Whatever has a beginning must surely have an end; such is the story of Mr Isiaka Salawu, as he bowed out of the service of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, after many years of meritorious service.
In order to celebrate his immense contribution to the growth of the school, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, where he started as an assistant lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a chief lecturer, put together a retirement party for him recently at the Assembly Hall of the institution where friends, family and other well-wishers gathered to join in the celebration.
Chairman on the occasion and Rector, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Professor Kazeem Adebiyi, while eulogising Salawu, commended him for his contributions towards the development of the department, the faculty and the institution as a whole in the past years. He prayed for Salawu to live a much better life after long years to The Polytechnic, Ibadan and the Oyo State government.
Former chairman, Academic Staff Union of Polyetchics (ASUP), Polytechnic Ibadan, Babatunde Dosunmu, while congratulating Salawu, said:”Mr Isiaka Salawu is a very honest and dedicated human being who devoted his time to serving humanity. An embodiment of justice and patriotism who hates seeing fellow humans being cheated on, he stood by me during my trying period and had always been committed to the struggles of ASUP. I pray with all my heart that God bestow on him sound health and longevity to enjoy life after many years of active service.”
Also, a former student in the Department of Computer Science, Kolade Tiamiyu, while eulogising Salawu, said:”As you go into this next phase of life, may you be showered with abundant happiness and the very best life has to offer.”
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune during the ceremony, Salawu described himself as the happiest man on earth saying:”There were so many challenges over the years, but God assisted me to overcome all these challenges. And at the end of it all, people consider it worthwhile to celebrate me; this made my joy to be full to the brim.”
Asked about what he would miss about life at The Polytechnic Ibadan, Salawu said:”I will miss my friends, my students and other great people in the school. I so much love my job, teaching is my hubby and I know I will miss that as well.”
Sharing some of his memorable days while in service, he stated that:”Let me start from the good olden days whereby I will get to lecture room, deliver my lectures and at the end of the day when you ask students, who is your favourite lecturer? They will say Mr Salawu. Some of them bring their problems outside academics to me for possible solution.
“I am happy that God has chosen me to mould lives and seeing them in good places after graduation gives me great joy. Five years ago, it was turbulent. If some people could cook up stories that they are doubting whether I am a graduate and all sorts of stories to the extent that I found myself under interrogation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC).
“Thank God for those people there, if only they are just like some other law enforcement agents that will just pick you up and deal with you ruthlessly, it would have been a sad story today.
“But they followed due process; they investigated accordingly only to say they were sorry, telling me that those who wrote the petition were anonymous that if they knew them, they would have appealed to them to desist from such act. I thank God for everything.”
While advising those who are still in active service, Salawu said:”They should be dedicated to their job because when you are in a place, you should ensure that that place continues to grow. Let me also use the opportunity to appreciate the management of The Polytechnic Ibadan, for their presence today, I know they see me as someone who is always ready to contribute his quota to the growth of the school and I want to tell them that I will always be ready to do that even in retirement.”
The high point of the event was the presentation of a chest freezer by Mr Oluyinka Owolabi and Dr (Mrs) Ranti Sangodoyin on behalf of the 1985/1990 graduating set of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
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The PDP spokesman recalled how the opposition party had on various occasions alerted that the APC government had ceded sovereignty over a large portion of our country to terrorists, “many of whom were imported into our country by the APC.”
He further stated: “From the video, in a brazen manner, terrorists as non-state actors boldly showed their faces, boasting, admitting and confirming their participation in the Kuje Prison break, some of whom were former prison inmates who were either jailed or awaiting trial for their previous terrorism act against our country.
“Nigerians can equally recall the confession by the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that the APC government knows the plans and whereabouts of the terrorists but failed to act.
According to Ologunagba, about 18,000 Nigerians have been killed by terrorists between 2020 and 2022 “as the criminals continue to be emboldened by the failures and obvious complicity of the APC and to which the PDP had always drawn attention.”
“This is not politics; this is about humanity and leadership, which leadership sadly and unfortunately is missing in our country at this time,” he said.
The PDP added that it is appalled by “the lame response by the apparently helpless, clueless and deflated Buhari Presidency, wherein it told an agonizing nation that President Buhari “has done all and even more than what was expected of him as Commander in Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military…”
“This is a direct admission of incapacity and failure by the Buhari Presidency and the APC. At such a time, in other climes, the President directly leads the charge and takes drastic measures to rescue and protect his citizens.
“In time of adversity, the President transmutes into Consoler-in-Chief to give hope and succour to the citizens. Painfully, Nigeria does not have a President who cares and can stand as Consoler-in-Chief to the citizens.
“It has now become very imperative for Nigerians to take note and realize that the only solution to this unfortunate situation is to hold the APC government accountable. We must come together as a people, irrespective of our political, ethnic and religious affiliations to resist the fascist-leaning tendencies of the APC administration.
Ologunagba called for an urgent meeting of the National Council of State to advise on the way to go over the nation’s worsening insecurity.
“Our nation must not fall. The resilient Nigerian spirit and ‘can-do- attitude’ must be rekindled by all to prevail on the President to immediately and without further delay, accede to the demand by the PDP and other well-meaning Nigerians to convene a special session of the National Council of State to find a lasting solution since the President has, in his own admission, come to his wit’s end,” the PDP spokesman declared.
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