By Rose Onda
One wouldn’t have bothered to dignify the tantrums thrown by a faceless group of persons whose sole agenda is to distract Professor Olayemi Akinwumi VC Federal University Lokoja from the good work he was appointed to do by responding to their very uncoordinated, unintelligent attempt to pollute the atmosphere with their toxic ,myopic attacks against the person and character of the Professor,but for the need to set the records straight and forestall the possibility of the undiscerning to unknowingly buy into this orchestrated fight back from a group of disgruntled,wounded elements who have found it hard to come to terms with the reality that someone aside from their stock is occupying the exalted seat of Vice Chancellorship and doing so admirably well.
So much has been written to get the public to know the real Professor Akinwumi,his academic prowess, antecedents, character as opposed to the Imaginary “Prof Olayemi Akinwumi” who exists only in the imaginations of these miscreants who are not only opposed to the positive change the vice Chancellor and his team has brought to bear on the University within a very short time, but set in their evil determinate counsel to pull down this extremely humble, decent and hardworking young man at the helm of affairs of Federal University Lokoja.
Having previously failed in their attempts to cast aspersion on his suitability and qualification for the office of Vice-Chancellor , they have gone so low as to concort blatant lies and falsehood against the character and person of the Professor.
Those of us who know and relate with the Vice Chancellor at very close levels,wonder if it is the same Akinwumi that we know is the same person being unsuccessfully “recreated” to fit into the mould already designed and pre- conceived by these evil,faceless, ethnic bigots who believe that Kogi state is their personal Estate.
The achievements of the Vice Chancellor within one year of assumption of Office speaks for itself. From the very high rating that the University now enjoys to giant strides in terms of accreditation of new courses , establishment of college of Health sciences and infrastructural improvement,it is clear that the Vice Chancellor and his team are the best that has ever happened to the young University.
The Politics of “Pull him down” has since become obsolete,all hands must be on deck to assist this great man to succeed in his assignment.
The Era of a particular section of the State lording it over others and putting every major appointments in their pockets is long gone and gone forever . Never will ethnic bigots whose only qualification is where they come from ever have their way in our State again.
The attempts to dig a pit for Professor Akinwumi have fallen flat on its face like a pack of cards,the integrity and character of the Professor is cast in stone.
His highly revered virtue of humility as a result of his upbringing and perception of life should not be misconstrued for weakness, the Professor is a team player who believes in harnessing the best of all for the overall development of the University.
I like to conclude in the words of Mikhail Gorbachev in his Speech to the United Nations New York 7th December 1988,he said “Freedom of Choice is a universal principle to which there should be no exceptions” The choice of Professor Olayemi Akinwumi has been transparently made by the Governing Council of the University,one year on the saddle,it is clear he is not a wrong choice.
Chaim Herzog in his address to UN General Assembly,10th November 1975 said ” I come here to denounce the two great evils which menace society in general and a society of Nations in particular.
These two evils are hatred and Ignorance”. These two evils are the motivating forces behind the proponents of the campaign of Calumny against Professor Olayemi Akinwumi.
We must all rise in unison to condemn in it’s entirety these evils and their perpetrators.
Professor Olayemi Akinwumi should please ontinue the good work his doing. One with God is Majority. God and the good people of Kogi State are with you.
Deinde Toyin Komolafe writes from Abuja