By Samuel Ojo
The light is shining and it is shining better…
A few months ago, l applauded the sitting Governor of Ondo State, His Exellency Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa for a good choice when he made Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in the State.
By training and nature, l am not a praise- singer but someone who went through literature and history to know value system.
I have been so lucky to work under Professor lgbekele Ajibefun as a Director in varying Directorates while in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo when the incumbent Commissioner for Education was the then Rector.
Before his assumption of duty as the Rector, the polytechnic then was almost lifeless as a result of industrial dispute by workers due to multi dimensional problems that turned the institution to a wilderness. Grasses overgrew the structures, the entire polytechnic was said to be afflicted with a curse.
Ajibefun resumed and showed forth the glory of God as a light to ensure that the good works of the founder of this great institution were not submerged by forces of darkness.
By His grace, Ajibefun is endowed with wisdom. He loved God and was a man of prayer with a distinction. He chose his part to be PRAY AND WORK. He hated idleness and indiscipline.
He came with a vision and the determination to succeed.
He stood his grounds to ensure good management and labour relations which put an end to industrial incessant strikes
This alone created room for smooth and unhindered academic sessions, and all of a sudden, Rufus Giwa Polytechnic became the choice of admission seekers.
A man with a drive, he promoted goodwill relationship with the host communities, visiting the Obas and improved the image of the institution.
I thank God, Prof Ajibefun is alive today and beaming higher as a light wherever he found himself.
He established many Faculties, brought foreigners and grants to the institution and rebirth convocation ceremonies that had been abandoned for years.
One other significant achievement is the creation of an Artisan Centre for skill acquisition training in Ondo State. Salaries were paid regularly and the polytechnic community felt the comfort needed for dedication and productivity.
The untapped wilderness in his time was turned to human habitation by building staff quarters and sending the student union government to South Africa for exposure instead of the usual ALUTA STRIKE.
He chose to live with the students in the Polytechnic community, a feat no other rector had achieved except Engr Ologunagba, his immediate successor.
Today the edifice(s) are there but they lack inhabitants that can identify with the feelings of the students.
The current Acting Rector, Dr. Lawson has a lot to borrow from Ajibefun to turn the polytechnic around.
Ajibefun left Rugipo with honour and the shoe he left behind is still unsizeable to his successors till date.
As fate would have it, he became the Vice- Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba- Akoko. His legacies at Akungba are historic that can never be forgotten in the life of the institution.
Today, l salute the Executive Governor of Ondo State and join tbe congratulatory list of well wishers on his award in the field of education.
This award is a product of the discipline and values injected into the Ministry of Education by choosing the right and capable hand to man the post.
Ajibefun, l salute you and your team in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology for placing Ondo State on National recognition and by extension raising the banner of our populist Governor.
Today, all the State universities and the Polytechnic are back to work. It is not ordinary but due to pragmatic attention to their demands.
My dear Professor, l challenge you: The wisdom you used to re- write the history of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic must not die.
In this your tenure, a curriculum can be devised to create room for skill acquisition, and moral value trainings that will enhance your ministry and make our schools a model to other states in the country.
I know God will grant you the ideas to make it work. Your exposure is not in doubt. It is one of such divine deposits in you. Keep it shining as Ondo State is called the Sunshine State.
Ojo, a former spokesman of RUGIPO, now a public affairs analyst, writes from Akure.
