Olanipekun: Towards a better UNILAG

One of the positive attributes of President Bola Tinubu is his sensitivity to public opinion. In response to the demand of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which gave a seven-day ultimatum for government to constitute governing councils for the federal universities, government came up with an appointment list of new council chairmen and their members, thus, putting an end to the agitation.

That is good. But could this not have been done before the agitation and ultimatum? Government should be more proactive by addressing danger on time before it becomes an emergency!

However, governing council is central to the progress of any university. It is the highest ruling body, regulating the activities of a sitting Vice Chancellor who heads the administrative structure. Perusing the list, it was such a cheer to see that former Pro-chancellor and Chairman of Council, University of Ibadan (UI), Chief Wole Olanipekun has again been appointed as University of Lagos (UNILAG) Council Chairmen . Let it be said that the appropriateness of this particular appointment is unassailable. While President Tinubu deserves kudos in this regard, Akoka should roll out drums in celebration of a new dawn.

Universities are the resource bases of the nation. They are places of light, learning and liberty. The purpose of universities is to provide rational explanations and meaning to society, shape new individuals through teaching, and create new possibilities through research. But unfortunately, university system in Nigeria is still tottering. Its survival is still far from being assured. So much has been put into making the system to work, a lot more still needs to be done. Obviously, government alone cannot shoulder the responsibilities, no matter how much it pretends. The survival of the system solicits the support of private sector and well-to-do individuals.

University of Lagos, like universities of Ibadan, Ife, Ilorin, Benin, Calabar, Jos, Maiduguri among others are federal institutions of class which deserve special attention on account of their pedigrees and contributions to national development. Those appointed to lead governing council of these institutions are however expected to be highly distinguished and notably influential, capable of generating resources to lift these universities. Leading these universities is not only tough; but tasking, given multifaceted challenges in the system.

Perhaps, it is against this backdrop that one is motivated to cite Chief Wole Olanipekun as a quintessential mode for those who are interested in knowing what it takes to lead a university council. Chief Olanipekun; with this latest appointment, is one of the few Nigerians who have rare opportunities of leading two prestigious federal universities and a private institution with a streak of successes, trailing his engagements.

In 2009, the then President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua appointed this legal colossus as Pro-chancellor and chairman of council of Nigeria’s premier university of Ibadan (UI). As soon as he came to Ibadan, miracle began to manifest. He leveraged on his closeness with the then President to get a huge amount of money released for the betterment of UI. With the money, UI opened up its second phase in Ajibode for more infrastructural development and campus expansion. Determined to make the university better than he met it, this legal icon rejected his constitutional sitting allowance, directing the bursary department to use the money as scholarship for students in Law, Computer Science and Medicine. To avoid any scandal, he never indicated interest in any contract, neither did he surreptitiously introduce any contractor to the management of the University.

The point cannot be overstated that he kept spending his own personal money for UI instead of taking from UI. For instance, when in 2011, UI was ravaged by flood, Chief Olanipekun personally donated N10million for the amelioration of the disaster. Again, towards the end of tenure, this Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) built and donated a 400-sitting capacity lecture theatre in Ajibode, called Wole Olanipekun lecture theatre.

No sooner he conclude his tenure in UI than the Anglican Communion, the proprietor of Ajayi Crowther University (ACU) appealed to him to come and replicate his feats at UI in Oyo. In his characteristic benevolence, he took up the chairmanship of the council at ACU and began to deploy his resources and talents to uplift the faith-based University. He personally built and donated the Vice Chancellor’s lodge.

Amazingly, a reliable source informed this writer that when Chief Olanipekun got to ACU, the university was in a poor financial position. It was borrowing money from banks to pay salaries. Shockingly, when a particular bank asked ACU to provide collateral to obtain loans, Chief Olanipekun was said to have offered himself as collateral. Seeing his bank balance, the bank quickly obliged ACU the request. Today, ACU is financially self-sustaining, paying salaries on the 25th of every month.

If indeed, we know what a man can do by what he has done, it is therefore realistic and reasonable to expect that UNILAG will be better, bigger and richer with the coming of Chief Olanipekun. He is certainly going to do far more than what he did in UI and ACU for Akoka because it is his alma mata. He graduated from the university in 1975 with a Bachelor of Law degree. With him, UNILAG will grow and go fast from slowdown to success.

With the benefit of hindsight, let me state with unmistakable exactitude that this great man of legal profession who characteristically carries greatness lightly is coming back to Akoka as council chairman to use his voice for kindness, his ears for compassion, his hands for generosity and his heart for love. He comes with an authority of experience. He is coming to hold aloft the ideals that promote academic excellence. He is bringing illuminative panache.

Without any doubt, when it comes to university governance, structure and administration, Chief Olanipekun is not a fresh sailor at sea. He is a veteran of sort. Clearly, he is a titan in boardroom battles. I am so certain that from the inaugural meeting, the Vice Chancellor, amiable and delectable Prof. FolashadeOgunsola and her management team will be struck by the force of a gentle soul with a mental magnitude that belies gentility. UNILAG Management will feel the imprimatur of his positive vibes as well as the scent of his smile. He is always at peace with elevated arguments, garnished with facts and figures while he hates pettifogging issues with chicanery.

Having interacted with him in the last 15 years when we met in UI, I can boldly assert that Chief Olanipekun, being a first-class lawyer in this country is one council chairman who wages war against deceit, runs races for the truth and he is not among those who hunt money and sell lies. Being a private sector player, he hates lethargy which is commonplace in public service. To him, eternal sameness is anathema to the principle of human progress and social development. He has a reputation for incisive analyses backed by electrifying brain power. His language is robust and non-offensive with an aristocratic finesse. He has respect for knowledge and scholarly enterprise as he is racy, but largely restrained. He will never engage in any deal that will make a mess of the wise, neither does he fall fool gladly.

Indeed, the optics are good for UNILAG. Aside having a solid deep pocket, coupled with network of influence, Chief Olanipekun knows the game and how to cultivate the process. He is a strategic conveyor belt that will deliver the goods and services for Akokites. That is probably the reason he has been appointed. There is no doubting the fact that his appointment is a source of succor for his former school.            

Matter of factly speaking, unlike greedy people who drain from those dying of dearth without giving a hoot, Chief Olanipekun, with his superlative fame, based on his accomplishments, does not see his appointments as an opportunity for personal gains or mercantile interest, rather, he is out to render selfless service pro bono. I can therefore declare that under his watch in UNILAG, rats will squeak as they wont and birds will tweeter in their traditionally known voices.

Everyone has a role to play in saving public university education. The system must not be allowed to collapse. The collapse of public university education is the collapse of the nation. The system requires the like of Chief Olanipekun who believes that what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. But what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. He is one of the happiest people who love to give more and more to noble causes. Interestingly, he gives without expectation of receiving anything in return.

Since UNILAG is his alma mata, should it therefore be any surprise if he goes extra mile to lift the university far higher than he did in UI and ACU? He will certainly live beyond expectation as his wealth of experience has molded him into a titan of propriety in public service. He will make the sacrifice for he believes that any service without sacrifice is a lip service.

• Saanu (08034073427) is on sabbatical at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo.E-mail: sundaysaanu@gmail.com