It has been over four days since the demise of my supervisor, Prof. Lai Oso, and it feels all so surreal.
In the last days, I have read so many tributes in his honour, and as much as I tried to avoid them because the tears would not stop flowing, they keep coming in – all pointing to the extraordinary qualities of the man called Lai Oso. We would not be talking about him this way if we were to focus on his intellectual prowess alone, but Professor Lai Oso was one of a kind. He was an embodiment of strong human values. He had great people skills and a high level of emotional intelligence. As a lecturer, he was extremely passionate about his job and genuinely interested in the progress of his students, never overlooking any of them.
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‘A Mighty Iroko Has Fallen…One death, Too many!’, By Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika
These past days, I have relived the memories of our time together, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have met him in the last years of his life.
As my supervisor, in Prof. Lai Oso, I found a father, mentor, and a strong pillar of support. Not only did he supervise my thesis with so much enthusiasm, but he was genuinely humane while at it. As if he was the one enrolled in a PhD. programme, Prof. set a target for my colleague, Dr Toyin Salami, and I to be done with the programme by the end of 2022.
At some point when the rigour of the journey and other commitments made me falter, Prof.’s words of encouragement were always soothing. One day, over the phone, he said to me, “Khadijat, tete, tete, se kia. You know when you’re done, your husband and dad will be so proud of you. In this life, nothing is predictable, but whatever is yours is yours. ” After that call, I could not but marvel at how a supervisor could be so invested in a programme that would benefit me more than anyone else.
For the better part of my programme, I commuted with him to and from Lagos State University because we shared the same route, and he would ensure to pick and drop me almost at my doorstep. On that long journey, together with his daughter, Dr Simi Oso, and his driver, Baba Awaye, we discussed everything, ranging from politics to contemporary social issues. So accomodating was he that he made everyone around him comfortable with him. People often say, “Nobody is irreplaceable,” but NEVER in my entire life have I met someone so highly cerebral, yet extremely humble.
A few days to my viva, as we were about leaving school, Dr Salami who initially wanted to join us on the trip home, changed her mind and decided to go with public transport for the fear of inconveniencing Prof. She was already on the bus when he got to know of her decision and he insisted that she alights from the bus and join us. When she eventually did, he gestured, “se ti wa joko lemi lori bayi?” Such was the humility of Prof.
It is hard for me to come to terms with the fact that you are no more, Professor Lai Oso, but we all live to die one day, and that day remains a mystery to us all.
I will miss you all the way, Professor Olayiwola Oso.
Yours was a life of impact.
Khadijat
