By Niyi Akinnaso
It is very difficult for me to say goodbye to Oyewusi Ibidapo Obe just as he entered his first year of retirement. His sudden departure left everyone in shock, especially his family; his friends; the communities of the various universities as well as many industries, organizations, and professional bodies he served meritoriously at various times.
By the time he bowed out on Sunday, January 3, 2021, Ibidapo-Obe had worn many hats and warmed many hearts. At least five of the hats stood out. First and foremost, he was an outstanding academic (as student, scholar, researcher, teacher and mentor). He was in flying colours from his first day at the University of Lagos, where he earned his first degree in Mathematics, suma cum laude, by bagging First Class Honours.
He continued the streak during his postgraduate training at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he earned a Masters degree in Mathematics, with a minor on Computer Science, and a doctorate degree in Civil Engineering, specialising in Applied Mechanics/Systems. He published widely in learned journals and moved very quickly up the academic ladder, becoming a full Professor within seven years of earning his Ph.D.
Although his formal academic training climaxed at the University of Waterloo, Ibidapo-Obe continued to rejuvenate his intellect and administrative capacity with new knowledge. At various times, he attended workshops, roundtables, and conferences in elite universities in Europe and the United States, including Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Harvard University.
Second, he methodically prepared himself as an academic administrator by steadily climbing the administrative ladder as Head of Department, Dean of Faculty, Deputy Vice Chancellor, and Vice Chancellor, all at the University of Lagos. His administrative feat did not go unnoticed. He was again appointed by the Federal Government to be the pioneer Vice Chancellor of the Federal University at Ndufu Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State.
He extended the frontiers of academic and administrative excellence with the presidency of the Nigerian Academy of Science and the fellowships of the Academy of Engineering as well as the Nigerian Computer and Mathematical Association of Nigeria. He was also elected Fellow of the African Academy of Science and the World Academy of Science. He was also the Vice President of the Network of African Science Academies.
Third, Ibidapo-Obe was an industrialist, although he never owned an industrial enterprise. Nevertheless, he sat on various Company Boards, including Zenith Bank and Ikeja Hotels, PLC, which gave him the opportunity to participate in the construction of the Sheraton Hotels in the country. Incidentally, Ibidapo-Obe’s foray into the industry was rooted partly in his early tint as a worker in British Petroleum and in his appointment by the management of the University of Lagos as the pioneer Managing Director of the UNILAG Consult, the university’s consulting firm. By his own admission, “That also brought some excitement about my interaction with the Private Sector. Some of my best friends, who are now directors and chairmen of banks and other organisations, I met them while doing that”.
What was remarkable about Ibidapo-Obe was his unparalleled ability to promote an effective linkage between town and gown, by bringing the industry to the university and vice versa. This also allowed him to uplift the image of the university like never before.
Fourth, in the course of forging a link between the university and various companies and industries, Ibidapo-Obe became a prominent socialite, especially in Lagos. As he moved from one social gathering to another, he earned the nickname of the People’s VC, while he was the VC of the University of Lagos.
However, he did not suddenly become a socialite. He had been so all his life. Indeed, he met his wife, Sola, at a party. And, as fate would have it, his last major public outing was also a party he attended, barely a week before he died. It remains unclear whether or not he contracted the coronavirus at that party.
Fifth, Ibidapo-Obe was an excellent family man. He loved and was dearly loved by his wife, four children, and many grandchildren. Open and liberal as he was, he was a strict disciplinarian at home. At the end of the day, however, his family was the better for it.
Ibidapo-Obe was passionate, honest, and forthright about his work and thoughts. I once had a prolonged argument about the idea of federal character, quota system, and zoning, all of which which he vehemently opposed. “Oye”, I said to him, “how do you want to accommodate the multiplicity of nationalities, ethnicities, and religious orientations in the country”? “Egbon”, he responded, “I don’t care. Meritocracy should be the rule”.
The debate ended when I told him I was not opposed to meritocracy but that it could be applied even within a quota system, that is, within the region, nationality, or ethnicity to which a position was zoned. We both agreed that certain positions, such as Service Chiefs, should be shared across the country, rather than be concentrated in one region.
Ibidapo-Obe surely left indelible legacies. The world will forever have a share of his intellect, which survives in over 150 publications and the numerous students he mentored in nearly 50 years of academic engagement. He also provided a comprehensive account of his service as Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (2000-2007) in a 483-page book, From Excellence to Distinction: The University of Lagos on World Intellectual Map, published by Safari Books).
I reviewed the book when it was launched and I was looking forward to also reviewing his stewardship at the Federal University in Ebonyi State and his chairmanship of the Technical University in Ibadan. He had informed me about the book midway or so into its writing and advised me to get ready to review it. The book’s working title at that time was The University of the Future. I don’t know whether he completed the book. I do hope, however, that whatever he wrote so far would be published.
Ever since I knew Oye in the 1960s, he always bubbled with life, bouncing all over the place. His sudden departure due to complications of COVID-19 is yet another lesson to the elite, like every other Nigerian, that immunity against the virus has yet to appear. It still can shoot down anybody. However, it cannot take Oye’s memory and legacies from us.
