her family never see possibilities in her passing her secondary school final examination and how she is helping others succeed, in an exclusive interview with Punch’s Saturday Beats.
Tatafo, as she is fondly called by her friends and fans, revealed that her family members always thought she would drop out of secondary school but today, she has a PhD.
She said,
“In my family, no one believed that I would complete secondary school education let alone attend university. My mother always told me that if I finished from secondary school with good grades, she would kill a cow because I was very restless and playful. When I finished from secondary school and took my result to her, I demanded my cow but she was not forthcoming so I asked for a chicken, but she simply told me she had cooked rice and that I should go and eat it”.
She further said that,
“To motivate me the more, she said that I should complete my university education, and that is when she would believe that I had really achieved a feat in life.”
Comedian Helen speaking further,
“I tried gaining admission the first time but it was to no avail. I tried the second time and got admission at the University of Ilorin. By the time I got to the school, they told me that admission had closed. I began to cry as I was trekking everywhere in the school, showing people my result and the newspaper in which my name was published as part of those that passed the examination. The third time I tried, I chose the University of Lagos and I gave it all my best. I would not say that I am the most brilliant person but I have God’s favour. I believed that I could do it and I did it. Despite having a PhD, I would rather people continue calling me Helen Paul and not Dr Helen Paul because nothing has changed about me.”
She further stated,
“that being a PhD holder would not affect her career in the entertainment industry.”
