"Oyinbo" Teachers

by Deji Yesufu

One of my most memorable experience in life was working with a man called Mr. Akinlade. We both taught Physics A-levels at Educational Advancement Center between 2008 and 2010. One day Mr. Akinlade told us younger teachers under him about the "Oyinbo" teachers (white lecturers) that once existed at the University of Ibadan. He spoke of how these set of people brought excellence to the teaching profession and imparted their students with knowledge.

Those were the days that tertiary education was really universal education. Mr. Akinlade then noted that all of these Oyinbo teachers left Nigeria one after the other, especially with the coming of the military. Then he said that even the generation that the Oyinbos taught have all retired now. So all that is left in the highest and arguably the best tertiary institution in this country is a third generation, many of whom were not taught by these Oyinbo people.

I'll enumerate two instances here and I will draw a conclusion.

In the book she co-authored with her father, Gift of Sequin, Prof. Olayinka Omigbodun wrote of a Prof gentleman whom God sent to her family as Angel, especially after the death of their father, Victor Banjo, and their mother was finding it difficult to raise the children alone.

This man came to Nigeria to set up an institute of technology (I think). Their mother was his secretary. One day he learnt of her financial challenge and from that time on, even after leaving Nigeria, he gave that widow a monthly support - this was beside her salary, which was paltry anyway.

This man, Prof wrote, will fly economy when he is going on official business from the office. But when going on vacation with his wife, he will fly first class. Since reading that story, I have never been able to recover from it. The story never said he was a Christian.

There is another story of a man of God who worked in UI and was closely associated with the Chapel of the Resurrection. Tony Wilmot. I read in Ayodeji Abodunde's book, Heritage of Faith, of how this man invested himself in the young students then; teaching them the Bible, besides his official work at the school. One of his students is a lady, now retired, I work with at the Chapel.

There are endless stories of these Oyinbo teachers. Since they left, it seem to me that many of their students have simply refused to live and teach in whole the principles these teachers lived by.

Today, I have the privilege of being taught by an Oyinbo teacher in my theological training. His name is Pastor Nick Kenniccot. One day, with his permission, I will publish a story on him and talk about life being his student.

I had the rare privilege of being taught by him in our second year live class at Egbe. Each lesson was like drinking in the water of life.

Let me state a disclaimer here: Pastor Nick is not the author of my madness. He never discusses my writings on Facebook with me. He teaches theology and from stories on his personal life, he lives the gospel.

Perhaps these Oyinbos should return and colonize us again; perhaps not. One thing that is sure though, we Nigerians must get our acts together.

We must live life right and fix this nation. The Oyinbos did not teach us most of the rubbish most of us are living out now.

Source: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1524802997595905&id=1505609702848568

CC: Seun, Lalasticlala, Mynd44