Number of years it takes to start and finish a PhD programme. Difference between M.Phil/PhD and PhD. And, reasons your Supervisor is a stand-alone course you should study. Lillian Omolara Shoroye, in this tribute to her supervisor, Senayon Olaoluwa, PhD, attempts these posers. The fresh PhD holder at the pretigious University of Ibadan, opens up on secret of her PhD attainment, in the article originally entitled; “My Supervisor Said.”
MY SUPERVISOR SAID
With the convocation ceremony over, I made my way to PG College and went straight to the Examinations and Records Office to apply for my certificate. After congratulations from the small crowd I met at the door, some PhD aspirants engaged me in discussion.
One wanted to know how many years I spent on the programme; and another the difference between M.Phil/PhD and PhD. There were also questions on what I wish I had known before starting my programme or what I would have done differently if I could go back in time (much like Barry Alien’s Flash 
).
To the last question, I had a simple answer; “I’ll obey my supervisor to the letter,” I said and we all laughed.
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And for another ten minutes I gave my answers to other questions. I paused when I realized my explanations were made with generous sprinklings of two phases: “at the Institute of African Studies” and “my supervisor said.”
I laughed again in mild embarrassment and said, “You know, a supervisor becomes some kind of parent on the PhD journey.”
I was relieved when they nodded in agreement. Then someone asked for the name of my supervisor (in curiosity she said).
Dr. Senayon Olaoluwa, I answered without a pause and continued my explanation.
So what did my supervisor say?
First, a bit of background. Few of my acquaintance knew exactly when I started my PhD programme. Immediately I expressed my intent and sent in my application for a PhD, I spoke to my supervisor and we had a meeting.We discussed journals and publications, fellowships available to African scholars, and I also got about twenty journal articles relating to my tentative topic.
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My supervisor believes one should hit the ground running. So, I attended my first academic conference in the US; wrote a review of Prof. Adeshina’s edited Auteuring Nollywood and sent to the Journal of African Cinema; sent an abstract and prepared a paper (which my supervisor read and gave an insightful feedback) to present at the conference on Cultural and Leadership Diplomacy which held at the Institute of African Studies, UI, in August 2014, all before I got my acceptance letter.
So, what were some of the things my supervisor said?
My supervisor said, “The passion of your PhD is yours alone. You can determine how fast you want to finish it. As my supervisee, you will be expected to win at least two travel grants; publish two articles in journals of international repute and win a fellowship. I expect a scholarship of global relevance and not some local champion recognition. You will be expected to hold your own with equal dignity among scholars in your discipline on the global stage.”
Then he gave timelines. There I was, trying to fully grasp the concept of research methodologies. I had returned for a PhD fourteen years after my Master’s degree, so, this was all new to me. And here was my supervisor already setting a December date for my proposal presentation (I started attending lectures in September mind you).
I remember laughing, one time and telling him that these targets were multiplying the grey hairs on my head. To which he had replied, “The PhD has notoriety for making people go grey, especially when you’re starting in your forties.” I was approaching my mid-forties and I had spied my first grey hair when I was 17. So, I laughed until I cried.
Dr. Olaoluwa bombards his supervisees with call for papers, call for chapters, conference calls, any opportunity to hone ones communication skills. He does this by tagging us on social media and sending emails. If you mention that an idea for a paper was crystalizing in your head, he tells you to come with your flash drive to pick relevant journal articles for the paper.
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When, it comes to the dissertation, Dr. Olaoluwa is VERY thorough. He reads every SENTENCE in every PARAGRAPH on every PAGE of every CHAPTER in each dissertation. Nothing escapes him. His reviews and feedbacks were usually comprehensive. Brace yourself though there may be a few teary moments (Oga does not suffer mediocrity gladly
). There may also be those moments when you quickly log out of social media apps, or go off-line because you noticed he is online. He’s going to ask questions on the progress of your latest abstract, article or application (and you better have satisfactory answers). It is probably owing to this fact that I came out of my Viva Voce with minor editing corrections.
Then there were traditions. When any of his supervisees has a presentation (proposal or post-field), everyone is expected to attend. All complete chapters must be submitted before post-fieldwork presentations; from chapter one to complete references. Sometime we had pre-presentations in his office in preparation for the real deal (Dr . Olaoluwa will tell you he has a reputation to protect). Excellent presentations earned you lunch where you get to discuss your next move over plates of Amala and Gbegiri soup.
Dr. Senayon is jovial and jocular. He has a generous heart. Although he discourages excuses draped in the gabs of pathetic stories (we seem to have them a-plenty in Nigeria) because he believes it the reason people spend donkey’s years doing a PhD; several times, he has had to bail-out his supervisees who find themselves in tight corners for pecuniary reasons. He does this with an uncommon grace too.
Dr. Olaoluwa will push you out of your comfort zone. He will stretch you, and fire your imagination until you envision the sublime. Beware, an encounter with him as a supervisor will change you forever.
I rarely eulogizing men but today I choose to pay homage to my supervisor.
To an erudite scholar,
An indefatigable teacher,
An exceptional academic,
An unwavering believer in academic rigor,
And a mentor who has shown us a mentorship and leadership style that continues to birth excellent scholars. . .
(And also, to the incredible and amazing faculty at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan).
I genuflect.
