The immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka today defended all his actions in office, saying that if given the opportunity to be the nation’s Premier University VC again, his decisions over matters presided over would not be different.
Olayinka stated this at the 2nd Biennial International Workshop and Conference of the West African Young Statisticians Association held at the Otunba Subomi Balogun Conference Centre, UI, Ibadan.
The conference, with the theme “Economic & Social Goods Forecasting During Covid-19: Data Analytic & Forecasting Methods”, had Professor Rostami-Tabir Bahman of the Cardiff University, United Kingdom and the Oyo State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Prof. Daud Kehinde Shangodoyin as the keynote speakers.
Prof Richard De Vaux and Prof. Shittu Olanrewaju were the lead instructor and Scientific Chair respectively.
The peak of the event was the presentation of awards to Profs. Abel Idowu Olayinka and Daud Kehinde Shangodoyin, Chief Bisi Ilaka, Oyo State Chief of Staff, and Otunba Seye Famojuro.
Speaking further on his tenure as UI 12th VC, Olayinka said that all the actions he took in office were for the sustenance of UI vision and mission, stressing that he has contributed to the development of the school in whatever form.
Emphasizing the relevance of statistics to scholarship, he stated that, “There is hardly anything done that the presence of statistics is not felt. Everything is related to statistics. There is limitless opportunities in statistics”.
In the same direction, Prof. Amdalat Bolanle Olaniyan, the wife the Oyo State Deputy Governor, Engr. Rauf Olaniyan reiterated the importance of forecast, an aspect of statistics to agriculture.
She pointed out that a farmer should be able to make forecast if he or she must remain in farming business, stressing that a farmer should be able to forecast the prices of produce.
She also emphasized the usefulness of statistics to the academic, noting that scholars use statistics to interpret data.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Head of Statistics Department, Prof Olanrewaju Shittu described Olayinka as “a man most of the time misunderstood”.
He said, “Olayinka believes in fairness and fair play. He was a VC for five years and he did good things while in office”.
In attendance were: the Rector, Federal School of Statistics, Ibadan, Dr Kayode Balogun, Dr Abass Gbolahan from the Ministry of Health and Prof. Ademola Adeoye Sodipo.
