By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Popular Nigerian writer, lecturer, and playwright, Olatunbosun Taofeek, has expressed grief and regret after killing a rat that invaded his home and specifically destroyed his PhD certificate, thesis, and other academic documents relating to his doctorate degree.
The Ogun State-based author, who lectures in the Department of English, Mountaintop University, Ibafo, took to his social media page to share the story, which he described as a painful and emotional experience that ended in the tragic death of the rat.
Narrating the incident, Taofeek said he had never believed in killing any animal — not even cockroaches or mosquitoes — as he respects their right to live their own lives freely on earth. However, he said the rat’s targeted destruction of his academic achievements provoked him beyond tolerance.
According to him, the rat stealthily invaded his apartment, possibly taking advantage of his intermittent travels. But instead of heading to the kitchen where leftover beverages and other edibles were available, the rodent made its way into his library.
He said, strangely, the rat avoided all the other books and papers in the library, choosing instead to chew and destroy his PhD certificate, his thesis, recommended texts he used for his research, and virtually every document associated with his doctoral journey; while other books and documents in the library were left untouched.
Taofeek said the deliberate nature of the destruction made it look like an act of wickedness, and likened the rat’s behavior to that of a “typical Nigerian” rat — one that, influenced by societal narratives, seemed to hold disdain for education and doctorate degrees. He humorously opined that the rat may have wanted to prove that education, particularly the PhD, is a scam.
“It looked like wickedness to me that the rat avoided other books, but anything PhD she ate them up. Like she also believed that education is a scam and all she wanted to prove was that 😠 this PhD is nonesense and is time you know this.
“I concluded immediately that this is a typical Nigerian rat that has listened to several stories of how a lot of us with PhDs went to search for driving jobs at Dangote factory and truck pushing,” he lamented.
Angered by the symbolic and personal affront, Taofeek said he locked himself and the rat in his library for eight hours in a bid to catch it. At the end of the standoff, he succeeded in killing the rat — an action he admitted was uncharacteristic of him and which he now regrets.
“I killed her and I am very sorry to have done that. For I am now feeling sad for her sudden death,” he confessed.
Olatunbosun Taofeek is a renowned dramatist, poet, and academic. He was longlisted for the prestigious NLNG Nigeria Prize for Literature, the largest literary prize in Africa. Among his published works is the book “1930: Life and Times of Ayo Babalola”, which was published by University Press PLC in 2020.
