The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Kayode Adebowale has admitted that the exit of renowned scholars portends danger for the policy and global rating of the Institution.
Prof. Adebowale made this known in his speech at a lecture marking the retirement and 70th birthday anniversary of Professor Mutawakilu Tiamiyu of Data and Information Science Department, University of Ibadan at Trenchard Hall at the weekend.
He noted the retirement of renowned scholars from active service would tell on the policy and the ratings of the institution.
The Vice-Chancellor added that these are the people that have contributed immensely to the growth of the institution, especially its global acceptability.
According to him, ‘it calls for a serious concern how the institution would maintain policy and international prestige it had made over the years, as its competent hands are leaving.
Adebowale, whose message was delivered by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Olusola Ayoola, said, “As you are retiring, and as a result of our experience in administration at the university in the past few years you’ve come on board is that our erudite professors are leaving us one by one and we recognize the fact that whatever the university is able to attain in terms of ranking, international recognition can not divorce by the effort of our erudite professors that are leaving us.
“The fact that we are also at this time struggling with so many things in order to make earn meets, things that will influence the university administration, we only wish for the best and hope for the best. There was a time we were discussing how can we reclaim all the professors. How can we maintain policy and international prestige we have made over the years? This year, we are going to be 75 years and you will agree with me that 75 years in an institution is not a joke.
“A lot of efforts have made and these are the people that have made it and by the time our professors go one by one, it is an invitation of our age for university of Ibadan, first and the oldest and we also have the characteristics of erudite professors leaving us one by one, so we only hope we will be able to get it right. It is becoming very difficult to recruit staff now without the kind of things we use to do in the past when the univeristy does not need any permission from Abuja or elsewhere but it is different these days. We hope that in the next 10 years or more, we will be able to maintain our position among the committees of academics.”
In his keynote address, Tunde Adegbola, said, “We are gathered here to celebrate a great professor, Tiamiyu. A man whose destiny appointed to help the world to formalising development of capacity to manage information society in West Africa origins.”
Dignitaries in attendance are: Head of Department, Data and Information Science, formerly Africa Regional Centre for Information Science, University of Ibadan, Williams Nwagwu, Abdul-Ramon Oloyede, Retired Professors, Olatokunbo Aina and Rotimi Oderinde, Dean, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, Olawale Albert, Iyabo Mabawonku, Rasheed Aderinoye, Akinbule Lukman, Yunus Raji, and a host of others.
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