Walking the Long Road: An Interview with Pharm. Adebayo Sherif

The journey of newly inducted Pharm. Adebayo Sherif Oluwaseun is one fueled by God’s grace, grit, and resilience. Born and raised in the Mushin suburb, Sherif grew up on the streets of one of the most notorious parts of Lagos, Nigeria, where hooliganism was more commonplace than scholarship.

His parents never had access to higher education, but they understood the value of being educated. His mother would often say, “mi o kawe sugbon omi mi a ka”

To make ends meet, Sherif would make and supply fufu during the day on the streets of Mushin and then make out time to study into the wee hours of the next morning.

He had always seen himself wearing a white coat since he was a child. However, given his humble beginnings, the journey to wearing one did not come easy. He would learn through a biblical encounter that, in order to build his “tower”, he needed to “sit down and count the cost”. (Luke 14:28)

Writing UTME and WAEC multiple times before gaining admission, Sherif has definitely encountered huge roadblocks, but today, he holds a B.Pharm degree with a CGPA of 4.69 from the prestigious University of Lagos. He now sees his failure as fortitude and is bent on using his experiences to impact lives and shape the future of younger generations. Pharm. Adebayo Sherif is the Co-Founder of Explicit Tutorial.

In an interview, he sits with Adewuyi Bukola Deborah, who engages him in an in-depth conversation, exploring the experiences behind his journey to success.

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Mr. Bayo, how does it feel to be at this junction?

I don’t know if happy is the word that can sum it all; I’m much more than happy—like, you know, it’s been a long while, so I give glory to God for the end.

There’s no end without a beginning, right? Can you tell me how it all started—the journey?

My pharmacy journey started from, let me say, Mushin, where I grew up, where I used to carry fufu then. As a little child, I saw myself in this white coat, and I was like, “Wow, I would love to be this kind of person.” It was more like seeing the future, and I’m glad that I’m here. It has not been very easy, but I know God has a plan for everything.

What was your childhood like?

I had a kind of childhood where I needed to get up very early in the morning and then make fufu to sell on the streets of Mushin. I’ll say that, okay, I got a B.Pharm, but then I have a PhD in fufu making.

Was there anybody you saw around that gave you that picture of being in a white coat?

Well, I would say that I did not really have any figure to look up to because, obviously, growing up in Mushin, you don’t really see more of that. The brothers you see around are those that smoke. Some were cultists; I was exposed to all of that.

Were you always the student who was very bright, because we all know you as a scholar?

It has not always been like that. I do tell people that, for me, people often call me scholar, but it has never been like that. I wrote WAEC about four times and I think UTME about four times before I eventually got what I wanted.

For me, it was a change of mindset. There was a time I was going through a particular scripture, Luke 14:28, where Jesus was saying, “Which one of you wants to build a tower and will not sit down first to count the cost, whether you have sufficient to finish it?”

When I saw that this was the picture I had for myself, I realized that it would come at a cost. It became clear to me that I needed to write UTME, cover this syllabus. Time will not permit me to go into the details of that, but it wasn’t easy; I failed and failed and failed, but now I can say that I’ve passed. I learned from my failures, and even if I fail in a particular adventure of my life now, I won’t take it as failure but as a point. Failure gave me that fortitude.

One major thing that Uncle Bayo has done for me personally has to be that he literally raised my brain from the dead. Since he started teaching me, he told me, “Favour, you’re not going to fail again,” and true to that, I have not failed. He really restored my confidence and my academic integrity.

– Favour, Pharmacy (400L)

Before venturing into Pharmacy, you were already a student at MAPOLY. What made you decide not to settle for your first degree at MAPOLY?

There are multiple angles to that, but I’ll first start with my mom. She always said, “mi o kawe sugbon omi mi a ka.” A statement in Yoruba which translates to “I didn’t go to school, but my child will.” When I lost her in 2007, I didn’t let go of the dream. Not settling for less has always been a part of the package. Also, when we were in school, there was a particular lecturer that saw something in us and said, “You guys can do better than this.”

After my MAPOLY days, I did my I.T. at the Faculty of Pharmacy in 2015—about 10 years ago. I remember how I was able to interact with the students and even proffer solutions to some of the problems they were facing. It gave me the mindset that if I could give it all it takes, I could do very well. I remember coming for my I.T. then, bringing my textbook along, reading physics all over again because, like Luke 14:28 says, “Which one of you wants to build a tower and will not sit down first to count the cost, whether you have sufficient to finish it?”

When I met Pastor Bayo, he invited me to NFCPS, and I decided to just go for it. After that encounter, we got into a conversation. I appreciate his sincerity: he never once laid under the pretense that Pharmacy school was easy or that life in general was. He shared with me sometime how God had taught him a lot of things, and that led me to wanting so for myself. That was one of the moments that changed me.

– Edet Blessing

You’re a teacher par excellence. What would you say is your driving force towards teaching?

Primarily, from childhood, I was exposed to really bad teachers who wouldn’t teach you and would still flog you. And then the gift of teaching was something I knew I had inside. I wanted to be someone that would do what I didn’t have for myself: the luxury of a tutor who could teach me and guide my aspirations with knowledge. I take teaching as an avenue to impact lives, to shape especially teenagers, because I knew what I went through at that last stage of my life. I want to be that person that will see a teenager and be able to tell them, “No, take this direction; this could lead to destruction. I’ve actually walked this path before. Why not follow this?” Teaching puts me at the center where I can fulfill God’s purpose for my life.

He is always there for me in every way: academically, emotionally, financially, and mentally. He’s come through for me so many times. Regarding academics, I can just wake up when I’m reading by 2 a.m. and call him, and he’s going to explain it to me.

– Ojo Temidayo

Who are the people that have helped you thus far, and what do you have to say to them?

Different categories of people have helped me, and without those men, there’s no me. They are men that God placed in my life. It started in 200 level when I met a doctor in my faculty, Dr. David Adeyemi. One day, I entered his office and he asked me, “Do you know what God is doing behind the scenes for you?” It happened more than five years ago, but that moment has stood with me since. Also, Dr. Ayeni and all the lecturers in my faculty. And also, Mr. Usman—I want to say thank you to him.

When it comes to organizations that actually supported my dreams, a special thanks to Biola Fagunyi Arowolo Foundation, Pharma Solution, BFA, and Chevron. They held my hand throughout. They’ve been resourceful in my completion of this programme.

And also my parents—they gave me life, so I’m grateful for them, though they are late now. I’m grateful to my family members for their support and prayers.

Any shout-out to any of your friends or coursemates?

The list is actually long. Shout-out to my brother, Steve Jeremiah; we’ve been together from inception, from day one in year one. Shout-out to Kutu Sarah. Shout-out to The Doctus, Prudentus. These are the guys that helped me when the journey was becoming tough. I remember Sarah would tell me to persevere a little longer. I want to thank all Mavericks and all students of the Faculty of Pharmacy for making my stay worthwhile. Thank you so much for your support.

I want to say a big congratulations to you and happy induction.

Thank you so much!

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During my 300-level first semester, I had an issue academically. It was the first time I failed; I had a carryover. The next semester, he made sure that I passed the courses. When it was time for the exams, he was teaching me and my friend during the period of exams when he was also having exams. He was doing it so intentionally. I passed. He has also been there spiritually. I have had discussions with him that helped me watch my steps. He is an inspiration; the intentionality he puts forth is amazing.

– Chibundom, Pharmacy student