Friends and associates of a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Adewole, got in touch with me over my piece entitled Who Will Rescue Our University of Ibadan? published on April 11, 2021. They felt strongly that I was not fair to him, particularly on three of the issues I treated. They said that as Vice Chancellor, he had no Chief of Staff and he never moved about in a convoy of cars. They also stressed that there was no frivolous contract awards during his tenure.
A columnist is a commentator on issues of contemporary society, based on facts available to him while writing. That was what I did in the piece under reference. I had no intention to malign anyone or be anyone’s Rottweiler. I am a stakeholder too in that citadel that is now everything but the dream of its founding forefathers.
The University of Ibadan is a collective heritage of all of us, from the deserts of the north to the rims of the southern coast. The duty to make it work is therefore that of all, not minding where anyone may belong in the divides that threaten the sanity of the system. I did that piece with the purest of intentions.
I have promised Prof Adewole’s friends that I am prepared to yield this page to him as soon as he is ready to tell his own story. I will be very fair to him. That is the philosophical foundation of my engagements in the public space through Flickers since about 23 years ago that it debuted. I urge my readers to keep a date with the former Vice Chancellor here.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
We Have Not Had Water Supply In Months ― Abeokuta Residents
In spite of the huge investment in the water sector by the government and international organisations, water scarcity has grown to become a perennial nightmare for residents of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. This report x-rays the lives and experiences of residents in getting clean, potable and affordable water amidst the surge of COVID-19 cases in the state…‘Life is us’ gives ‘Life is us’ gives
Selfies, video calls and Chinese documentaries: The things you’ll meet onboard Lagos-Ibadan train
The Lagos-Ibadan railway was inaugurated recently for a full paid operation by the Nigerian Railway Corporation after about a year of free test-run. Our reporter joined the train to and fro Lagos from Ibadan and tells his experience in this report…‘Life is us’ gives ‘Life is us’ gives