Indigenes of Ibadan land in and outside the University of Ibadan want the incoming vice chancellor to be appointed from the host community saying there are more than enough qualified persons to fill the slot. BAYO AGBOOLA reports.
It is no longer news that the tenure of the incumbent vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka is coming to an end on November 30 this year after which a new one is expected to assume duty. With fews months to the end of Professor Olayinka’s tenure, the usual academic manouvering is already on as to who emerges as the next VC with aspirants increasing on daily basis.
As expected, politics are on going within the university community towards ensuring that the widely acceptable candidate emerges.
Till date, the 72-year-old university has produced 14 indigenous VCs between 1960 till date. Presently, no fewer than 10 aspirants are fully in the race including the deputy vice-chancellor (Admin), Prof Kayode Oyebode Adebowale of the Department of Chemistry; former deputy vice-chancellor (Academic), Prof Adeyinka Abideen Aderinto; former dean, Faculty of Arts, Prof Remi Raji-Oyelade of the Department of English; former dean, Faculty of Law, Prof Oluyemisi Adefunke Bamgbose. Others are Prof George Olusegun Ademowo of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutic; Provost of College of Medicine, Prof Emiola Oluwabunmi Olapade-Olaopa and the immediate past chief medical firector (CMD), University College Hospital (UCH), Prof Temitope Alonge.
However, there are indications that the race for this year’s selection of a new VC is assuming different dimension from what it used to be with the insistence of Ibadan indigenes that the position should be theirs now.
New twist in clamourFirst in the clamour was a group, ‘Ibadan Pillars’ which declared that an Ibadan indigine must emerge as the institution’s next VC in a statement by signed by its President, Asiwaju Nurudeen Akinade stating that for over seven decades of the existence of the university, no Ibadan man has ever emerged as the VC despite what they called an avalanche of great Ibadan professors that abound in the institution. They vowed that Ibadan people would no longer accept non Ibadan indigene.
“Having studied the situation critically, our organisation which comprises several prominent and patriotic sons and daughters of the soil both at home and diaspora and the greater percentage of good people of Ibadan land have decided not to accept any non-Ibadan Indigene as the vice chancellor. This however, would be without sacrificing merit. Currently, there are four renowned academics who have applied for this exalted position. The appointment should be based on merit as the city has prominent academics within the system, who are aspirants.”
Akinade disclosed that the Ibadan prominent academics within the system are ready to slug it out with others on merit; integrity test and towering academic and unblemished records of service to the institution. “Although, VC position is not supposed to be appointed for nativity sake, but some people have long played decision makers on Ibadan soil to hate anything Ibadan.
“UI has produced 17 vice chancellors, none has ever come from Ibadan land.”
The group listed Ibadan indigenes presently in the race as Professor Remi Raji Oyelade (Former dean, Faculty of Arts); Professor Kayode Adebowale (Current DVC, Admin); Professor Emiola Olapade-Olaopa (College of Medicine) and Professor Kolapo Hamzat (Neurological Physiotherapy Department).
“We believe sincerely that any of these scholars is good enough to be the vice chancellor of UI as emergence of any other candidate apart from any of these four would not be acceptable to the host city.There is no first generation university in Nigeria that has not produced an indigenous VC of host community. This continued denial is not only insultive and absurd, it is also an act of insensitivity on the part of the federal government and university community.”
Another group corroboratesThe umbrella body of all Ibadan sons and daughters, the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) on Sunday August 2 rekindled the clamour when CCII president general, Chief Adeyemi Soladoye asked members of the Governing Council, the Senate and other respected stakeholders to work for the emergence of an Ibadan man this time around.
“The appointment of vice- chancellors at the University of Ibadan is another sore-point to which we hereby humbly draw the attention of all members of the Senate, the council, the visitor the supervising minister and the entire academic community of this great citadel of learning.”
According to CCII, “We wish to draw the attention of the federal government and Nigerians to the fact that this neglect is not for absence of qualified Ibadan indigenes within UI or in the academic circle to occupy the coveted seat.
“In the days of only one deputy vice-chancellor in the top management cadre of UI, Prof Olusola Akinyele (an Ibadan professor of Mathematics) was to take over from Prof Ayo Banjo in 1991 but by sudden twist of military and political fiat, the opportunity eluded Ibadan land.
“Prof Akinyele’s frustration and disappointment reached such a depressing level that the erudite professor relocated overseas and never came back since then.
“In 1995, Prof Wole Akinboade of Veterinary Medicine, another Ibadan man contested and again, it was opportunity lost.
“Thanks to the late Gov Abiola Ajimobi who appointed Prof Ayobami Salami as the vice-chancellor of the state owned Technical University which prevented another ‘Akinyele Experience’.
Chief Soladoye added, “In the race for his suitable replacement are 10 erudite professors out of whom are these four sons of Ibadan land.”It is important that we advise decision-makers in this race to be wary of campus political jobbers as we hereby confirm that all the four candidates are bonafide Ibadan indigenes and the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII) or the Olubadan of Ibadan land has no anointed candidate out of the four of them.
“Our singular goal is to see that UI academic community appoints an Ibadan man known to be best suited for the job with a view to taking the institution to Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge level. In fact, we have some other eminently qualified Ibadan indigenes currently in deputy vice-chancellorship positions who opted to defer their ambitions this time around solely to enable the university system throw-up the best Ibadan candidate in the current race. It is in the face of this revelations that we Ibadan people in unison say that, be it in consideration of our land donation that gave birth to the university in the first place or the brilliant credentials of our sons as indicated above or as a mark of equity, justice and fair play, we hereby humbly appeal to members of the University of Ibadan Governing Council, the Senate and other respected stakeholders of this citadel of learning to please work for the emergence of an Ibadan man this time around. We also appeal to the university’s visitor – President Muhamadu Buhari, Hon minister of education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, the committee of non-Ibadan former vice-chancellors all of whom received the support and cooperation of Ibadan land during their tenures, members of the Senate and House of Representatives and all other stakeholders on the project to use their good offices to put a stop to this seeming marginalisation of Ibadan people on Ibadan land.”
With the agitations by Ibadan indigenes on the selection of the next VC for UI, the situation if not wisely handled may set another dangerous precedent in the selection of VCs in the nation’s ivory towers particularly those owned by the federal government.
