Professor Dele Layiwola is contesting for the post of the Vice Chancellor of the university of Ibadan. He is the most senior out of all the Professors in the contest. He is the most experience of them all. He is from Oke Ogun. If the Ibadan people are promoting their own, let us also promote ours. Their cleche now is that an Ibadan indigen has never been a Vice Chancellor of U.I
The question is, has an Oke-Ogun man ever been Gov of Oyo State? Are the Ibadan people ready to concede ? Must they always take everything? Oke Ogun is not an inferior stakeholder in the Oyo state project.
Prof Layiwola hails from Iseyin. His father, Pa Layiwola was one of the pioneer Local Government Chairmen when Iseyin local government was newly created. Pa Layiwola’s track record speaks volume of quality governance of that age. Prof Dele Layiwola is an epitome of intellectual honesty and rectitude. While many academics today are desecrating the values and standard known with the ivory towers, Dele Layiwola stands out of the crowd. His track record speaks for him till date.
As the Director of the Institute of African Studies, Prof Layiwola gave the Institute a physical facelift after decades of neglect. He also enriched the curriculum of the Institute by introducing new courses such as Peace and Conflict Studies, Media Studies and Transformation Studies among others.
Prof Dele Layiwola’s modesty is legendary.
At the first time he was to become the Director of the Institute of African Studies, another Prof who is senior to him and had few years in service, also had interest in that post. Dele Layiwola stepped down from the contest, to allow the senior Professor have a taste of the post before his retirement. Prof Dele Layiwola later become a Director of the Institute.
In 2005, the University Search Committee included Prof Dele Layiwola’s name in the list of qualified candidates for the post of Vice Chancellor in U.I . Dele Layiwola turned down the offer of contesting against senior Professors who showed interest at that time, some of whom he said were old enough to be his teachers.
Today, Professor Dele Layiwola is the most senior, most qualified and most experience of all the contestants. You may not have a vote, but kindly lend your voice to the emergence of Dele Layiwola as the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. Your voice can go farther than you thought.
Dr. Lateef Adeleke