It was a gathering of scholars when a political scientist, Prof Ayo Olukotun, celebrated his 65th birthday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. The event highlighted the role of intellectuals as humanists. EVELYN OSAGIE was there.
What is the wealth of a public intellectual dubbed humanist? Money? Fame or tangible assets? Some say the successful application of one’s research to public life is the ‘greatest gain’ of an intellectual.
Decrying the missing interface between research and application, in addition to the widening gap between the academia and society, some critics argued that the intellectual who would find relevance should be public-oriented. Academics, they added, no longer possess the privilege of complacency, of choosing to remain cloistered within the walls of the academy, of engaging only with the members of their disciplines.
These submissions were made at a birthday colloquium in honour of Prof. Ayo Samuel Olukotun, whose intellectual voyage spans the academia and media.
Olukotun, a renowned political scientist and media scholar, is the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance, Political Science Department, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Ogun State.
The event marking his 65th birthday brought together dignitaries from all walks of life to the International Conference Centre of the Lead City University in Ibadan.
Olukotun was dressed in a wine-colour Agbada. His wife, Stella, who is also an academic, by his side.
The event, chaired by Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola, had as keynote speaker a professor of International Relations and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Belgium and European Union, Alaba Ogunsanwo.
They called him a “mentor”, an “enviable academic” and a “fine columnist”, whose works have contributed to the shaping of public policy and discourse in the past three decades. But his wife called him “a great man, “ a loving father”, who has remained her “pillar of strength and inspiration”.
As an academic, he has lectured at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, University of Lagos and Lagos State University. He was a visiting professor of International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He was also a distinguished professor and head, Department of Political Science and Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences at the Lead City University.
Celebrating the “birthday boy” with the one-day roundtable, the chairman, Governing Board of the Lead City University, Prof Jide Owoeye, said the event was a deliberate act meant to call attention to the significant contributions of Olukotun to public discourse, media, academia and the country at large.
His words: “It is good that we are recognising and celebrating one of the great Nigerians who deserve to be celebrated while alive. His contributions to the intellectual growth of our country are indeed worthy of note. We were classmates as Masters Students.”
As a public intellectual, Olukotun, a columnist with the Punch, has been in the vanguard of nationalistic struggles over the last three decades, advocating a Nigeria that works for all classes of the society, it was said.
Using the person of Olukotun as a case study, Ogunsanwo spoke on the theme: The public intellectual as a humanist. Ogunsawo, who was formerly Head of Department at University of Lagos (UNILAG), when Olukotun was a lecturer there, described the celebrator as a seasoned analyst who understands the underlying relationship between governance, democracy institutions and society at large.
He called for synergy among the academia, policymakers and the public, observing that Nigeria’s academia is rich with diverse development-driven researches, which if properly applied, would lead to immense growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
As a journalist, he was the Chair of the Editorial Board of Daily Times; and through his weekly penetrative columns that have appeared in Daily Times, Guardian, Compass and Punch and several other frontline newspapers, Olukotun evokes deep ideas to challenge issues of bad governance in the country, while copiously recommending alternative pathways to national redemption.
While recounting Olukotun’s role in his intellectual voyage, Aregbesola decried the gap between the academia and society. For the governor, who was represented by Director-General, Office of for Economic Development and Partnership (OEDP), Dr Charles Akinola, the “ultimate goal of research should be problem solving and every academic endeavour should fulfil the criteria of relevance and responsibility”. He stated that Olukotun has a way of applying his academic prowess into shaping society, and that he remains a model for emulation by academics in other fields.
He said: “Prof Olukotun has made his mark, without doubt, on the Nigeria social and political landscape. I have been exposed to his intellectual works. I consider it a privilege to have been drinking from his intellectual fountain all these years. It is most regrettable that academics conduct research mostly for promotion and occupation of academic chairs. Yet, there are existential challenges in society that should not just be the focus of research but application as well. Successful application of research should also be considered in the promotion and reward of academics.”
He described Olukotun as a “good friend and dependable ally” who has been part of his struggles and public life. “His is a friendship that I treasure so much. At 65, an academic is like vintage wine, at its best, even if he is approaching formal retirement. But I can assure you that he is nowhere near retirement. As an academic and journalist, he is well decorated and honoured at home and abroad. But his best is yet to come. On behalf of my family, the government and good people of Osun, I most heartily celebrate the distinguished Prof Olukotun and wish him a very happy birthday and many years in the service of God and humanity.”
Akinola recalled the early days of Olukotun as a student unionist. As a former Students Union President in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in the 1970s, Akinola recollected that Olukotun believed in an intellectually-driven unionism and promoted non-violent protest and in seeking redress on issues.
The colloquium also featured as discussants, such as UNILAG Head of Department, Mass Communication, Prof Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika; Vice Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, Dr Tunji Olaopa; Caleb University Vice Chancellor, Prof Diji Aina; and development practitioner and CEO/Principal Consultant, Sustainable Impact Konsult, Mr Bolaji Ogunseye.
The public intellectual as a humanist, Prof Aderemi noted, is “transformative agent who engages the rulers and ruled in a symbiotic way that gives rise to economic growth.
Olukotun as a mentor extraordinaire was further highlighted by the papers presented. As if it was planned, each discussant recounted his fatherly cum mentorship role in growth of their careers – whether as a journalist or a scholar. Ogwezzy-Ndisika recollected how Olukotun was very instrumental for her becoming a professor and columnist, stating: “Prof Olukotun is not only a seasoned intellectual but a father who is committed to the growth of his own. From the very beginning, he has been interested and monitors my progress. From time to time, he calls me up for progress report, while encouraging me to stay focused and not give up”.
On his part, Olaopa praised Olukotun’s contribution to knowledge and national conversation, stating that as “one of the leading lights in this new thrust of public intellectualism in Nigeria, he is a colleague of the pen and public discourse”.
While calling on scholars to borrow a leaf from Olukotun’s example, he urged that they “engage with the general public or policy-makers more frequently, and translate their research into a language that is accessible to audiences that lack familiarity with disciplinary discourses”.
He asserted: “The intellectual must be able to bridge the divide between the gown and the town; a long-standing problem in our clime. That is where the public intellectual becomes relevant. By engaging with the public, academics can strengthen democracy and bolster the position of education within a democratic society.
“Olukotun has shown us that great minds no longer captivate the public as they once did, because the university has become too insular and academic thinking too narrow. His life and commitments to the public good are instructive to us today, even as we gather to celebrate this remarkable scholar.”
According to the Chairman of the Olukotun@65 Organising Committee, Dr. Tunde Oseni, friends, colleagues and mentees of the celebrant put together the event “in honour the man who has shown leadership, strength of conviction and has lived a most purposeful life in the last 65 years’’.
”Indeed, over the last three decades of consistent engagement, he has emerged not just as a dominant name, but as a reliable brand. The event is especially conceived to interrogate the life of the celebrant, his scholarship and his impact on the society at large.”
Prof Toyin Falola, who sent his regards from the University of Texas, US, averred that Olukotun “shows us the value of public trust and intellectual integrity, a wholesome fountain that never runs dry”.
His poem, On Becoming An Elder, in honour of the celebrator, was performed by Evelyn D’Poet at the event.