PROF OYEBODE AND THE LILLIPUTIAN OF EKITI GOVERNMENT HOUSE

By

Kenn Emetulu

The problem with Nigeria is that politicians, in and out of uniform, usually are allowed to win both small and big but ultimately short-sighted battles against reason and commonsense. While it may sound trite now to begin to discuss this assertion in the context of our national development generally, I dare say one of the worst hit sectors has always been education. Personally, I've seen enough of what is left of this to conclude that anyone who still thinks Nigeria has any semblance of competitive tertiary education must be living in Laa-Laa land, since the evidence is clear both at home and abroad that our degrees are no longer worth the papers on which they're printed.

However, having said that, I marvel at the tenacity of some of our best brains who still find it a worthy challenge to wake up in the morning and take to the classroom or the office, still burning with that desire to pass on their knowledge, to inspire a new generation, to rebuild the collapsing bridges of real intellectual pursuit for its own sake. And, when I say this, I do not refer to the lecherous lecturers or glorified paedophiles who coerce young women - some younger than their last daughters - into affairs, or the ones that levy all kinds of taxes on students to issue them with pass marks, etc. I speak of those whose intellectual lights shine from afar, whose spirits have not been broken, nor can they be broken by some ignorant government and errant colleagues signed to the destruction of the educational sector in one guise or the other.
 

So, when I read of the treatment meted out to Prof Akin Oyebode, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ado-Ekiti, while it was no great surprise in the context of our self-defeating national politics, I still could not hide my sadness at the loss that is Ekiti's. Here is one man who stands head and shoulder above his peers, not because he's adept at stealing money or wielding power, but simply because he's an exceptionally gifted intellectual and teacher of men, a great inspiration to many and one of the most honest and principled men anyone can ever come across.

Prof Oyebode was my teacher at the University of Lagos. I, like many people who were taught by him consider him a friend. Now, his style is not to come to class as your teacher in Jurisprudence or Public International Law to murmur and have you lap up everything he says, nor would he spend valuable lecture time discussing his latest acquisitions of suits, shoes and ties; rather, he would immediately get down to business, challenge you, question your knowledge, stimulate your mind and set you on inquiry, the best a teacher could do for anyone interested in learning. He is never boring, even when some of the issues he discusses so enthusiastically are as arcane as rocket science! And lest anyone begins to conclude that it's natural for students to worship intelligent teachers, let me point out that I was no starry-eyed freshman coming into the University of Lagos. I'd spent four years at the University of Benin, had graduated ahead of my class and had done my National Youth Service before coming to University of Lagos to take up Law as a second degree. So, I'd seen my own fair share of brilliant professors before being taught by then Dr Oyebode. In fact, I was always filled with some kind of inexplicable excitement each time I walked into his class, almost to the point of personal embarrassment! The man simply was, and still is, a breath of fresh air! He was also my project supervisor and I recall that moment I stood before him, ready to hear his verdict on my final year project. "I like your pen", he said. "You are a very brilliant writer who writes with great conviction. Keep it up!" I'm not one to wallow in complements; but coming from Oyebode, I still carry it around in my consciousness till this day like some invisible medal! He is that high in my estimation. And yes, I was, and still I am, very discerning.
 

Prof Oyebode abhors injustice and does not need to be your friend to take up your cause once he's convinced about it. I know because he did that on my behalf. His office is always open to welcome anyone who demands his attention or help. Yes, he's not one to suffer fools gladly; but, just as he said in one interview with a national newspaper, it's all about self-confidence which less sure people mistake sometimes for arrogance. Truly, most of those who passed out with me and who sat through his classes and quite a lot of those I know who passed out before us consider him by a mile the best of the bunch.

I visited Oyebode at the then Ondo State University Ado-Ekiti, when he was the Dean of the school's Faculty of Law. When I saw the humble surroundings of his office, including his home, I couldn't help wondering whether it was all worth it for him to be there. But I didn't think these bothered him; he's always had that energy about him and even without questioning him on this, you know he loved the challenge and was only there to lend his personal credibility to the new school. Of course, this was long before Niyi Adebayo dreamt of the governorship!

But now, the scandal-infested Ayo Fayose has taken over Ekiti Government House and with it the position of Visitor of the University of Ado-Ekiti. Like all Lilliputians, one of his first missions is to attack the giant that is Oyebode with the aim of seeing him out of the office, even when his first term extends till March 2004. Of course, if only by result or accomplishments, Oyebode qualifies for a second term, but would an intellectually challenged Ayo Fayose recognize success even if it walks up to him and hits him in the face?

As Vice-Chancellor, Oyebode was a cut above the rest, even though he was operating from such a small canvass as a state university. He worked tirelessly to put University of Ado-Ekiti not only on the national intellectual map, but international as well, even with the barest of resources. In an uncommon mission, he actually made the school generate revenue of its own, which he ploughed back into improvement and building of much-needed facilities! Prof Oyebode was out there exploiting his old school ties and sundry contacts to push imaginative and progressive agendas for the school. And, on the national level, while we all continued to witness the soporific silence and sometimes criminal collaboration that are the hallmarks of Vice-Chancellors' responses when clueless governments tear down the system they should protect, Oyebode was trenchant in his criticism of the state of education, the lack of investments and the callousness visited on helpless students grounded at home for months on end. While everyone knew he was still a leading light of ASUU, which in Nigeria is unusual for a VC, he did not spare them also from his criticisms. But his has always been a voice of reason - calling on government and ASUU to reach compromises at all times there's a dispute to ensure that the system never grinds to a halt. In Nigeria, it's absolutely no surprise that such a fellow ends up being enemy to all!

Well, Oyebode, being no politician, did not wait for Fayose to play God nor did he run to one godfather or the other to help keep his post. He's made it clear he isn't interested in a second-term no one was offering him in the first place; he's made it clear he's no bootlicker; he's made it clear he has a name to protect and, pronto, he's packed his bags and baggage and returned to the University of Lagos, which needless to say, welcomes him back with open arms. Ekiti's loss is Lagos's gain. So, Mr Fayose can quickly go ahead to appoint another lapdog to do his bidding; but whatever he does, let him know that Oyebode's work will remain indelible in the minds of all that have had the opportunity of knowing him - people who have genuinely worked with him and learnt from him. I hope that Fayose can say the same of his stewardship whenever his term runs out. But, considering the way he's started and knowing that the people of Ekiti are amongst some of the most discerning and politically sophisticated Nigerians, I doubt if poor Fayose would pass the test.
 

For me, I'm happy that Oyebode is back at my alma mater, ready to do what he does best, which is produce students who will have the confidence to step out, to hold their heads high; people who tomorrow, no matter their station, no matter what they do, will always look back and thank God that they were taught by such an extra-ordinary man. He may be a prophet without honour in his state; but he has more than he needs in the minds of men and women scattered around the world.




March 2004