17 Nov 2011

The Verdict according to Olusegun Adeniyi. Email, olusegun.adeniyi@thisdaylive.com

When I received an invitation to be a guest speaker at the International Relations Students Association (IRSA) dinner at Ife some weeks back, I did not hesitate before accepting. So last week Friday I was at the campus and for the first time since I left in 1989, I spent the night. As it would happen, I arrived early in the day so I had the privilege of being taken round the campus by my former classmate who stayed behind to teach in the department, Dr. Charles Ukeje. We started our tour at the department and the entire Faculty of Administration. From there we went to the Faculty of Law before arriving at the car park behind the Faculty of Social Sciences which used to host the zoo that is no more. I noticed also that the world headquarters of the Palm Wine Drinkards Club is gone. We walked by what used to be the ‘Old Bukateriat’ where in those days we would ask for the tongue of snake, the leg of snail and the thigh of fish whenever we had no money for meat. The Buka is now history. We were at Awo Hall and then my old room at Fajuyi Hall. We passed by Oduduwa Hall (where the work of Lamidi Fakeye still stands tall for all to see) on our way from the Forks and Fingers restaurant to what now remains of the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library.

In all, what I saw would make anybody who attended Ife in the eighties to weep but I also noticed something which is tragically Nigerian: So many mosques and churches now litter the campus. I do not want anybody to get me wrong as I am also a Christian but is it not curious that the more religious we have become as a nation, the greater the rot in our society? The same is true of the campus. Everywhere you turn, you see iron bars--at the office doors, on the corridors and then at the library. This, I was made to understand, was because there were many break-ins. Evidently the preponderance of churches and mosques has not deterred the activities of student thieves!

I was for most part of the day in a despondent mood but my spirit was lifted at the dinner. The students were still sharp and bright. I was particularly impressed by Miss Joyce Matthias Nkem, a 300 level undergraduate of the department who is also into fashion designing. Not only did she make the beautiful dress she wore at the dinner, she also designed those worn by two other students who proudly identified themselves. Such ingenuity is what Ife has always been known for.

But if the truth must be told, the University which in those days we were all very proud to tout as the most beautiful campus in Africa is a poor shadow of what it was even though it will be 50 next year. The campus surely needs a major facelift in virtually all areas to reclaim the lost glory and shine. In the face of inadequate government support, the university's vast alumni community, at home and abroad, must brace up to rescue it from the rot that is already becoming evident. A number of key areas require urgent attention.

The first is the learning environment. The classrooms have become smaller to accommodate the explosion in student population to the extent that some lectures are now held in odd places such as the sports centre and Oduduwa hall--places that were designed for recreation and entertainment!

The classrooms lack basic facilities that can enhance teaching: poorly made white boards, dilapidated chairs and tables, broken windows, poor air-conditioning systems, lack of modern audio-visual facilities and other teaching aid; epileptic internet connectivity (even though the university claims to be the leading ICT institution in the country).

Although a few new buildings are springing up, a lot more need to be built. Jimoh Ibrahim, I was told, donated the new postgraduate college; another former alumnus took it upon himself to repaint the entire Faculty of Agriculture; Skye Bank rehabilitated some auditorium; First Bank built a new edifice complete with a big auditorium and offices; the Leventis Foundation provided funding to build the impressive natural history museum.

But we must give credit to the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Ladoke Akintola who conceived the university with the foresight to construct time-less structures. 50 years after, those edifices are still solid.

From within, however, there is urgent need for their rehabilitation even when it may not require any fundamental structural work. A good example: toilets have broken down.

Two other areas of urgent need: the university library and the halls of residence.
The main university library, named after its pioneering Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, remains an imposing structure; but only from outside.

The ambience of the reading rooms and interior need a major facelift; the colours, mostly grey and pale white cannot attract enthusiastic readers. It is difficult to spend any length of time in the library- when, each time you have to approach a poorly trained staff to find a book for you because the shelves and books are caged! It is also impossible to spend any length of time because to answer the call of nature, you probably have to tip-toe into a smelly cesspool of water-logged toilets; that is, if they are open. When I visited only one was and I could not imagine entering such place.

Now, even the books have seen the best of times. Although I was told some resources have been committed to buying books they only scratch the surface in terms of what can make the main library the true intellectual temple that it should be.

Everything from chairs, tables, shelves, and of course, old books must go.
We cannot pretend to be engaged in serious scholarship by relying on old editions of books published in the 60s and 70s.
•To be concluded next week.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/arise-o-great-ife-1-/103006/

True, the library has been dilapidated for a while now.

I used to spend hours and hours poring over old books which actually werent academically relevant to me.

Just a hobby of mine to pore over old books so i found the library perfect for that purpose.

Later on i didnt use the place so much because i no longer had that kind of time.

Btw, the zoo is gone?

Eyah, so sad.

If the classrooms are getting too small for the number of students then shouldnt they either build a satellite campus somewhere else, or reduce their admission quota.

How can you hold lectures in the sports centre?

Strange. Dont remember that, really. Although its possible.

tpia@:

True, the library has been dilapidated for a while now.

I used to spend hours and hours poring over old books which actually werent academically relevant to me.

I did exactly the same, although at a different campus. Poring over old books, storing "useless" historical information.

No wonder you are interested in history and often display a decent diversity of knowledge here. 

Omo to ba ma je Ashamu, kekere lo ti n senu shamu shamu.

@topic

Vice chancellors and university administrators need to get creative with fund raising. It is a shame that they ignore the army of alumni networks they possess while focusing only on Abuja for funding.

I know people who graduated from universities abroad 40 years ago but still get regular mail from their US and UK schools asking them to support the school. Universities keep those contacts because their existence depends on it.

But here, everything na Abuja 

^-- Mine tried to hit me up for donations even before I graduated (during my final year)

Agreed, these universities need to be more aggressive about raising funds from alumni.

^

LOL. I know one Phd student who had to "beg" his undergrad school to take him off the phone list until he's done with his PhD, he told them he's still a student afterall.

They don't play with fund raising.

Perhaps a business opportunity for the famous (infamous?) Alpha-Beta company. . .

Hehe

Seriously though, it makes no sense that schools like Ife and Ibadan, with some of the most accomplished graduates in Nigeria should be so financially unsound.

LOL @ alpha-beta

Alpha beta & Bi-Courtney.

Experts at raising funds from careless public coffers. . They can teach our hapless VC's one or two things.

But the BIGGEST fund raisers in Nigeria are Church pastors. VC's need to approach them for training

lmao

Good call on that