Remembering a public intellectual, By Toyin Falola

On a chilly morning,

the wayfarer misplaced his method

within the journey of life

The troubadour misplaced his voice

which sang of moist goals

Similar to yesterday,

the calabash broke earlier than its proprietor

the calabash by no means returned residence with water

The tree fell earlier than the freshness of its leaves

rain quenched the hearth of survival

similar to yesterday,

your physique kissed the soil

however your spirit stays with us

Though the city provider sang of your demise on January 4, 2023, the scar you left behind continues to be seen in our hearts. What can I say when the calabash that when held the waters of life shattered on the rocks of eternity earlier than my bare eyes? It has been over two years for the reason that wind blew the large tree away, however your legacies nonetheless reside, Ayo. Your legacies are a testomony to the African proverb, “When the solar units, it rises once more in a brand new place.” Your spirit really lives, even after your demise.

Professor Ayodele Olukotun was a distinguished tutorial who left his mark on the nation’s mental and public area. He began from being a union chief at Obafemi Awolowo College, the place he was groomed to turn out to be a flexible activist and public speaker. This was the genesis of his journey as a scholar. The announcement of his passing two years in the past prompted quite a few tributes and reflections about his life and contributions to his subject. Olukotun devoted his life to creating crucial considering expertise whereas sustaining a deep ardour for social justice. His works as a scholar transcended a number of disciplines, together with however not restricted to historical past, politics, and literature.

He exemplified the ideas of social accountability, inspiring a technology of students and activists, and he lived as a trainer and journalist, balancing the confines of the classroom and the newsroom, having lectured at a number of college schools in Nigeria and dealing on the editorial boards of varied main information shops and nationwide dailies. It’s, due to this fact, not an overstatement to claim that Professor Ayo Olukotun is among the many few Nigerian lecturers who’ve successfully related the overall populace to the ropes of academia. He has functioned as a prolific creator, commentator, and observer, offering astute insights into Nigerian politics, financial system, and tradition. His extensively circulated columns in The Punch and different Nigerian media reveal this. As a proponent of social justice, his dedication to democracy was steadfast, and he was unrepentant in his condemnation of tyranny and corruption. He extensively authored works on the participation of the Nigerian navy in politics, the challenges confronted by the labor congress, and the violation of human rights.

One among his most important articles stays “World-class training: Has Nigeria dropped the ball?” On this piece, the place he mentioned the underfunding of Nigerian tertiary establishments and the latest retrogression within the training sector, one would discover his logical reasoning, highlighting the persistent ASUU strike and the Federal Authorities’s nonchalance as main components. Regrettably, Ayo is lifeless now, however the state of affairs stays the identical. He was very keen about politics and, till his departure, was very specific concerning the political unrest within the nation. One of many few the explanation why the federal government refuses to develop is corruption. He even performed a key function within the college students’ protests in opposition to the navy regime of Yakubu Gowon, which testifies to his patriotism and ruggedness as a younger scholar.

One other of his noteworthy publications addressed insecurity in Nigeria, particularly within the South-West area. Ayo described how bandits had infiltrated each geopolitical zone within the nation, starting within the North and lengthening to the West. Bandits have seized management of all highways on this area, abducting residents. He articulated the federal government’s persistent indifference and the shortage of prioritization of residents’ welfare as main components. However how can one maintain a authorities that cares much less about its residents accountable? If needs had been horses, Nigerians would have constructed a paradise on earth. Conversely, we incessantly receive the antithesis of our persistent requests. The federal government’s apathetic stance catalyses people like Sunday Igboho and Nnamdi Kanu to emerge as activists, searching for to information their communities out of the confines imposed by the federal government.

He doubtless addressed each political and social difficulty throughout his lifetime. This attests to his fervour for his folks’s liberation. Earlier than his demise, he wrote concerning the final (2023) normal elections, which he didn’t reside to watch. Nonetheless, a number of of his predictions materialized. He underscored the disillusionment skilled by residents following every electoral cycle. Nigerians constantly transition from one disaster to a different because of a scarcity of leaders dedicated to public service, asserting a persistent disconnect between election outcomes and the efficiency of elected officers. This allegation is correct and has brought about vital detriment to the Nigerian state. He additionally admitted {that a} appreciable deficiency afflicting the nation is political apathy. The populace is more and more detached in direction of elections because of unfulfilled electoral guarantees, and oftentimes, they imagine their votes don’t rely. The 2023 elections had been a testomony to this. The electioneering was removed from free and truthful, as demonstrated by a number of authorized fits following the election.

It’s so unlucky that the political unrest and corruption that Professor Olukotun is so deeply anxious about are nonetheless plaguing the nation two years after his loss of life. To pay tribute to the departed and honor the sacrifices made by our heroes, we have to resolve the elemental causes for Nigeria’s political upheaval by concerted effort. Our society should advance justice and gender inclusivity whereas guaranteeing fairness for marginalized populations and susceptible individuals. The federal government should take accountability to reinforce our establishments whereas selling transparency and preventing the pervasive corruption that hinders our nationwide growth. Professor Ayo Olukotun advocated for these throughout his lifetime, and commemorating him entails constructing a practical nation.

Please be a part of us on the inaugural Professor Olukotun’s memorial lecture at Lead Metropolis College on Tuesday, 18 March, at 10.30 a.m.

Toyin Falola, a professor of Historical past, College Distinguished Educating Professor, and Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair within the Humanities at The College of Texas at Austin, is the Bobapitan of Ibadanland.