By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Former Ogun Governor Dapo Abiodun’s Chief Press Secretary, Sunday Somorin, has bagged a PhD in Mass Communication from Crescent University, Abeokuta
From Governor Abiodun’s CPS to Doctor: Kunle Somorin Caps Five-Year Journey With PhD in Mass Communication
Former Chief Press Secretary to Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Sunday Olakunle Somorin, has added a doctoral degree to his distinguished journalism and public communications career after completing a five-year PhD programme in Mass Communication at Crescent University, Abeokuta.
Somorin emerged among the pioneer set of doctoral graduates produced by the university’s Department of Mass Communication, marking a significant milestone in both his academic career and the development of the institution’s postgraduate programme.
His doctoral journey involved five years of intensive study, research and academic defence, culminating in the award of a PhD in Mass Communication.
He graduated alongside other pioneer doctoral candidates, including Odenike Omolaso, Thomas-Kuye Adedayo and Ayoola Morayo, all lecturers at the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro; Modupe Apanishile, a Senior Information Officer in the Public Relations Unit of the Federal Medical Centre; and Oluwatoyin Idehinre, Confidential Secretary to the Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Sports.
The candidates faced a distinguished panel of external examiners during their oral defence, including Professor Dele Odunlami, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye; Professor Oyewo of the Department of Communication and Language Arts at the University of Ibadan; and Professor Akanni Tunde Musibau of Lagos State University.
The oral defence sessions stretched across three days, with two candidates examined each day in what proved to be a demanding period of scholarly evaluation.
Somorin’s latest academic achievement adds another dimension to a professional career spanning journalism, public communication and political administration. He served as Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abiodun during the governor’s first term, having previously built a career in journalism and media management.
Before joining the Ogun State Government in 2019, Somorin was Editor-in-Chief of the Africa Resource Centre at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library. He had also served as London Bureau Chief of ThisDay Newspapers, one of the major positions in a journalism career that has taken him across news reporting, editorial leadership and public communications.
His academic work has also seen him participate actively in scholarly discourse, including presenting research papers at international conferences while pursuing his doctoral studies.
Somorin, who hails from Obafemi/Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, is currently the Research and Publications Manager at the Africa Leadership Forum, an organisation based in Ota.
The newly awarded doctorate caps a five-year academic pursuit that ran alongside his professional engagements and further strengthens his profile as a journalist, media scholar and public communications expert.
With the PhD, Somorin joins the growing community of academics and professionals contributing to scholarship and research in mass communication, while marking his place among the pioneer doctoral graduates of Crescent University’s Mass Communication department.
