Five PhD Students of the Faculty of Social Sciences, OAU Become CODESRIA Mentees
Five PhD students of the Faculty of Social Sciences have been selected among 42 doctoral students drawn from universities across Africa as fellows of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) College of Mentors second cohort starting in 2019. As an induction programme for the Fellowship, the Fellows attended a Doctoral Students Mentorship Institute in Nairobi, from October 21st to 31st.
Three (pictured) of the students from the Faculty of Social Sciences, Harrison Idowu, Omomayowa Abati and Modesola Omotuyi, are in the Department of Political Science; Bosede Oyinloye is in the Department of Demography and Social Statistics while Isaac Oyekola is a student of Sociology and Anthropology.
At the Institute, participants were equipped with intellectual resources and their PhD research proposals were read and commented on. The PhD scholars were also exposed to academic writing, public presentation and publishing skills. Head of CODESRIA’s Training, Grants and Fellowships Programme, Ibrahim Oanda Ogachi, at the Institute, noted that the Fellowship was aimed at augmenting initiatives by CODESRIA to advance PhD programmes in Africa.
CODESRIA website quoted Oanda as emphasising that “the support provided during the seminar will not override the advice participants receive from their primary supervisors; rather, and is expected of academic advising, this is a complementary process whereby participants’ interests and academic development will be emphasized”.
Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Professor Peter Ogunjuyigbe and Head, Department of Political Science where three fellows emerged, Professor Olajire Bamisaye, in separate comments, commended CODESRIA for the initiative. Ogunjuyigbe, a professor of Demography and Social Statistics and supervisor of Oyinloye, reiterated that the Faculty would continue to leverage local and international opportunities that could strengthen the training of its postgraduate students.
Professor Femi Mimiko, mni, supervisor of two of the Political Science candidates, Abati and Idowu, expressed his excitement about the selection, noting that “it is a demonstration of the good quality of the candidates the Department recruited into its PG programme.” Mimiko notes that he had been appropriately involved in the process, “I read the comments of their CODESRIA mentors, and you cannot but be impressed by the quality of all of these.” He emphasised the need for hard work on the part of postgraduate students of the Faculty, in order to further explore opportunities that could strengthen their programmes and training as budding academics.
Oyinloye also eulogised the initiative by CODESRIA, “the Institute was so intense and I had excellent and impactful sessions that provoked diverse academic thoughts. I was also privileged to partake in writing book chapters which will be published in CODESRIA Handbook in 2020.”
“I also appreciate the facilitators’ excellent display of professionalism and readiness to explain concepts and clarify materials distributed before and during the course of the Institute. Worthy of mentioning is the opportunity given to me to present my PhD proposal where suggested inputs and corrections were made by the facilitators.” Oyinloye said.
Idowu described the Fellowship as “once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from accomplished scholars, the rudiments of PhD thesis writing.” In his words, “it is indeed a notable and worthwhile effort aimed at supporting scholarship in Africa.”
In addition to the five from the Faculty of Social Sciences, OAU also had one Fellow each from the Faculties of Education, Basic Medical Sciences and Arts.
Temitayo Odeyemi with additional reports from CODESRIA