Sir: Twenty-second undergraduate and Thirteenth postgraduate convocation ceremony of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo in Ogun State may have come and gone, but not so its ripples. Certain national issues were brought to the fore, which require further interrogations and reflections towards a better society. The colourful ceremony, which drew mammoth crowds from far and near, including Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, Ogaga of Ikere-Ekiti, Oba Samuel Adejimi, was climaxed with a conferment of honourary doctorate degree on a former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Chief Wole Olanipekun and the Managing Director of FSDH Merchant Bank, Mrs. Bukola Smith.
Olanipekun, who was the convocation commencement speaker, however, gleefully spiced the occasion with his speech entitled, “Go and Replenish the Earth: Man’s Misconception of God’s Mandate.” The university had deemed him fit for the occasion, judging by his life of a glorious harvest of fruits of consistent hard work, unsparing self-discipline and unflinching commitment to worthy pursuits. By all standards, this legal luminary approximates a conscience of the nation; as his clout has few equals, with his reputation and records remaining stellar.
Mounting the podium in his debonair posture, and being so confident of his own truths, Olanipekun raised some national issues, including over bloated population, youth unemployment, migration matter, popularly called “Japa”, citing copious examples to buttress his arguments. With his wonderfully mellifluous and stentorian voice, keeping his language at a pedagogical level: explicit and meaningful, this eloquent convocation speaker dazed the audience with the immensity of his knowledge, dazzled them with the fecundity of his mind, and mesmerized his listeners with the profundity of his thoughts, thus, commanding intermittent applause.
On population, this one-time president of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said “as a result of man’s misconception of God’s mandate, there has been a “bourgeoning, alarming, and uncontrolled procreation syndrome in Nigeria”, saying there were “dangers inherent in unguided procreation.” To him, “to live up to the true meaning and intent of this God’s given mandate, our focus must be on contributions to humanity, rather than uncontrolled population which invariably chokes the available limited resources in diverse ways” adding that “abject poverty is the unmitigated nemesis of reckless procreation.”
Olanipekun whose musings demonstrated simplicity of presentation, conciseness of expression and clarity of thought declared, “the dangers are both intrinsic and extrinsic. Reckless procreation will inevitably lead to societal rascality, and before we know it, we will have ourselves and our world engulfed in ‘procreation terrorism.”
On migration, the legal titan reasoned that this new-found culture of “Japa” was a dangerous reality which must not be allowed to fester. In his words, “to our youth, including adults who are nursing the ambition of migrating from Nigeria without caring what type of odd jobs or debilitating weather conditions they will meet yonder, they should be very careful, cautious, sober and reflective at migrating to any country, as all that glitters over there, is not gold.” He, therefore, called on government and well-to-do in the society to salvage the dehydrating situation which drives our youth from their country.
Olanipekun called on alumni of every university to support their alma maters, pointing out that “a good number of the world’s oldest universities remain what they are today because of the immense contributions and sustained assistance they receive from their alumni from time to time.”
Indeed, as a great leader that he is, when Chief Olanipekun speaks, he does not just talk to inform; rather, he talks to transform. Indeed, better than some days in the library is a day at his feet, for one of the best classrooms is, metaphorically at his feet. The pieces of advice he gave at the occasion could pass for the needed therapy in order to prevent Nigeria from atrophy. Without doubt, overpopulation in Nigeria is symptomatic of a much graver malady. Who says the Boko Haram menace Nigeria is fighting is not unconnected with overpopulation and untrained children?
However, being one of the best of our brightest legal minds in the country, coupled with his numerous contributions to the society, Olanipekun was at the occasion, subsequently conferred with a honorary doctorate degree of Babcock University. This is probably because, before he became a national leader, success was all about himself. Now that he has become a successful leader, it seems all his major concern now is growing institutions and individuals.
From the University of Ibadan (UI) where he was the Council chairman between 2009 and 2013 to Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, where he is now chairman of Board of Trustees, to Ekiti State University where he is Chancellor, currently building Senate Chamber, Olanipekun has spent billions of Naira towards uplifting humanity. Recently, federal government has also appointed him as Council chairman of University of Lagos. Obviously, he is also going to spend a lot of his personal money. Yet, he neither listens to the pandemonium of the parrots, nor gets distracted by the market noise.
Interestingly, the like of Olanipekun are rare, they come once in a while. For example, how many Nigerians do we have spreading and spending their hard-earned money like Olanipekun does? They are few in number. He admonished the youth to confront life’s challenges with grit and gravitas. Nothing could be more encouraging.
Sunday Saanu is on sabbatical at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo.
