Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife will witness a new era as the university's governing-council ushers in new VC on 23th June, 2011. It was reported on the university website that Professor M.O. Faborode, OAU's 9th Vice-Chancellor will today hand over the baton of leadership to the new VC, Professor Idowu Bamitale Omole.
[attachimg=1 align=left] Professor M.O. Faborode has been the VC of the great citadel of knowledge for the past 5 years. In his recent press release, the outgoing VC disclosed his achievements.
EXCERPTS:
How would appraise your tenure in terms of achievements recorded in the past five years?
I have come to find it interesting now that we have come this far to be talking of what we have been able to do. I will like to categorize the achievement into three broad areas of appraisal.
What we see readily are the physical structures or physical development of the campus. In terms of that, there is no doubt that the campus environment has been greatly transformed. New structures, new edifices, new facilities have been added to existing ones we met when we came on board. More importantly, the spectre of abandoned projects has been banished. When I came in, the campus was littered with abandoned projects since early 80s. One by one, we have been able to dispatch most of them.
The general atmosphere on campus in terms of general maintenance, cleanliness, in terms of maintaining the master plan is such that anybody who had been here before and comes back now would be very proud that, at least, we are leaving it better than when we met it. The second aspect has to do with achieving peace. Before we came in, the school was closed every now and then. All together we have lost 3 to 4 academic sessions. A four-year programme would usually be completed in 7 or 8 years. Right now, that has virtually become a thing of the past. Until a few weeks ago, we had been sustaining that. Now that is very significant because stability is a measure of integrity of any university. There can be no progress in any system that is not stable.
So my first year in office was devoted to studying critically the nature of instability so as to begin to device ways out. A stable environment brought in a lot of confidence in the public, in students themselves, in the alumni and of course both in the national stakeholders and international community. We were able to rake in a good flow of funding for research and university development both from within and outside the country. We were able to get resources from those who now believed in the university especially the alumni who renewed their nostalgia for the university. They became that passionate and came up with series of goodwill, donations, funding and resources. All these also translated to physical development of the university. So achieving that peace is very important.
The other dimension of this is the considerable degree of re-orientation of students' populace to believe in themselves as part of stakeholders in term of progress of the university not in term of causing problem. Not in terms of trying to agitate but the fact that they now believe that they have to be part and parcel of the progress of the university, so they organized themselves properly. They have credible election without much wrangling and where there were few cases, electoral committee of the students union handled it and so we are very proud that OAU on itself could be a beacon of hope in terms of organizing free and fair election. So the first President from that exercise just graduated last year. The second one also graduated after that year. They almost made a first class. So these are credible achievements that inform further achievements in the campus.
The third and for me the most important emblem of this tenure is the systematic structural and systemic re-organization of the functions of the university so that the university can be governed along stable and credible structure and processes that guarantee continuity. My belief is that we should build institutions rather than personality. When you build institution, processes and system, then you are designing for stability, sustainability, continuity because good structures and good processes would continue. It is when you just depend only on personality and when the personality leaves, you cannot guarantee what could happen. So I am very confident about the sustainability of the OAU progress about the continuity of the enterprise, about how what we have done is going to remain. It is because we have established a very credible system and that will make the system to survive.
And what we have done was that we tried to separate the university investment's efforts from the academic conduct because the university investment projects must not be allowed to interfere with the basic functions of the university i.e the academic, the teaching, the research and the community service functions, even though on the long-run, they can benefit either way. You know it is a mutual effort, the viable and good investment efforts will aid academics because it will bring resources and it will also challenge the academics to use their knowledge profitably but they must be properly separated so that one will not interfere with the other.
To Be Continued...
What are challenges that you faced while making these changes and how were you been able to make headway because there would be opposition to changes?
In bringing change, you must understand the price on the builders and other stakeholders. Sometimes, it calls for some degree of firmness to really ensure that you deter people who do not want change or who want to oppose the process you are making not to have their way, otherwise the success you have attained may be a mirage.
So it is a duty of any manager who wants to implement change to press hard on goal of success because that is the only way you can demonstrate that change has positive consequence. You cannot argue it out that it is the people that did not allow you to perform. They will say what is your problem? But if, in spite of all challenges, obstacle and problems, you have success, have good governance, physical success, good system, then everybody will begin to say that perhaps you would have achieved more if they had given you all the support and condition. So there are obstacles, problems, there are challenges but from day one, I knew that one must not allow such things to deter you in the course of progress that you want to embark upon; otherwise people will deny that they are the cause of your failure. But when you succeed, everybody will say they are part and parcel of your success.
Can you count one or two things you are not able to do before the expiration of your five year tenure?
I was not under any illusion that I will be able to do all that I have in mind to do. Don't forget that I came in with some sets of ideas and plans of action. But when I came, I made some adjustments based on the level of resources available because along the line, I discovered that the priority must change. But when you look at it from the balance, what I can say is that we have even surpassed our initial expectations. A number of structures were actually executed by this administration that we never had the plan to do. For instance, the Natural History Museum was not part of the things we desired to do. The new post graduate building, I never thought I was going to do such a thing. Skye Bank is building an ICT building; I didn't say I was going to do that. Even the First Bank lecture theatre constructed was not part of the initial plans. So a number of things have come along that we did not plan for but by doing some other things, we were able to raise more resources than we expected. We were able to do more than what we could.
If I would say there is something I wanted to do that I have not done it is the ETF (Education Trust Fund) project. Essentially, sometimes last year, we got the ETF projects and the mandate was that we must submit our proposals immediately and by mid November last year, the project would commence. Now, we have not started because the processes of getting ETF funding is more cumbersome than what we imagined. But we are almost there, the project is there and will continue. I am sure that whoever is coming would allow those projects because they were planned by committee that was all-embracing, totally inclusive of all sectors of the university. So the priorities were set by everybody. It was an agenda that if whoever is coming is an internal candidate, he or she is part of the system, so I am sure they are going to continue with it.
One thing we have started which I know that is not a project of one or two days is the Science and Technology Park of the university which has been on the drawing board. This is the component being handled by a combination of alumni and industry practitioners who have more drive to get things going than the traditional university bureaucracy would allow. Again we have seen that through a partnership with the industry, alumni, we can move things fast. We can get better results than just rely only on our own ideas in the university because there are other contending issues. The "Knowledge Park" which is a community project will benefit the youths, Ife community, the people of Osun State and indeed, all the students in the Southwest especially Nigeria because we are expecting the beginning of what is going to transform the economy to productive economy where the brains of the youths will be harnessed, where their intellects would be challenged and their creativity will come to the fore.
Do you think five year single tenure is enough for anybody to make any meaningful achievements as VC in Nigerian university, would you seek for elongation of period?
The new system evolves from the realization of the challenges that is inherent in the old system. Succession was always a problem especially when the incumbent is involved. I think the advice was that to do one term so that there would be no trouble in trying to remain in office. To that extent, I have always believed that one term should be okay. But there are those who feel that five years is too short. Our colleagues from other universities like Ghana and others when we met during the university leadership forum held at South Africa expressed misgiving that this short tenure of Nigerian system is not good and will not allow the system to grow.
I think with the benefit of the experience of my five years term and what we have been able to do, I can confirm that five years is enough and adequate tenure for you to make any impact that you want to make. It is better to leave when the ovation is loudest. I think when you begin to go beyond the tenure of five years, the struggle of succession is always bloody; I think from what we have been able to do we have established that with five year tenure, there can be good services in the post of VCship more than people have seen before. People have been trying to ensure that they have something credible after they had left. I for one, I would not want to do anything beyond five years single tenure.
Assuming you are appointed again to serve in another institution as VC, would you offer yourself?
Maybe you are not aware that there are others that did not take up such appointments. There are others who were nominated but who rejected the offer. It is not as if one is leaving to take another appointment. Now when any such appointment is made, one has to consider a number of things. If it is taken as a challenge or on a rescue call or mission because they know that you will do it well, somebody might consider it. For me, personally it is not something I look forward to. I believe I should continue with my academic callings.
What is your advice for the incoming VC?
He has to be liberal-minded. He must have a large heart and be very respecting and determined. Don't rush into evaluation. Don't rush into conclusion, Don't rush into judgment. He must try to be inclusive and bring everybody along; he must consult widely in taking decision and believe in those that you have chosen to work for you. He must have a cabinet that is united and working towards fulfilling the vision and mission of the university. These are the general parameters.
How would describe the job of a VC and what has the position taken away from you?
It is the job that takes your totality; a job that you devote your life to if you really want to achieve. It is not the job for the weak. The other aspect is that it is a job for the entire family. You must share the joys and pains with them. The family must be able to assist you because there is emotional stress. The physical aspect is that when you travel away from your family, you are not close to your family. And when there are challenges, you must not be alone in the thinking, working out the solution. Of course, the VC's lodge is a public place; people would be coming out in and go out and your family has to understand this.
You must tolerate everybody that comes because their belief is that you have solution to their problems. It is a job that keeps you completely out of your own life if I may say that. During the last convocation ceremony, I have to thank my family because both the assets and liabilities of the tenure are shared. Like I said, the liability of this tenure is more than the assets because children would always complain that they cannot do this or that. I say to them that this is the price you have to pay for being the son or daughter of VC. They cannot just do anything like others. You just must be a good ambassador of the family. You must radiate the best in terms of discipline, commitment in whatever you are doing. My children, three of them were in the university while I was VC and so it was very difficult for them. It was a very trying moment for them particularly, when we have little challenges.
I think at the end of the day, we give all glory to God. It is a very fascinating job, very challenging. It takes a lot from you. As far as Vice Chancellorship is concerned, if you succeed in Ife, you will succeed anywhere in the world. At this time we can say we have done something and that the tenure has not been all problems. There is more on the positive side that one can look back and say that I have made a contribution to my Alma matter.
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (http://www.oauife.edu.ng/news/page.php?id=74)