The nature of this material
World is that any small favour committed towards the end gets magnified, all good
done in the past are quickly forgotten - Sodiq Oyeleke, 2016.
Sometimes, individuals
exist in different generations, geographical zone and even have variant cultures
or religions. Regardless of that, they may be didactically connected - That’s exactly
what correlates between Adolf Hiltler, Alfred Nobel, Prof. Bamitale Omole and
Professor Rahmon Bello. Prof. Bamitale Omole is the outgoing Vice Chancellor of Obafemi
Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife while Prof. Rahmon Bello is the current VC of
the prestigious University of Lagos.
Whenever a mentor, Waheed
Bakare (the Saturday Editor of New Telegraph), wanted to admonish me not to
relent in good deeds, he was quick to narrate the oddities in the stories of Adolf
Hitler and Alfred Nobel, as summarised below for the UNILAG VC and the entirety
of UNILAG Muslim Community to reflect on.
Everything about Adolf
Hitler was not negativity. Some of the good things Hitler did was that: he
brought Germany out of great economic depression; brought food to the table of
Germans who had resorted to eating grass to conquer hunger; reduced the unemployment
rate; and made Germans rode an affordable car referred with his “People’s
Wagon”. Despite all these, his last action, especially during World War II, is
what he is remembered for. His positives were overshadowed by the death of no
fewer than 5.5 million Jews, and 29 million soldiers and civilians that were discriminately
regarded as “sub-human” by Hilter and his supporters as a result of Hitler’s
predatory incursion into many countries in Europe and Africa.
On the contrary, 85%
of people in the world remember Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer,
innovator and armaments’ for his kind gesture of funding the prestigious Nobel
prizes, which reward academic excellence and eminence in Physics, Chemistry,
Medical Science or Physiology, Literature and an individual or society that
promotes peace, forgetting the initial source of his income. Just few people
remember that Nobel became stupendously rich selling armaments including
dynamite, an explosive, used in blasting rocks and sadly in killing human
beings during wars. He was called “the merchant of death.” Each time human
blood was shed; Nobel continued to laugh all the way to the bank. However, Nobel
took a U-turn after a French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary in
place of his brother, Ludvig’s. “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding
ways to kill more people faster than before, died yesterday,” the newspaper
reported.
Though, the stories of
Hitler and Nobel were narrations, the ‘dishonourable' exit accorded to the
outgoing VC of OAU, Ile-Ife, Prof. Bamitale Omole, ‘is’ witnessed. As the VC, Omole
embarked on some worthy projects when he initially resumed office and
maintained good relationship with workers and students, in fact he reinstated
the Students' Union that was suspended before his emergence. But unfortunately,
many staff and students of OAU have forgotten all the good projects and actions
of Prof. Omole. About a year to the
completion of his tenure, some workers felt dissatisfied over non-payment of
their allowances; students felt disgruntled over frequent suspension of their
colleagues and declaration of 'mid-semester break' because they protested over
poor infrastructures; traders wanted him to go hurriedly; Alumni body complained
they didn't get the Alumni fee paid by graduates during convocations early. As
Prof. Omole gets closer to the end of his tenure, his fear suspiciously
increases daily. No wonder, about 20 days to the expiration of office, Omole
ordered that his picture and name be hanged on the roll of honour.
The day he
was to be celebrated with a book launch on the university
campus; a massive protest held to disrupt the programme which Governor Olusegun
Mimiko and Ooni of Ife were expected to attend. Both Prof. Omole and Prof.
Bello (as a former leader of UNILAG Muslim Community) are clerics but of
different faiths.
Rightly or wrongly, during
the tenure of Prof. Bello of UNILAG, Muslim students are going through a lot of
hardship. A ten-minute vox pox would reveal to you the kind of legacy that
Prof. Bello will be leaving in the mind of students, especially Muslims. How will
one narrate, without tears, that when a Muslim was the VC of a great University,
many Muslim students hope was almost dashed; that new Muslim students were
locked out of the Mosque to pass the night at the Mosque's ablution centre
pending when they could get bed spaces; that some new Muslim students had to
cooperate with Christians to pass the night in the church and the ‘socialites’
among them at clubs/bars; a situation that began when the Muslim VC approved a
directive that the activities of the Muslim Students’ association should be
suspended ‘to ensure a sense of belonging and make the Muslim Community a
superior body ahead of alleged external influence’?
Apart from the freshers, the hope of many
stalites who were being catered for by MSSN-UNILAG was dashed. Muslim students
of UNILAG, who were once a pride, have suddenly turned to ‘beggars’ in the name
of survival. In fact, some of them still have to pay about N15, 000 for Itikaf that
they have always got as a freebie
Whether you like it or
not, every organisation and persons will remember you for your last actions and legacies
towards them. No matter how many ceremonies are organised by members of the
Senate to celebrate Prof Bello’s exit, members of his primary constituency (especially
Muslim students) are in the most suitable position to celebrate him. They should be the best marketers of the VC's legacies. But what
do you think Muslim students in UNILAG will remember Prof. Bello for when his
tenure expires?
Without paying
attention to illusions, reason that one day a Christian VC may also approve the
suspension of activities of the Muslim Community. If that happens, remember Prof.
Bello laid the legacy/precedence when in power. Don't forget that no Christian
VC has ever done this to student organisations propagating his/her faith. It's
advisable to return to the status quo pending the time that a better way forward
or means to achieve the supposed goal of the University authority and that of
the Muslim Community.
Prof Bello and members
of the Muslim Community may also want to remember that they may not have
successors at the long run, if the current crisis is allowed to go beyond
control and not resolved urgently. A situation where one Dr. Musa keeps visiting
OAU to understudy their model won’t help, as the school (OAU) currently has two
Amirs of two MSS. One is formally recognised
by the Muslim Community, MSSN-Osun Area Unit and school management, while the
other usually being met by Dr. Musa rules the halls or residence mosques with
no formal recognition.
Before Ramadan ends, beyond
the story of Adolf Hiltler, Alfred Nobel and OAU VC, if Allah wishes to take your
souls, Prof. Bello and members of the Muslim Community may want to consider
answering these questions before Allah: How did you meet Islam, what was your
contribution to Islam and how did you leave Islam (as a Muslim on UNILAG Campus)?
#IamthatSON/SDK/
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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