October 2020 - Ayoola Fakunmoju

Interview of the Fellow of the month

 October 2020 - Ayoola Jo-Anne Fakunmoju (MSc student at the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan)

"I have greatly been impacted through these seminars and workshops and been exposed to researchers with diverse and complementary perspectives. I have learnt about diversity in the field of research and gained expertise in qualitative research which has been put into practice."

Being part of the IFRA fellowship…

Describe yourself briefly

I am Ayoola Jo-Anne Fakunmoju, an MSc student at the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan. I currently major in Demography and Population Studies.

Since when are you a fellow of IFRA-Nigeria?

 I became an IFRA-Nigeria fellow in January, 2020.

How have you benefited from IFRA-Nigeria?

My first experience as a fellow was when I attended a Book launch in January on “Classify, exclude and police: urban lives in South African and Nigeria” by Prof. Laurent Fourchard. In February, I attended a seminar on “Religious Practices and Spatial Appropriation at the University of Ibadan”  by Adejoke Rafiat Adetoro and Vincent Favier. In March, I attended a workshop on “Conducting qualitative interviews” by Dr. Gernot Klantschnig and Dr. Ini-Dele Adedeji. After which I have attended quite a number of online workshops, including the workshop on “Exploring hidden narratives in the West African Tramadol trade and transport of migrants" facilitated by Dr Gernot Klantschnig, Dr. Philippe Frowd and Dr Elodie Apard.

I have greatly been impacted through these seminars and workshops and been exposed to researchers with diverse and complementary perspectives. I have learnt about diversity in the field of research and gained expertise in qualitative research which has been put into practice.

IFRA-Nigeria has served as a platform to strengthen my international research and academic network, providing me with required skills and expertise needed in building my career. In May, 2020, I got the Erasmus +/Sciences Po Mobility Grant, 2020. A semester of exchange between the University of Ibadan and Sciences Po Paris to study International Development at the Paris School of International Affairs.

Have you contributed to IFRA in any way?

Late last year (2019), I was part of a research project “Hidden narratives on transnational organized crimes” as a transcriber for the qualitative interviews conducted. Shortly after, I was onboard for the same mission on the research project “Fake drugs: health, wealth and regulation in Nigeria”. The well detailed and transcribed data I worked on helped shed light on the phenomenon and also made possible the workshop on “Exploring hidden narratives in the West African Tramadol trade and transport of migrants".

A bit more about yourself….

 What are your main research interests?

Sexual and reproductive health, maternal and child health, and research on development concerns.

What research project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on “Risk factors to late presentation of uterine fibroid in UCH”. The rationale behind this study is acknowledging that there is need to focus on the reproductive population and their experience of this medical condition which could hinder fertility or result in pregnancy complications that impede on maternal and child health. The study adopts a mixed method approach, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study is a descriptive research which adopts both retrospective and cross-sectional design to collect data from the medical facility and reproductive population 15-49 diagnosed of fibroid.

What is the main advice you will give to a junior researcher ?

Dedication and passion is key to quality research. Identify a field you are passionate about, study and attend seminars/workshops that challenge you to question certain realities and seek answers. Lastly, always be willing to contribute to the body of knowledge.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

When I picture the future, I see a social researcher strategically positioned in a research institute which provides the government with expertise and advice to improve national development.