Oyindolapo Shittu


Married medical student, Oyindolapo Shittu,
shares with FEMI MAKINDE and SODIQ OYELEKE
the secret of her success at the Obafemi Awolowo
University, Ile-Ife, Osun State
A young woman, Oyindolapo Shittu, proved that
being married should not be a barrier to a
resounding academic success recently, when she
emerged the best graduating student at the 40th
convocation of the Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Although she was a medical student, which
obviously made her experience more demanding,
she also carted away 12 out of the 18 prizes up
for grabs in the ivory tower, leaving the other
hundreds of students to scramble for the
remaining six.

It was therefore not surprising that on each
occasion when she was invited to the podium to
receive her prize, a thundering ovation followed
her footsteps.
With the 12 prizes from the

Faculty of Clinical
Sciences alone in her kitty, it was simply easy for
her to win the

Alhaji Kabir Usman Prize for the
Best Overall Student with the Highest Number of
Prizes for the 2012/2013 session.

Her other laurels are the Glaxo Allenbury and the
Paediatrics Association Prizes Prize for the Best
Result in M.B.C.H.B Degree in Paediatrics;

Prof. O. Taiwo Memorial Prize for the Best in Clinical
Examination;

Olaningbe Makanjuola Memorial and
the Nigeria Medical Association prizes for the
best final M.B.C.H.B degree examination.

Others include the Lawrence Omole Prize for the
Best in Community Health;

Maj. Gen. Olufemi
Olutoye, Candido-Da-Rocha, and the Adekunle
Okute prizes for the best in Surgery;

Tony Elemelu
as well as the Prof. Adewale Akinsola prizes for
the best graduating student in Medicine.

But how did Shittu make mincemeat of others,
particularly engineering students, who many
believe, usually win academic laurels with ease?
How did she cope with the marital and domestic
challenges not just to study Medicine but also to
emerge the best graduate in her set?
She noted that three basic incidents in life fired
her enthusiasm to excel. The first, according to
her, was the hospitalization of her mother when
she was still young. The second is her religion –
Islam – and the third, her friend who later
became her husband.


She said, “My mother encouraged me to study
Medicine. There was a time when my mother was
so sick that she was on admission in a hospital
for a long time. Then I was about seven years old.
Many people thought that she was going to die. I
was always by her bedside even at that tender
age, keeping vigil.
“It was on one of such occasions that my mother
told me that she would want me to become a
medical doctor when I grow up.
“Even when my mother finally recovered, I recall
that there were occasions too that my late father,
who was not so literate, would take me to the
University College Teaching Hospital, Ibadan just
to observe the compartment of medical students
at the hospital.”


Besides this parental influence, the valedictorian
also holds the view that her husband, who is a
lawyer, encouraged her to study Medicine.
She added, “I personally wanted to study
Chemistry but he persuaded me to enroll for
Medicine. He made me to believe that I would
make it in Medicine. But taking the decision not
to study Chemistry was not easy because it was
a subject that I loved so much. In fact, it was my
best subject and I looked forward to studying it
until he encouraged me to enroll for Medicine.”
The young Muslim doctor added that she was
encouraged to study Medicine by her passion to
help Islam. She said, “In fact, the zeal to help my
religion was another motivating factor.”


On how she managed to cope with all the
challenges in marriage, she noted that her
matrimony actually brought out the best in her.
The lady, however, does not have a child yet.
Shittu, who married in her fifth year in the
university, said, “It has been very pleasant and
interesting experience. In fact, it was when I got
married that I started enjoying the course. Things
actually became easier for me after marriage
because getting closer to my husband made the
motivation to be more direct.

“I had most of the prizes I won after getting
married. I had all my prizes when I got married
except one. Marriage has a positive influence on
my study. It aided me financially and boosted my
psychological well being.”


For Shittu, the success did not come that easy.
According to her, it took a lot of reading and
planning.
“When it comes to studying, I am not given to
crash programme. I did not have to wait for the
examination to be around the corner for me to
begin my studies. I read every day and that way,
there was never a time that I was under so much
pressure.
“I tried to read six hours every day. In the
medical school, many people are usually under
pressure and that reduces their efficiency. But my
secret is that I tried to work ahead. I read other
books outside medical books. I read novels,
newspapers and watched movies.
“During holidays, I rested and made sure I
enjoyed myself to the fullest and when we
resumed, I continued with my reading style,”
Shittu, who has started her horsemanship at the
Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital,
Ile Ife, added.


Asked the kind of movies she enjoys, she said, “I
watch movies where advanced technology is
being used. I watch medical movies and the
reason I watch such is to show me how medicine
is practiced in advanced countries. It serves as a
means of motivation for me. They practice very
diligently there. When I watch those movies, I try
to picture myself in that setting and working with
that zeal. But whatever I learn, I will make sure I
come back to use it to influence my people.”
While many graduates are not sure of what would
be their fate in the labour market, Shittu is
already planning to impact positively on the
society. She said that she was always moved to
see some poor people dying due to lack of money
for medical treatment.

To contribute her quotas to the welfare of
humanity and especially the poor ones, she said,
“I plan to establish a hospital to treat people and
majorly the less-privileged ones. That has been
my plan for a very long time. The reason is that
not everything is about money. It is about
fulfillment.

“I hope that will make God to be pleased with me.
I feel that the honor, which God has bestowed
on me, is not just for fun. It is not just for me to
be known but to influence other people and to
help the less-privileged ones that are usually
forgotten.”

six hours? Good.

Marriage made Studying easier..
Rare of its kind.

But all the way,
I wish you hearty congratulations.

#road2AsoRock.
#GMB/OSBJ.
#2015

this is indeed a rare gem, congrats my sister.
join the winning team
BUHARI/OSINBAJO COME 2015

Inspiration.
Nice one, Doc.

GMB 2015 In Sha Allah

congrats to her. it aint easy

aare07:
GMB 2015 In Sha Allah

are you real at all?

what has this thread got to do with that

aare07:
GMB 2015 In Sha Allah

oh my God not again..
Are you alright

6hrs...Isnuttin