How this Nigerian grad started working for the UK gov after studying in England 

Rokeebat Hammed, now an economist for the UK government, believes that her story isn’t in any way special.  

“I grew up in a family of seven in Nigeria — my parents, my four siblings, and myself as the first child,” she says. “As with any other Nigerian home, it’s always had more than two families. We had 12 people at any one time. You have uncles around, cousins around.”  

Childhood with her big family felt simple. Her parents are traders, successful ones at that, but neither of them went beyond secondary school.  

“And even with all they’ve achieved in business, my dad still carries this quiet ‘what would have been?’ if he had the opportunity to further his studies,” Hammed says. “So because of that he made this his life mission to ensure that his children get the best education possible.”  

To her parents, education was the only door that could lead her to something bigger than the life that they had built.  

“They didn’t know exactly what that future would look like. They didn’t have a roadmap either, but they did believe deeply that education will take us further. I’ve inherited that belief from them,” she says. 

Hammed has been an assistant economist at the UK’s Department of Education for two years. Source: Rokeebat Hammed

Finding a calling in economics  

Hammed’s path to economics began in an unlikely classroom: her parents’ shop. As the eldest child, she was exposed to the family business from an early age, helping out by age nine. 

“I was starting to learn economics formally in school and suddenly all of the things I would see happen in my mom’s shop — how when there is higher demand, prices increase, or how sometimes they will hoard supply because they know that in coming weeks it will be very scarce and of course price will go up,” she recalls.  

Watching theoretical concepts play out in real time captivated her completely. The fascination deepened throughout her time at one of the best secondary schools in town. She topped her economics class consistently, became her teacher’s favorite student, and won every economics prize available. “I remember I was given this textbook called ‘Fundamental Economics’ and I read it so obsessively that I could tell you what page every topic was on at the time,” she says. 

That passion carried her through a bachelor’s degree in economics at Obafemi Awolowo University, where she eventually gravitated toward economics of education — a field that bridged her two worlds and reflected her background. “I chose economics before I even fully understood how broad it was and how powerful it is for explaining the everyday, the way the world works,” she says. 

Despite loving the challenge of her studies, Hammed recognised early that her career ambitions faced practical obstacles. Coming from a family of traders in a rural area, she wanted to work as an economist in government or at a think tank, influencing national policy and contributing to development work.  

But in Nigeria, recruitment into institutions like the Central Bank or Ministry of Finance wasn’t transparent or accessible to someone from her background. 

“I saw that I have to go outside the country,” she says. The seed had been planted years earlier by her father, who constantly reminded her she must pursue a master’s degree abroad. At the time, she’d dismissed him. But by her final year of university, she saw his point. 

“For me, pursuing a master’s degree was not just an academic choice. It was more like a strategic decision rooted in where I’m coming from and the kind of career I wanted,” she says. 

Hammed also maintains a podcast called The Diary of Becoming, which she refers to her public diary. Source: Rokeebat Hammed

Studying in the UK was “a huge blow” to her ego 

Setting expectations for herself, Hammed decided that she needed to get into a Russell Group university or nothing. The University of York became a reasonable choice given her scores. Plus, it boasted a robust Nigerian Society. 

Hammed arrived in the UK with high expectations, believing the transition would be smooth.  

“For some strange reason I thought everything would be easier,” she recalls. “The learning would be easier, the job search would be easier. I don’t know why I assumed that.”  

Reality, however, proved to be far from easy. 

Adjusting to a different teaching and learning style hit hardest. Despite graduating with first-class honours in Nigeria, Hammed found herself struggling to follow lectures. “I would genuinely struggle to understand what the lecturer was saying. For someone who finished with a first class, back home, it was like a huge blow to my ego,” she admits.  

This question haunted her: “How could I not get this?” 

Her response was intensive self-study. A two-hour lecture recording would require six hours of rewatching. She borrowed every relevant book from the library and used AI tools to break down complex concepts.  

The approach worked, but revealed a deeper issue: fundamental differences between educational systems. “In Nigeria they focused on certain aspects of economics and when you get here, there is a different aspect. There’s a little bit of a trick to it,” she says. 

For Hammed, this knowledge gap wasn’t something that could be prepared for in advance. “You just need to be mentally prepared,” she advises aspiring international students. “Because if you don’t, it would push you to question whether your best is good enough.”  

The job search added another layer of stress. Hammed had assumed finding work in the UK would be easier than in Nigeria, but discovered the reality was far more complex. UK companies begin recruiting at the start of the academic year, not toward the end. “If you’re thinking you wait a few months to the end of my master’s degree before you start applying, you would probably have missed out on a lot of opportunities,” she says. 

Cultural differences created their own set of challenges. Hammed comes from a communal Nigerian society, where neighbours become friends overnight and share childcare responsibilities. But in the UK, people prefer their privacy, which made her struggle as she was always questioning whether she was overstepping boundaries. Thankfully, she later found her footing, gradually opening up and sharing her own culture while respecting local norms.  

Hammed is also the CEO and co-founder of EduFurther, a mentorship and resource hub to democratize access to international education and global opportunities for African students. Source: Rokeebat Hammed

Working for the UK government  

Although she had a shaky start, Hammed knew exactly what she wanted. She wasn’t just there for the master’s — it was to gain access into the rooms she could seize the right opportunities. 

She would announce her intentions publicly, telling classmates that she wished to work in civil service so they could keep her posted about any relevant information they come across.  

Through her resourceful ways, she found out that the government recruited every year, and for economists, there’s the Government Economic Service department, which is the largest recruiter of economists in the country. 

From there, it was rounds of applications, assessments, and interviews before she was shortlisted and background checked. They reached out to even her primary school teachers, secondary school teachers, and just about anybody she had met.  

Thankfully, Hammed was already well-known by her lecturers and teachers, and she performed well for her assessments. With all that going for her, she was able to land the role.  

As an assistant economist for the UK government, Hammed is now tasked to create evidence for the minister to make informed educational policy – it’s exactly the kind of opportunity she dreamt of when she first took off from the nest.