The Inception of my interest and passion in geography, an interest which grew over time and

continued to evolve until it grew into an aspiration and a pursuit of this field happen when I
was a teenager. My family lived in Kebbi state north-eastern Nigeria, growing up I became
conscious of my immediate environment and curios at the same time, and wanted to understand
the reasons why some seasons were unbearably cold and dry, and why all of a sudden it
becomes extremely hot in February all through until the rainy season arrives in April or May,
these curiosity as a teenager led me to start looking for explanations, which I got little from my
dad and still was not satisfied with his explanation because it only led to more questions, to get
rid of my constant pestering he gave me his old geography textbook he used while in school,
reading a bit of the textbook ignited an interest and passion for geography which led me to
study geography during my undergraduate and I intend to continue on this path.

During my under graduate studies, which I performed excellently with a CGPA of 4.67/5.00
and was among the top three best student in my class, my department undertook a field work
to the north-western Nigerian cities of Kano and Kaduna and its environs which was to prepare
us on how to work in the field, as we were made to understand that the field is an integral part
of the geographers working space. I also gained experience in the aviation sector by interning
at Nigerian airspace management agency which added to my knowledge of the sector and how
geography influence aviation activities such as how poor visibility negatively affects flight
schedule which can lead to cancelation, wind direction dictating direction of take-off and how
aircrafts trace their flight path with aid of ground indicators and also got to know equipment
that are important and needed in an aerodrome in order for it to function efficiently and these
includes Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), Instrument Landing System (ILS), Non
Directional Beacon (NDB), Very high Omni directional Radio range (VOR), Radio Directing
And Ranging(RADAR) etc.

I have always been fascinated and also concerned with human-environment interaction, how
they shape each other negatively or positively and with my intermediate knowledge of
geographic information system, these were among the key factors that influenced my
undergraduate research to be focused on the topic “Assessment of the Status of Forest Reserves
in Kaduna State Nigeria’’ and how human interaction with the forest have affected it,
Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and descriptive statistical method was used
in carrying out the study to ascertain temporal changes that have occurred in the forest reserves
using Tsonje forest reserve as a sample. The major findings of the study showed that the forest
reserves were distributed in 17 of the 23 local government areas of the state, NDVI analysis
revealed that the forest reserve has not been extensively altered as at 2000, though it doesn’t
mean that the forest reserve was in its natural state. Observing NDVI results in 2010 and 2020,
it can be seen that the forest had extensively improved over the past 20 years. Findings in the
study also revealed that human activities were responsible for most of the negative changes
occurring in the forest reserves.

In Nigeria when a student applies to study a particular course, there is a 50% chance of ending
up in an entirely different course of study which I was a victim of such, and coupled with being
a first generation college student in my family so I could not decline the offer, this is why at
the beginning of my second year studying biology in the university, then an offer came in from
another university to study Geography, which I dropped out immediately and embarked on
studying geography which by my conviction is what I was destined to do. Starting all over
again was not easy, had to sell some personal belongings to afford registration fees giving the
abrupt nature of the notice and also had to commute daily to school because I could not afford
the expensive off campus accommodation. But all these difficulties did not hamper my
performance, as I was able to work hard serving in a field work committee, chaired a student
body electoral committee, presided in acting capacity as head of my departmental student body
and also secure a Shell Nigeria exploration petroleum company university scholarship which
helped ease the financial burden and enable me to focus fully on my studies. After my
graduation in 2021, I voluntarily participated in a year of national service to my country from
September, 2021 to August, 2022 where I served meritoriously under the National Institute for
Hospitality and Tourism Northeast Zone, and undertook a host of community development
services including the organization of sensitization and awareness on Agro-allied related
programs for secondary school pupils in Bauchi state North-eastern Nigeria.

Findings from studies have shown that forests have significant role to play in climate change;
by serving as a carbon sink. Since forest play a stabilizing role for climate, given their ability
to protect biodiversity, regulate ecosystems, support livelihood and play an integral part in the
carbon sink. Notwithstanding, with the reoccurring trend of banditry, terrorism and kidnapping
for ransom in Nigeria, and Nigeria’s continuous rise to the top three on the Global terror index
(GTI, 2020), it begs to call the question; what role does forests play in the affected locations,
are they being perceived by the public to be aiding this terror related activities? This is because
there have been numerous reports by the military and media houses of bandits, kidnappers and
Boko Haram terrorists hiding/camping in different forests across Nigeria. My interest therefore
is to ascertain public perception if they view these forests as security threats in Nigeria. Given
the foregoing, some of the research questions I am interested in exploring include:

 Does the public perceive the forests as security threats?

 Which forest in particular are perceived to be the most dangerous?

 Are the forests in existential danger if these perceptions are negative?

 What is being done by the state, federal government and international actors to address these
issues?

For me, to pursue an advanced degree in geography is a pathway to gain advance research skills
and methods in the field, which am convinced that the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is
at the forefront in this regards and attributed with the fact that most universities in Nigeria are
lope side on only tutoring with little or no funding to carryout personal or collaborative
research. The master’s degree plan at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee is well-structured
while the programme offers particular suitability that caters for diverse backgrounds and
interests of students, which is why am applying to this prestigious institution to arm myself
with advance research skills to enable me soldier on for my pursuit of knowledge and help
achieve my aspiration to become an accomplished professional in the field and also venture
ahead for a doctorate, this will not only bring my dreams to reality, but also make life
meaningful, fulfilling and rewarding. I cannot wait to begin this great adventure.