I feel really embarrassed that a violent agitation is going on Obafemi Awolowo University campus by some Ife indigenes against the emergence of Prof. Bamire as the University’s Vice Chancellor. This violent agitation is most baseless to say the least and the silence of both the Federal Government and the Ooni of Ife is treacherous. The silence of the Ooni to call the violent agitators to order has shown that he (Ooni) does not have the capacity to rule over a people.
In fact, I am of the strong belief that the violent agitation must have been sanctioned by the Ooni of Ife considering the fact that he has been at loggerheads with the management of the institution as regards the ownership of a land where blocks of Students’ hostels are erected which apparently belongs to the University. This crisis is so tensed that armed thugs were mobilized to the scene to attack the University Vice Chancellor, Ogunbodede during an inspection late last year and the University’s dam was also poisoned vis-à-vis the land crisis yet, the Ooni kept mum over the ugly incident.
VCship, as much as I know should be based on merit and not some ethnic consideration to the extent that it will be determined by State of origin. The hostility being displayed today would definitely drag the sanctity of the University to the mud. Right now, it would be safe to conclude that there is a clear leadership vacuum in Yorubaland today and the Ooni of Ife should not even be near anywhere Oduduwa Republic is being discussed because his disposition towards the crisis rocking Ife is most disgusting and the Ooni is leading by a terrible example. How can we talk about Oduduwa Republic when we are fighting due to the emergence of a fellow Yoruba man as the VC of a University in the Southwest because he doesn’t belong to a section of the Yoruba race?
No one would have imagined the spiritual head of Oduduwa race to be at the vanguard of division amongst his kinsmen. The said Prof. Bamire being protested against today is even an indigene of Osun State yet, the Ooni could not send a clear message to his people to stop the madness being displayed on the University campus to the extent that ritualists were mobilized to the Senate building chanting different rebel songs aside the destruction of government properties that was unleashed last Thursday and Friday in the University.
The Federal Government must deploy security operatives to every entry and exit points of the University to safeguard it and also deploy anti-riot Police officers to every nook and cranny of Ife to guarantee the safety of students living off-campus. The Federal Government must also issue a stern warning to everyone involved in the madness to put a stop to such act.
Kazeem Olalekan Israel (GANI) is a thoroughbred product of Great Ife. He writes from Ibadan, Nigeria.
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