Obafemi Awolowo University

By ‘Kunle Jaiyesimi

It is no longer news that Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria is in crisis, as reported by various platforms. Wumi Raji, an Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts of the same University wrote that the University “is in deep crisis” and has a lot to say about it, https://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/07/crisis-in-obafemi-awolowo-university-ile-ife/”.

On the 15th day of July, 2016, a hitherto Google-unknown character, in person of Adediwura Alawode, brilliantly wrote a rejoinder to Wumi Raji’s piece, https://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/07/rejoinder-obafemi-awolowo-university-crisis-and-falsifiers-at-work/”. The choice of the tag “hitherto Google-unknown character” in describing Adediwura Alawode was a result of the fact that while Wumi Raji provided his full identity, including his department, designation and a bold picture in the piece he wrote, the rejoinder writer only went as far as stating at the end of his piece, “Adediwura Alawode writes from OAU”.

Inasmuch as no one is to immediately presume that the referenced OAU stands for Organisation of African Unity, it is right to be curious about and mentally investigate the jurisdiction of facts ‘soothingly’ presented by ‘Mr.’ Adediwura Alawode (the use of Mr. here is apologetic because of the writer’s inability to supply an accurate identity, or any at all). This writer wishes to know who the rejoinder writer is in order to situate the arguments and juxtapose his facts, opinions and conjectures against those of Dr. Wumi Raji (the choice of Dr. here is the result of the fact that, in some quarters, designating Associate Professors as Professors is an anathema).

The rejoinder is an eye-opener interestingly as much as its prequel. Thankfully, the rejoinder did well in its objectively pin-pointing a seeming blunder made by Dr. Raji, “Wumi Raji was so actively interested in serving lies as truth in his ponderous piece that he joyously invented dates and events. One instance is what he said in paragraph eight: ‘precisely on Friday June 5’. There is nothing precise about that day. The event he credited to that day did not happen at the time and could not have happened because in the calendar that people of conscience and lovers of justice have, ‘June 5’ was a Sunday.” The remaining part of this paragraph in the rejoinder is incongruous to the earlier part. We should get to it.

It is a given that no official activities are expected to be carried out on Sundays. Alawode also stated, “There was nothing precise about that day….” He seemed pretty sure that the event happened but “did not happen at the time…” leaving us to curiously imagine when the event actually happened. Rather than providing a date when the event happened, if it did, or categorically stating that the event never happened, Mr. Alawode made an incongruous request, “I leave you to imagine what this lecturer would have done had a student quoted a page wrongly in his/her essay. Maybe somebody should do him a favour by telling him that some students can score 100%, deservedly, in some courses. This becomes important because this teacher found it hard to believe that Prof. Salami was scored 100% in one aspect of the areas he was assessed in.” It was a shocker and a beckon to ask further questions, “Se a ja ti tele ni?” translated, “Have we, as brothers of a Union, previously been at a perpetual duel?”

To acquaint oneself of any fact regarding this event therefore, one is left with no option than to resort to the information provided in the prequel, “On Wednesday June 1, the Registrar and Secretary to Council, in flagrant display of an attitude of utter contempt for the court of law, sent sms messages to the shortlisted candidates informing them that the interaction which had earlier on been suspended would soon be re-visited. They were told to get themselves ready for it.” Note that this was on Wednesday June 1 and Dr. Raji continued, “Two days later, and precisely on Friday June 5, the candidates were sent letters by the same officer, informing them that the interaction would now take place on Monday June 6 in Abuja, FCT.” Incidentally, Dr. Raji, in his piece, stated events and dates as they happened. An error here is the displacement of ‘3’ for ‘5’ in Friday June 3, and, for making this typographically error, for which Dr. Raji may have to admit is unacceptable, the wrath of Mr. Alawode was incurred.

On a second thought, there is that argument that the former did not commit an unforgivable blunder of writing, “Two days later, and precisely on Friday June 5….” He actually wrote Friday June 5 and rather than Mr. Alawode noting the error and presuming that Dr. Raji meant Friday June 3, he chose the convenient assumption of Dr. Raji’s intent to be to write that the event happened on Sunday in order to attempt to discredit Dr. Raji. This gives one the unsolicited impression that something is amiss. What could be the justifiable rationale behind the tirade that is this rejoinder?

A second look. Who is Mr. Adediwura Alawode? His rejoinder constituted the first and last page that caught my attention on Saturday July 16 and I needed to place at least a face to the beautiful words expressed by that mind (is he Mr. or Mrs. Alawode, again?) and not to a beautiful mind that produces those words.

Deploying Google on Mozilla Firefox, about 137.000 entries were reported with only a few listing Adediwura Alawode. The few entries that listed this name were similarly tagged with this rejoinder, which goes to say, outside of the latter, Adediwura Alawode does not exist. In order to preclude his non-existence outside of Firefox Google space, this writer took the pains of deploying Googleon Google Chrome, which interestingly reported fewer entries, with similar tags to this rejoinder, which would be rewarding to review.

Mr. Alawode as he wants us to believe, in his rejoinder, describes Dr. Raji as belonging “to the same depraved universe of those who project and accept falsehood as truth.” That is an affront but one would hope that ‘facts’ to buttress this would be presented. He continues, “The ethically deceased inhabitants of that degenerate space are always animated by and drunken with happiness when grossly distorted facts favour them. But when they are at the receiving end of such vile practice, they hang no fire in howling about how their human dignity and rights are battered and violated.” More of this in the second paragraph.

The third paragraph states that, “The position of the JCSSB remains that its duty was never usurped. And this provides a strong rebuttal against the fabrication of people like this university teacher….” The question of identity of Mr. Adediwura Alayode juxtaposed with his absolute knowledge of the position of the JCSSB posits further questions, “Who is Adediwura Alawode?” “Is he or she directly representing the interest of the JCSSB as a member or a mercenary?” “Is he or she a real figure, disguised to protect self from the arms-way of destroyed reputation, thereby employing a pseudonym?” “Is he or she simply intent anonymously on attempting to affect further discord by presenting, in some cases facts and in others, conjectures and personal opinions, sometimes false and calculated to harm?”

The facts that this rejoinder is not signed off by the JCSSB and that the identity of Mr. or Mrs. A. Alawode, is in question interrogates the claims and counterclaims in the rejoinder. The title of the rejoinder, “Rejoinder: Obafemi Awolowo University crisis and falsifiers at work” also implies that Alawode is privy to the facts, if facts are truths, which the rejoinder claims Dr. Raji does not have, because the title proclaims that the submissions of Dr. Raji are lies and against the truths that he (Alawode) possess.