Retirement is supposed to be a time of
rest amid pleasure but seems to be a
curse for Prof Theo Vincent, a former
Vice Chancellor, University of Port
Harcourt and lecturer for 37 years who
is now dwelling in a Lagos slum.
ANAYO ONUKWUGHA, Port Harcourt,
AGBO-PAUL AUGUSTINE, Abuja and
George Okojie, Lagos report on the sad
journey of the Rivers State-born
Professor of English Language.
Not a few Nigerians will find it amusing
knowing that a respected professor
and administrator who served Nigeria
for 37 years as a university lecturer
and briefly as Vice Chancellor of
University of Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, is wallowing in abject poverty.
The misery of Prof Theo Vincent, a
professor of English language, is made
worse with his current blind status and
lack of cash which has forced the
former English lecturer of the
University of Lagos to have his abode
in a ghetto, notorious for vices, after
he was allegedly ejected from his
comfortable accommodation for
inability to pay his rent. He lives in a
dilapidated structure in Illaje, Bariga,
Lagos.
How did he get to that miserable point
that is not only embarrassing to the
academic world but the whole country,
considering the fact that the erudite
professor was once the chief executive
of the same university that produced
Nigeria’s former President, Dr Goodluck
Jonathan?
Prof Vincent is said to be living with
his wife and a few belongings
including his books. The professor is
also said to be arguably one of
Nigeria’s finest in poetry tutoring
hundreds of students who some are
well established in the educational
sector today.
Vincent, an indigene of Gokana local
government area of Rivers State held
sway as the Vice Chancellor of the
University of Port Harcourt between
1997 and 2000.
He was drafted from the Department of
English, the University of Lagos, by the
then Head of State, the late General
Sani Abacha to head the institution,
after the expiration of the tenure of the
then acting vice chancellor, Prof Nimi
Dimkpa Briggs.
Visits to the Delta (Choba/Aluu) and
Abuja (Alakahia) campuses of the
University of Port Harcourt, showed
evidences of the legacies left behind by
Prof Vincent in all nooks and crannies
of the school.
A senior non-academic staff of the
university, who spoke with
LEADERSHIP Weekend on the condition
of anonymity, said over 75 per cent of
the development of the Abuja campus
was achieved during the tenure of Prof
Vincent.
The campus Abuja boasts of the
Senate building, the libraries and
convocation arena, lecture halls as well
as the state-of-the-art mini stadium,
where most of the sporting events for
the 2004 NUGA Games took place.
The non-academic staff said, Prof
Vincent, who retired from the
University of Lagos in 2004, was
appointed as the vice-chancellor of the
University of Port Harcourt, at a time
the institution was struggling to
overcome a severe leadership crisis
and other challenges that threatened
its existence.
While he was on the driver’s seat in the
University, he distinguished himself as
a scholar and administrator whose
penchant for excellence and
abhorrence for indiscipline helped to
restore sanity to the institution.
Recently, there were reports in the
media that the once celebrated scholar
and writer is now facing hard times
and abandonment. It was reported that
the Ogoni-born professor of English is
now living on the ground floor of a
dilapidated two-storey residential
building in Ilaje quarters in the Bariga
area of Lagos.
A lecturer in the university, who spoke
on the condition of anonymity, said the
authorities of the institution cannot do
anything for Prof Vincent even if they
had known about his present
predicament considering the fact that
he retired as an academic staff of the
University of Lagos.
The lecturer said, “I don’t think UniPort
would have done anything to help
Professor Vincent. Although, he served
as the vice chancellor here some years
ago, the federal government brought
him from the University of Lagos. If
you ask me, I think it is the Federal
Ministry of Education, and the
University of Lagos that should help
him out.”
When contacted, the public relations
officer of the University of Port
Harcourt, Dr Williams Wodi, said
Vincent was not a staff of the
University and therefore, the institution
should not be expected to assist him.
Wodi said, “You called me asking if we
have plans to assist Professor Vincent;
I have not seen Professor Vincent in
recent times. Have you called the
University of Lagos? He retired from
the University of Lagos; so, you should
call them, please.”
After leaving the service of the
University of Port Harcourt, reports
have it Prof Vincent played a critical
role in the founding of Nigeria’s most
prestigious literary award, the Nigeria
Prize for Literature — sponsored by the
Nigeria Liquefied and Natural Gas
Company.
His pathetic state has marvelled many
in the academic sector who expressed
worries that the situation is most
embarrassing for the country.
“Something is wrong somewhere. As a
former VC and senior lecturer for 37
years, there should something for him
as emolument or pension for him – a
whole professor and a senior person in
that state?” Prof Bassey Ubom, who
chaired the Welfare and Commitment
Committee of the Academic Staff Union
of Universities (ASUU) for 11 years,
lamented.
Others were surprised to know when
LEADERSHIP Weekend contacted them
for reaction. Dr Theophilus Lagi, ASUU
chairman, Nasarawa State University,
Keffi, expressed shock at the news of
the state of the respected academician
in dire need of help.
“I am totally surprised at this news but
I need to do some findings to ascertain
the true position of his state,” he told
LEADERSHIP Weekend.
Similarly, some officials at ASUU, Abuja
Zone who also claimed ignorance of
the condition of their former colleague
told LEADERSHIP Weekend that they
need time to investigate the matter.
Reacting to the matter, a gerontologist
and behaviour specialist, Dr Ottih
Nwaka, said Prof Theo Vincent’s
situation is the reason why social
workers in Nigeria have been
advocating for the establishment of the
department of social services and a
division of home and community
services in the country.
He said, it will provide assistance and
support to the aged, the blind or the
disabled (ABD), children with mental of
physical disabilities and highly
vulnerable persons in the country.
“In Nebraska where I practiced,
assistance to the aged, the blind or the
disabled (AABD) was established by
the Nebraska Legislature in 1965. The
AABD programme was established to
provide financial aid and medical
assistance to persons in need from 65
years and above, or who are aged 64
or younger and blind or disabled
according to social security
programme definitions.
“Prof Vincent is too qualified for any
kind of services because to be eligible
for a cash payment, an individual or
married couple must have monthly
income and countable resources less
than the programme’s need and
payment standards. If determined
eligible for a cash payment, the
individual is also eligible for medical
coverage,” he said.
Nwaka urged the federal government
and the academia not to neglect Prof
Vincent whose condition is fast gaining
attention in the media. He added that
social services help to reduce
dependency, neglect and abuse. “This
is exactly what we are asking our
government to do for our people,” he
added.
Efforts by LEADERSHIP Weekend to get
reaction from the country
representative of the International
Federation on Ageing Nigerians (IFAN)
was not successful as our
correspondent was told that he was
engaged in a meeting as at press time.
IFAN is said to be a strong advocate
for the rights and privileges of older
persons in Nigeria.


http://leadership.ng/features/460535/ex-university-vc-blind-poor-lives-in-lagos-slum

hmmm

Ki

The labour of our heroes past, shall never be in vain.

This is so disheartening