Gbenro Adesina
When, on May 19, 2020, the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan (UI), led by Nde Joshua Mutka Waklek and the Management of the institution led by Ijesa-born Professor, Abel Idowu Olayinka, the 12th Vice Chancellor, officially requested interested candidates in the office of the institution’s vice chancellor to file applications, they only foresaw high competition not fierce battle or trouble, that would eventually truncate the process and inflict ‘unhealable’ injuries on some key stakeholders.
The battle was so deadly to the extent that some stakeholders were stoned on the head, while some received other forms of injury and had to be taken to the clinic. Others had their characters assassinated and some were reported to different anti-graft agencies for diligent prosecution over series of financial allegations that are yet to be proven correct. Proving those allegations was not the ultimate, the ultimate was to remove anyone considered as too formidable by the less formidable to scale through a democratic process. The politics that characterised the appointment of the 13th vice chancellor was so dirty and ugly that the interested public wondered how the nation’s Premier University would survive the aftermath of the process.
The process could not commence in February or March 2020, because of the then total, indefinite and comprehensive strike embarked upon by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). Determined not to leave the office unoccupied or occupied by a VC in acting capacity, from December 1, 2020, Olayinka declared the process opened. This development was opposed by some interested groups, who felt they do not have a chance. Some of the aspirants or their sympathisers started different schemes to prevent the Olayinka administration from organising the process that would bring up the 13th VC. These groups were undermined by Olayinka, who is considered a fearless university administrator.
While the non-Academic Staff led by Wale Akinremi with the exception of National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), were determined to truncate the process, ASUU was divided. Some members were with the management, while some had opposing views. Some ASUU members, in the interest of protecting the integrity of the Union, felt that the process should not kick off since there was an on-going strike action. It was believed that such act would weaken the strike and other institutions would see them as traitors and members who did not make the strike to be effective, more importantly, since they are the major stake holders. The latter provided a soft ground for Olayinka’s administration, expecting the administration to seek for waver in order to conduct the process, which seems not to have been done, thereby resulting in hostility between ASUU and the management. However, ASUU addressed the issue with the utmost maturity and diplomacy, hence, the management sailed through in all the stages.
The non-academic staff, on their part, went all out to declare war on Olayinka. Part of the allegation against him was that they did not have much of financial gains from his administration. They staged violent protests and unequivocally demanded from the governing council to undemocratically disqualify two major contenders, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Admin), Professor Kayode Adebowale and former VC, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, (AAU), Professor Femi Mimiko. They do not want Adebowale because they felt that he is a stooge of Olayinka and his style will not be different from his boss. For Mimiko, he was alleged not to be friendly with non-academic staff when he was AAU VC. In his intellectual arrogance, he did not court them and consistently checkmated their excesses. They felt a strongman like that, whom they would not be able to toss around should not be allowed to head the Premier University. When they noticed that their agitations were not making any effect, they staged a violent protest, among others, to stop the joint selection board from screening the last six aspirants shortlisted for the job. They held the council into ransom, stoned Adebowale, who was hit on the head and was immediately rescued from their ambush and rushed to Jaja clinic for treatment. They forced Waklek out to address them with a promise to delete Adebowale and Mimiko from the list of the qualified candidates. Afraid for his life, he diplomatically promised to look into their demands. Members of the joint selection board was dispersed and the process could not continue. What was not clear at the time was whether the non-academic staff were fighting for their own course, or they were being used by any or group of the aspirants.
The institution’s Senate did all that could be done to save the situation, but it woefully failed in all fronts. In the middle of the crisis, the Federal Government waded in, through the Minister of Education, and directed National Universities Commission (NUC), to suspend the process and as well as see to the appointment of an acting VC. Here comes the luckiest and the sole beneficiary of the crisis, Professor Adebola Ekanola, a philosopher and a pastor. In his acceptance speech, he promised to ensure that the process was concluded, contrary to the agenda of the Federal Government. As he was preparing to continue with the process, an order came from the government through the NUC that the process must remain halted, stating that the status quo must be maintained. Which status quo? No legal luminary could decipher the statement, or intuite the hand writings. The Federal Government continued to buy time and allowed the tenure of the immediate governing council to expire. The government wanted a new governing council to conduct the process. The Waklek group was technical eased out to the admiration of the anti-Olayinka groups and John Odigie Oyegun, a thorough breed politician, who understands the language of politics was brought in, with a clear mandate to appoint the 13th VC, for his alma mater.
On 14 May, 2021, Oyegun played the joker and shocked the University community when he cancelled the process and declared it to begin fresh. This was a welcome development to the non-academic staff and the aspirants, who were not among the final six candidates. All re-strategized. 14 aspirants applied and two were searched for, totaling 16. One of the aspirants, Ekanola, the acting VC, took the advantage that presented itself, and came into the contest. He was no longer satisfied with the responsibility of midwifing the process that will credibly produce the next VC, he wanted to be the next VC. His decision threw up a moral question as to whether his action is honourable or not. To a school of thought, why would he betray his very close friend, who was stated to have nominated him for the position of DVC (Academic). His decision was considered as stabbing Adebowale at the back. It was also stated that he did not discussed the issue with Adebowale, therefore, his decision to contest was a rude shock to Adebowale. According to information, Ekanola has strained a good family friend relation that exists between himself and Adebowale. Another argument was that his coming into the contest was part of the game plan to ensure the success of Adebowale. Soon, the truth will play out.
Another notable twist in the whole campus politics was introduced very close to the proper selection of the VC, as eight aspirants officially wrote to inform that they would not participate in the UI Community Forum, where all the aspirants were expected to present their manifestoes and sell themselves to the members of the community. Fresh apprehension began as to whether the Forum would hold or not. The Forum held and four aspirants physically participated, some participated virtually. Later, it hit the news that one of the aggrieved aspirants stepped down and in all 15 pushed on, until eight out of them were shortlisted for the final stage.
On Thursday October 14, 2021, the shortlisted candidates, like a sheep led to the slaughter, appeared one after another before the Governing Council/Joint Selection Board. In my life, I have never seen professors being humbled, they were amazingly humbled, and they all fell in line. Security men infiltrated the nook and crannies of the institution just to ensure that nothing went wrong. By 3pm, newsmen came in one after the other, handy with their reporters’ notebooks, biro, and assorted cameras. They attempted to get a clue of what was happening in the Senate Chamber, information was not coming out. They lurked around the Senate Chamber till the institution’s Director of Communication, Tunji Oladejo, pulled a fast game on them. He told them that the interview was almost over, and asked them to move to the Board Room in the VC office, where members of the governing council had agreed to address. The experienced ones doubted that game because they knew for historic reason, the press would be addressed in the Senate Chamber, but they gave him the benefit of the doubt. After keeping them for over two hours, the journalism in them made them restless. Oladejo, a smart public relation practitioners came to the board room to appeal to the newsmen to be patient for like an hour. He even sat and chatted with them. Eventually, some of them left the Board Room and came back to the vicinity of the Senate Chamber.
Around 8pm, Oyegun was ready to break the news. Oladejo sent for the pressmen caged in the Board Room to come to the Senate Chamber, where the press briefing will hold. They enthusiastically filed in, not like the VC candidates that wanted to be interviewed. The first observation was that Adebowale was sitting in a chair facing the panel as if he wanted to take an oath of office. He was later asked to join Oyegun and sit beside him. These were the signs that he is the 13th VC and while Oyegun was preparing to break the news, journalists were already filing their reports. Before he finished reading his address and declared Adebowale VC designate, the news was everywhere, thanks to the online media. However, the media missed a shot: the letter of appointment, which had already been handed over to Adebowale ought to be done before the press for it to be captured photographically, the same way it was done for the previous VC. Worth mentioning, unlike before, the governing council refused to take questions from the press, even, the VC designate was prevented to interact with newsmen, who would have loved to seek for some clarifications or information that would enrich their reports.
Is there any lesson to learn from the appointment of Adebowale? Yes. The non-academic staff spoke when God has not spoken. They said that nothing will make Adebowale to succeed Olayinka. They promised fire and brimstone. They even organised themselves on December 1, 2020 to ‘sweep the feet’ of Olayinka away, and promised to do the same at the expiration of the tenure of Adebowale as the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Admin). They said that if he ever emerges, his appointment will be greeted with crisis. They also promise that his administration will be characterised with crisis. Contrary to the power they assume they have, Adebowale emerges. Adebowale, in his acceptance message, said he was not fit to be the VC, if not appointed by God. It is only God that can speak and it will come to pass. However, for Adebowale to succeed, he must learn to forgive, and must not victimise anyone. A true father of all forgives with ease.
Another lesson is that the media was wrongly used by the intellectuals during the contest. This is not necessary. There is a need to assist the media in ensuring objective reporting as much as possible. Next time, kindly guide against misinforming the press so as to save the media from misinforming the society as well as spreading fake news.
Adebowale, as VC, has a lot to do and there are great expectations. He must restructure and reposition the University for efficiency and effectiveness. The system plays a lot with the lives of the students. Mostly affected are the postgraduate students. For example, at one stage or the other, due to the failure of some academic staff to do the needful, the results of Masters’ students are not processed on time, hence, most time, they do not graduate as at when due. The doctoral students seem to be the most vulnerable students in the system. They go through a lot of unthinkable ordeals, and the system is not, at all structured to provide avenues where they can channel their grievances. They are at the mercy of their supervisors. The consequence is unnecessary delay. Their should be a mechanism whereby the progress of doctoral students should be accounted for by the Post Graduate College per semester so as to know when and where to step in when students are not making progress. It is unthinkable and unheard of if a doctoral student cannot have at least a topic and proposal at the end of first academic session. Such a situation simply shows that such student does not have the capacity or not been properly supervised and the school should be able to take appropriate measure in the interest of the students and supervisor and ultimately, for a good corporate existence of the nation’s Premier University. Delay in transcripts processes should not be in this 21st century. Serious Sanctions should be introduced for lecturers who are not diligent at his or her work as well as those who cheat the system in various forms. The Distance Learning Centre (DLC) needs to be overhauled and repositioned to avoid churning out incompetent and half-baked graduates. Adebowale needs to hit the ground running!
