Towards the end of 2014 when the administration of the ex-Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko Prof. Femi Mimiko was coming to an end, the search for a worthy successor that will sustain the tempo of development in the ivory tower then became imperative.
Of course, the appointment of a new VC was the sole responsibility of Visitor to the University and Governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko upon the receipt of three names of leading contenders who emerged from the interview conducted by the institution's governing council.
So when governor Mimiko announced the name of Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun who was then the Rector of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo as Mimiko's successor, for some of us who knew the antecedents of this man and were abreast of the level of development he made possible in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, we knew that his choice for the Ajasin Varsity top job was, no doubt, a unique one.
To best appreciate this man and his ability to transform AAUA, It is incumbent to present the uncommon successes his administration recorded in RUGIPO within a period of four years. Then, I was in second semester ND 1. Besides, I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Polytechnic's Press Council and was also the Editor of RUGIPO Digest, a publication of the department of Mass Communication of the institution. Therefore, I can tell the story of Ajibefun as one of those who have been experiencing his leadership style and monitoring his success story. Apart from being a first class product in academics, his first class record in administration which he brought to bear in RUGIPO was another thing to behold.
Before Ajibefun was appointed rector of the polytechnic in 2010, the institution was literarily at the brink of collapse. Academic culture was at low ebb. There were distrust and disenchantment among staff as the workforce was badly hit by an appalling deficit in capacity utilization.
Structurally, dilapidation was a glaring signpost everywhere on campus. The last straw that would have broken the carmel's back was the industrial impasse over the non implementation new salary scale that culminated into the brutal death of three of the institution's union leaders- J.K. Ale of SSANIP, his secretary, Charles Iwetan and Kehinde Akinwumi of NASU almost in the middle of negotiations that almost ended the deadlock.
So one of the indices of Governor Olusegun Mimiko for appointing Prof. Ajibefun as the rector was to engender a paradigm shift from the old order of perceived decadence to an era of tranquility where learning and research could take place in an enabling environment.
Bearing in mind the enormous task and the magnitude of problems he was chosen to solve, on assumption of office, Ajibefun organized series of meetings with the management, staff, union leaders, students and other stakeholders within and outside the polytechnic, where he promised, among others, to lead an all inclusive administration in which the good of all and overall development of the institution would remain the high points of his policy thrust. And form there, a kind of revolution began, primarily to restore the lost glory of the institution.
Indeed, the 34-year old polytechnic, under Ajibefun witnessed a profound spectrum of re-engineering, ranging from structural revolution to academic and attitudinal regeneration. For instance, the Ajibefun-led management restored the lost relationship between management and the three workers union in the polytechnic, ASUP, NASU and SSANIP. With this, industrial harmony rose to its peak! Little wonder that the polytechnic’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP did not partake in the nationwide strike by polytechnic teachers which paralyzed academic activities for about one year in both federal and state polytechnics in the country. As a result, the school ran an uninterrupted academic calendar throughout Ajibefun's tenure.
Significantly, in order to enhance the academic standard of staff and students, the polytechnic signed a number of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with highly-rated world-class institutions within and outside the country for exchange for exchange programme, especially in the area of science and technology. In the department of Banking and Finance for in stance, RUGIPO signed a MoU with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. The institution also secured a technical agreement with the Centre for Agricultural Landuse and Landscape Research in Germany; University of Virginal in the United States of America, and also in partnership with the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel.
Another major achievement of Prof. Ajibefun was convocation. The most worrisome reality was that he inherited an unenviable history of a near-extinct of convocation ceremony for over a decade. Joyfully, the ugly story changed under Ajibefun as the institution held its 11th convocation in December 2013 after 11 years of deviating from such ceremony.
In terms of infrastructure, the polytechnic also leapt; no thanks to about N1 billion capital vote released by Ondo State government in 2012 to develop infrastructural facilities in the institution. With this whooping sum, Ajibefun was able to prosecute a number of monumental projects that, in a great deal, transformed the physical landscape of the polytechnic in an unprecedented manner. Some of these projects include: accommodation for the principal officers, the central administrative complex, comprising a 3-storey building for the rectory and 2-storey building for the registry and bursary, central laboratory for the faculty of Environmental Studies, a 3 in 1 millennium auditorium, a big complex which has three different auditoriums; ultra-modern ICT Centre, artisans’ centre, guest house, perimeter fencing, bakery, lecture theaters and offices, 500 and 300 KVA power generating sets, just to mention a few.
There is no doubt that Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun etched his name in gold. He is an innovative and creative polytechnic administrator who brought his exemplary leadership style to bear in RUGIPO; and the manifestation of this was the rapid transformation which earned the institution the status of the Best State Polytechnic in Nigeria by the United States Transparency International Standard. While departing Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo in January this year, Ajibefun handed over a polytechnic that did not only handed over polytechnic rated as the best state-owned in Nigeria but also the most sought after for candidates seeking polytechnic education in the country.
Ajibefun is an ebullient and a consummate administrator whose contributions and commitment to the radical transformation of RUGIPO were cornucopia. That RUGIPO master builder is now with us in AAUA. With this, there is no doubt that the ivory tower is in for good.
I must at this juncture hailed the immediate past Vice chancellor of AAUA, Prof. Femi Mimiko whose achievements have become a benchmark for any VC coming into this ivory tower. Un arguably, Members of this university community will never forget him in a hurry because his achievements will always remind us that one Femi Mimiko was once here.
Nevertheless, Ajibefun’s track record of hard work, diligence and commitment to success speak volume of his capacity to consolidate on the gains of the Mimiko's administration.
Like men and women who shape the course of history for good or bad, every epoch has its defining moment. AAUA is at such defining moment, especially with the coming into office of Prof. Ajibefun, a first class Agricultural Economist. His era will no doubt chart a new vista for the university and open new windows of opportunities that will further turn the institution into a pacesetter among its peers.
There is no air about Ajibefun. Once you see him, there may really be no reason to look for humility. He is humility personified. But beneath this humility is a dogged determination to succeed and be the best that is available. He is an administrator with a different hue. His acts are crystal clear; his ways are open and does not carry on as if tomorrow will never come.
The ultimate goal of this egghead in AAUA as he (Ajibefun) said is to position the university in such a way that it can help fulfill the aspirations of Nigerians who want Qualitative education by stepping up reforms to ensure the school remained the best. And from the look of things, AAUA will go places, with a seasoned administrator like Ajibefun in the cradle. Besides, his reign in Ajasin Varsity will not only engender greater development and further shore up the image of the varsity, but also speed up the journey of AAUA to climb the ladder of a 21st century University, Properly called.
Richard is a graduate of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Of course, the appointment of a new VC was the sole responsibility of Visitor to the University and Governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko upon the receipt of three names of leading contenders who emerged from the interview conducted by the institution's governing council.
So when governor Mimiko announced the name of Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun who was then the Rector of Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo as Mimiko's successor, for some of us who knew the antecedents of this man and were abreast of the level of development he made possible in Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, we knew that his choice for the Ajasin Varsity top job was, no doubt, a unique one.
To best appreciate this man and his ability to transform AAUA, It is incumbent to present the uncommon successes his administration recorded in RUGIPO within a period of four years. Then, I was in second semester ND 1. Besides, I was the Editor-in-Chief of the Polytechnic's Press Council and was also the Editor of RUGIPO Digest, a publication of the department of Mass Communication of the institution. Therefore, I can tell the story of Ajibefun as one of those who have been experiencing his leadership style and monitoring his success story. Apart from being a first class product in academics, his first class record in administration which he brought to bear in RUGIPO was another thing to behold.
Before Ajibefun was appointed rector of the polytechnic in 2010, the institution was literarily at the brink of collapse. Academic culture was at low ebb. There were distrust and disenchantment among staff as the workforce was badly hit by an appalling deficit in capacity utilization.
Structurally, dilapidation was a glaring signpost everywhere on campus. The last straw that would have broken the carmel's back was the industrial impasse over the non implementation new salary scale that culminated into the brutal death of three of the institution's union leaders- J.K. Ale of SSANIP, his secretary, Charles Iwetan and Kehinde Akinwumi of NASU almost in the middle of negotiations that almost ended the deadlock.
So one of the indices of Governor Olusegun Mimiko for appointing Prof. Ajibefun as the rector was to engender a paradigm shift from the old order of perceived decadence to an era of tranquility where learning and research could take place in an enabling environment.
Bearing in mind the enormous task and the magnitude of problems he was chosen to solve, on assumption of office, Ajibefun organized series of meetings with the management, staff, union leaders, students and other stakeholders within and outside the polytechnic, where he promised, among others, to lead an all inclusive administration in which the good of all and overall development of the institution would remain the high points of his policy thrust. And form there, a kind of revolution began, primarily to restore the lost glory of the institution.
Indeed, the 34-year old polytechnic, under Ajibefun witnessed a profound spectrum of re-engineering, ranging from structural revolution to academic and attitudinal regeneration. For instance, the Ajibefun-led management restored the lost relationship between management and the three workers union in the polytechnic, ASUP, NASU and SSANIP. With this, industrial harmony rose to its peak! Little wonder that the polytechnic’s chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnic, ASUP did not partake in the nationwide strike by polytechnic teachers which paralyzed academic activities for about one year in both federal and state polytechnics in the country. As a result, the school ran an uninterrupted academic calendar throughout Ajibefun's tenure.
Significantly, in order to enhance the academic standard of staff and students, the polytechnic signed a number of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with highly-rated world-class institutions within and outside the country for exchange for exchange programme, especially in the area of science and technology. In the department of Banking and Finance for in stance, RUGIPO signed a MoU with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. The institution also secured a technical agreement with the Centre for Agricultural Landuse and Landscape Research in Germany; University of Virginal in the United States of America, and also in partnership with the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel.
Another major achievement of Prof. Ajibefun was convocation. The most worrisome reality was that he inherited an unenviable history of a near-extinct of convocation ceremony for over a decade. Joyfully, the ugly story changed under Ajibefun as the institution held its 11th convocation in December 2013 after 11 years of deviating from such ceremony.
In terms of infrastructure, the polytechnic also leapt; no thanks to about N1 billion capital vote released by Ondo State government in 2012 to develop infrastructural facilities in the institution. With this whooping sum, Ajibefun was able to prosecute a number of monumental projects that, in a great deal, transformed the physical landscape of the polytechnic in an unprecedented manner. Some of these projects include: accommodation for the principal officers, the central administrative complex, comprising a 3-storey building for the rectory and 2-storey building for the registry and bursary, central laboratory for the faculty of Environmental Studies, a 3 in 1 millennium auditorium, a big complex which has three different auditoriums; ultra-modern ICT Centre, artisans’ centre, guest house, perimeter fencing, bakery, lecture theaters and offices, 500 and 300 KVA power generating sets, just to mention a few.
There is no doubt that Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun etched his name in gold. He is an innovative and creative polytechnic administrator who brought his exemplary leadership style to bear in RUGIPO; and the manifestation of this was the rapid transformation which earned the institution the status of the Best State Polytechnic in Nigeria by the United States Transparency International Standard. While departing Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo in January this year, Ajibefun handed over a polytechnic that did not only handed over polytechnic rated as the best state-owned in Nigeria but also the most sought after for candidates seeking polytechnic education in the country.
Ajibefun is an ebullient and a consummate administrator whose contributions and commitment to the radical transformation of RUGIPO were cornucopia. That RUGIPO master builder is now with us in AAUA. With this, there is no doubt that the ivory tower is in for good.
I must at this juncture hailed the immediate past Vice chancellor of AAUA, Prof. Femi Mimiko whose achievements have become a benchmark for any VC coming into this ivory tower. Un arguably, Members of this university community will never forget him in a hurry because his achievements will always remind us that one Femi Mimiko was once here.
Nevertheless, Ajibefun’s track record of hard work, diligence and commitment to success speak volume of his capacity to consolidate on the gains of the Mimiko's administration.
Like men and women who shape the course of history for good or bad, every epoch has its defining moment. AAUA is at such defining moment, especially with the coming into office of Prof. Ajibefun, a first class Agricultural Economist. His era will no doubt chart a new vista for the university and open new windows of opportunities that will further turn the institution into a pacesetter among its peers.
There is no air about Ajibefun. Once you see him, there may really be no reason to look for humility. He is humility personified. But beneath this humility is a dogged determination to succeed and be the best that is available. He is an administrator with a different hue. His acts are crystal clear; his ways are open and does not carry on as if tomorrow will never come.
The ultimate goal of this egghead in AAUA as he (Ajibefun) said is to position the university in such a way that it can help fulfill the aspirations of Nigerians who want Qualitative education by stepping up reforms to ensure the school remained the best. And from the look of things, AAUA will go places, with a seasoned administrator like Ajibefun in the cradle. Besides, his reign in Ajasin Varsity will not only engender greater development and further shore up the image of the varsity, but also speed up the journey of AAUA to climb the ladder of a 21st century University, Properly called.
Richard is a graduate of Mass Communication, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
