By Sulayman Nafiu
It is good to celebrate some of our remaining academic heroes while they are still alive so that their labour will not be in vain. The Nigerian society is so harsh and hostile to our ancient dons that they are hardly treated nicely once they retire from the system. It is like throwing a fish out of water.
In the late sixties or thereabouts, the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ibadan boasted of a world class staff list that was at the global summit of the discipline. A faculty that hosted M S El-Garh, Geoffrey Axworthy the late theatre avatar, among other luminaries of the profession could not be shunted aside in any gathering of humanity professors anywhere in the world at that point in time.
Many of the returning PhDs had already made their mark as outstanding graduate students in the best regarded sanctuaries of the profession. A very good example is Prof Rasaq ‘Deremi Abubakre who migrated back and distinguish himself as a globally respected expert in Arabic rhetorics at the University of Ilorin despite many other job opportunities around him while in United Kingdom shortly after his PhD training.
It was not really a great time to study Arabic in Nigeria as many parents preferred their wards to study the so called professional courses. Thanks to the university of Ibadan for making Arabic to survive the difficult terrain by establishing a department of Arabic which has produced great scholars like Isaac Ogunbiyi, Kole Omotosho, R D Abubakre, SHA Malik among others. Alas, nothing lasts for long in the hot and sultry tropics.
By the end of the eighties, many of these extraordinary brains were beginning to wing their way back to the country. Some switched to the government parastatals and prosperous consultancies in order to beat the offside trap of social disregard. But among stars, there are superstars. Prof RDA who plied his trade mainly in the Arabic Department, was one of the greatest professors to have graced the University of Ilorin Faculty of Arts. By the time he left, he was not only a legend but distinguished a concept called “Abubakreism” where he nurtures people intellectually.
Simply put; “Abubakre Brought Up”. Professor Rasaq ‘Deremi Abubakre dazzled his students with his brilliance, his wit, his originality and his versatility. A gifted conversationalist, his students adored, worshipped and feared him in equal measure. Any student of Arabic at the University of Ilorin in the golden eighties up to 2018 must attest a particular academic affliction known as RDA rigour.
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Despite his amiable personality, Prof RDA frowned at wishy-washy thinking and jejune logic with maximum penalty and he not only demanded solutions to intractable literary problems, he demanded the most elegant solution. This was to become the war cry of many of his students after graduation. A brilliant mind whose contributions to the body of knowledge suffered when he was invited into the precarious business of governance at a time as federal Commissioner with Public Complaint Commission. A sizeable number of his former students have gone on to distinguish themselves in academics and other sectors of the society.
It was one of these, a former Vice Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof Is-haq Oloyede who at present is JAMB registrar that drew our attention to the fact that government agencies can as well be generating revenue to the government – an example he has set since his inception of office. Intellectutual like Prof RDA is rare; politicians like him even rarer. Which is why on this day of his 72nd birthday on mother earth, his name as builder of men and his integrity should be lauded and held as an example for both intellectuals and politicians.
Though this piece of writing is not intended to chronicle his achievements but I believe with time, his autobiography/biography will be considered which will serve as a knowledge project and guidance to the coming generations as Dr Oluremi Atanda recently did. Here is wishing Prof many happy returns. KI ALLAH SWT JE KI WON PE FUN WA. AAMIN.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Sulayman Nafiu is a Personal Assistant to Commissioner for Water Resources and Energy, State of Osun and also founder, El-Mavericky Centre for Educational Research and Development, Iwo. Tell: 08033229455