ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Ley Your Dreams Come Alive – With FCMB Loans
Home Features

Oyeweso: Distinguished historian ascends sixth floor

1st February 2021
in Features
0
Oyeweso: Distinguished historian ascends sixth floor
0
SHARES
88
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By Tunde Akanni

Incontrovertibly one of the most intellectually engaging historians of our time, Professor Abdul Gafar Siyan Oyeweso manifests by the day in several discourses on account of his selfless service. I had just been part of a radio programme on Friday, January 8, 2021, when one of the promoters of the online broadcaster, Spirit of Nigeria, Dotun Atilade, called me. In rounding off his appreciation to me he reminded me that most people from my birthplace of Ede, Osun State, are selfless. Thus began quite a sweet recall of a most ubiquitous example in the person of our darling Siyan Oyeweso. That Prof will go far, very far, even as he is already one of the most accomplished living historians in Nigeria today. Can you imagine somebody willfully turning down legitimately deserved remuneration, choosing a path of honour in the form of personal sacrifice in a series of activities he used his clout to drive to a resounding success?
A friend of Abioye Oyewusi, son of the late Oba Tijani Oyewusi, the immediate past Timi of Ede, Dotun, had been part of the setting up of the foundation in honour of our late monarch. According to him, the process suddenly gained acceleration immediately Prof. Oyeweso got involved. He it was who spoke to big donors like S.O.B. Babalola, father of Lanre Babalola, former Minister of Power. Within a short space of time, right within Ede community, some humongous amount of money was raised on account of his intervention and personal solicitations. It’s sure that he will ultimately be celebrated too. Dotun was just being obvious.
Enter the birthday of a media veteran, Alhaji Olumide of the lengendary Lawal family of Ailaka Compound. A couple of hours after yours sincerely exchanged anniversary pleasantries with the big boss, I started receiving WhatsApp notifications from unusual sources. Most prominent perhaps was that of Mrs. Tope Oguntokun, the corporate affairs director of International Breweries, Lagos.
A thoroughbred media professional herself, Mrs. Oguntokun was most impressed by a documentary on Ede, which Africa Magic chose to run as a birthday gift, as I later learnt, to Haji Olumide. So unmistakable among the individuals featured in the land of many intellectuals is the Baapitan of Lagos, the irrepressible world-class Siyan, as many of his folks in LASU, fondly hail him. In that documentary, Baapitan, as if acting out his title, is as avuncular as he is clinically thorough with the facts.
But community service is just one strand in Prof. Oyeweso’s rich repertoire of activities. This scholar of unmistakably towering height presents a spectacle far from commonplace competition. Already, no fewer than three festschrifts have been published in his honour as an impactful scholar, each of them drawing high standing contributors from national and foreign-based scholars across assorted disciplines. Assorted disciplines, because my ever-amiable and inimitable benefactor and teacher has impacted on scholars and professionals with obvious and not so obvious connections with our Oga’s specialisation of History and amazing research skills.
The taskmaster is, however, not one to leave his house vulnerable to the attack of ignorant and directionless political jobbers at the level of policymaking or elsewhere nauseatingly betraying lack of knowledge of history in their pronouncements and conduct. When he chose to, in 2006, inaugurate his respected professorial chair dating back to 2004, he promptly resorted to a foundational focus, so strikingly sharp enough to be noticed by any functional being. It was titled “The Undertakers, the Python’s Eye and Footsteps of the Ant: The Historian’s Burden.” Delivered at a time History had been dropped from the curriculum of some schools in the country, the grand master asserted that we were all bound to make recourse to history denouncing being an undertaker and instead asserting that he bonds with the genre of people who would not want the past to disappear from our consciousness merely because it is past. Not done, the uncommonly insightful scholar went on to register the thesis that the concern of all patriots today, the failing health’ of the Nigerian state, derived from what he christened“unholy trinity, comprising: lack of knowledge of its history; a lack of understanding of that history and a lack of application of the examples and lessons of history. Reinforcing the views of earlier scholars (Carr, 1961; Einstein, 1955) the Baapitan of Lagos thus logically submitted further that, because the past and present are forged organically and in an engaging and interlocking manner, the law of physics are time-symmetric, they just run as well backwards as forward and, therefore, the future already exists and it can be known in advance. Simply put, the historian, unknown to many, is uniquely endowed to have a better understanding of not only the past but the present and the future. Throughout the nearly 40 years of his career path till date, Baba Oyee has exhibited in meticulous detail the acclaimed unique endowments of the historian.
Oyee, as we fondly hailed the small tisha in Ilorin way back in 1982, had apparently taken time to study the Unilorin History team. Only the best was best for the best, or so it seemed. The young scholar became the assistant of the globally-renowned historian and archaeologist, Ade Obayemi, who later became the director-general of Nigerian Museum. After understudying Obayemi for a few weeks, the Ede-born eagle had done well perfecting his teaching art and was ready to fly only higher and higher as he does till date. It didn’t take long before all the students began to fall head over heels in very deep appreciation of the young man’s expertise dispensed with utmost relish.
Undoubtedly, Oyeweso must have headed for LASU, glowingly recommended in addition to being robustly credentialed for appointment as an academic. In and out of classroom, Siyan almost became a standard for conduct. Magisterial presentations cultivated from Unilorin readily endeared him to his students till date. Oyee of Unilorin promptly transformed to Baba Oyee. His name featured during considerations for virtually all university key offices. With his peerless sartorial taste (who can beat power dresser endowed with ajilala oso spirit?), Oyeweso took the position of the university orator to an unprecedentedly glamourous height that may remain a model for long for those lucky to witness the performative excellence consistently on display throughout his tenure. Far from being a petty, exhibitionist character, Oyeweso has also been a thoroughbred university administrator, indeed waiting to be optimally appreciated and engaged. He was, at various times, during his sojourn at LASU, a member of the University Council; Court of Governors of the LASU College of Medicine; Dean, Faculty of Arts; head, Department of History, as well as being director of the University’s External System in its glorious years.
Baba Oyee, in his consistently strong commitment to all his adopted causes, has been an inestimable human asset of perhaps a dynamo standing, all the way to institutions and individuals, including yours sincerely, making him earn abundant goodwill worldwide.
A most resounding happy 60th birthday to the teacher of teachers and uncommon leader never in want of warmth. To echo your customized pleasantry, sir, Ma jaye o ri e!

•Akanni, PhD, is a media scholar and development enthusiast based at the LASU School of Communication

Tags: ascendsOyeweso: Distinguished historiansixth floor
Cyril

Cyril

Related Posts

Catholic Bishops, priests cry out:  We are now endangered species
Features

Catholic Bishops, priests cry out: We are now endangered species

2nd July 2022
Words of wisdom from the Ejiofors: The best wealth is one that couples struggle together to make
Features

Words of wisdom from the Ejiofors: The best wealth is one that couples struggle together to make

2nd July 2022
Mysterious death inside cell
Features

Mysterious death inside cell

2nd July 2022
Next Post
Anambra women protest alleged lopsided distribution of FG’s cash grants

Anambra women protest alleged lopsided distribution of FG’s cash grants

As Buhari services his chief instruments of war

As Buhari services his chief instruments of war

6 houses razed as 2 Anambra communities renew hostilities

Women protest invasion of community by herdsmen

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

1 migrant killed, 7 injured near Serbia-Hungary border

Musk meets pope, uses Twitter to announce the audience

Thousands protest migrant deaths at Spain-Morocco border

Tropical Storm Colin threatens a wet weekend for Carolinas

UN condemns protesters’ storming of Libya’s parliament

China’s top diplomat visits Myanmar amid opposition protest

Trending

Buhari back to Abuja after five-day state visit to Portugal
National

Buhari back to Abuja after five-day state visit to Portugal

2nd July 2022
0

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari, after a five-day state visit to Lisbon the capital of...

Perishable goods transport drivers blame rising cost of food items in South East on touts

Perishable goods transport drivers blame rising cost of food items in South East on touts

2nd July 2022
Ondo police rescue 77 abducted persons detained inside church

Ondo police rescue 77 abducted persons detained inside church

2nd July 2022
1 migrant killed, 7 injured near Serbia-Hungary border

1 migrant killed, 7 injured near Serbia-Hungary border

2nd July 2022
Musk meets pope, uses Twitter to announce the audience

Musk meets pope, uses Twitter to announce the audience

2nd July 2022
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Buhari back to Abuja after five-day state visit to Portugal
  • Perishable goods transport drivers blame rising cost of food items in South East on touts
  • Ondo police rescue 77 abducted persons detained inside church
  • 1 migrant killed, 7 injured near Serbia-Hungary border
  • Musk meets pope, uses Twitter to announce the audience
  • Thousands protest migrant deaths at Spain-Morocco border
  • Tropical Storm Colin threatens a wet weekend for Carolinas
  • UN condemns protesters’ storming of Libya’s parliament
  • China’s top diplomat visits Myanmar amid opposition protest
  • With hospitalizations up, France weighs return to face masks
  • Greece gets European assistance for summer wildfire season
  • Russia’s messages with missiles tell West to back off
  • South Africans struggle in the dark to cope with power cuts
  • Ship sinks in storm off Hong Kong, dozens of crew in danger
  • Strong earthquake kills 5 in southern Iran
  • Rescuers recover 26 dead from mudslide in India’s northeast
  • Obasanjo rides “Keke”, urges youths to embrace opportunities
  • Russian forces press assault on eastern Ukrainian city
  • Military working to halt terrorist ambushes in North East – Theatre Commander
  • Osun Election: We’re overwhelmed by PVC collectors, REC laments

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

Posting....