As a Commissioner I Learnt How to Serve Others
Prof. Rahman Adisa Bello, a renowned chemical engineer and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, is one of the best brains Nigeria has ever produced. With a calm disposition he endears himself to people from all walks of life. From a humble b
I Didn’t Aspire to Be UnilagVice Chancellor Professors Used to Earn Same Salary as Prime Ministers Navigating through life
Looking at my life trajectory I can thank God for being benevolent to me over the past 69 years, for taking me through courses that have been quite useful and which have taken this far. I have found my way through all kinds of situations and I have been opportune to serve humanity in various circumstances. I was born on October 6, 1948 at a little town called Iboro in Yewa North Local Government of Ogun State. By the time I was born, my father was a public servant and a bit of farming. He worked for the colonial masters operating their Rice Mill under the Ministry of Agriculture in that community. My mother was a petty trader. Going back memory lanes, it was exciting growing up in that local setting because we don’t have to worry about anything. There was contentment. I started primary school in 1954 before the introduction of free education by the Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
An exciting childhood
There was no electricity and no pipe-borne water in my locality. Going to the stream to fetch water was an exciting experience because we had two streams: one was like a confluence where you found warm and the other had cold water. When we wanted to have our bath we would go to the warm water. So it was a pattern. We had to go and fetch water for our parents and when you want to wash your clothes you go to the same stream. So, we got used to the environment. Life was comfortable but not as rosy compared with today’s standards.
Effects of parental influence
What I learnt from my parents guided me throughout my life. I was born into a Muslim home and the power of prayers and dedication to God is the first basic thing you pick up in the family. The guidance of both parents in terms of how you mold yourself in life was not lacking. I recall as the first son I grew up with my senior sister and three junior sisters. I grew up among four girls and I could remember vividly the way my mother treated all of us. The kind of security she provided in that local setting. We went out to play but mustn’t exceed the stipulated time. My father was loving but you must obey the rules and regulations. We weren’t pampered or lived a life of affluence but they showered us with love and this remain with me till today. It is a major factor that shaped my life. I wasn’t radical as a child. I was quiet. I have always been a calm person ready to understand situation before making any move.
Bello Goes to School
I was about five years when I started school at Iju United Primary School, Iboro. My parents were not formally educated but they cherished education and as the first boy they were excited . My senior sister was also in the same school. The excitement of being walked to school every morning was there. I finished from this Primary school and moved to Egbado College where I finished in 1966. After that I attended Ibadan Polytechnic where I did Mechanical Engineering. It wasn’t my desire to go there because it was during the common Entrance for Higher School Certificate in the Western Region. My school had HSC and I was in the science class so only those who were in Arts class were allowed to go for the common entrance interview to other schools while those of us who were in science class were denied this opportunity. Any invitation coming from other schools such as Government College Ibadan, Loyola College and Olivet Baptist College, Oyo would be kept by the principal. So we didn’t get those invitations. I went home after my education hoping to go back to my alma mater for Higher School Certificate (HSC) but I got a telegram from the then Technical College Ibadan (The Polytechnic ) inviting me to come over as a student. We just finished Christmas and lectures had started. I went to Ibadan to have a discussion with the principal who encouraged me to come because government was going to give scholarship that year. I got the scholarship which helped my parents anyway.
From Polytechnic to University
Having missed the opportunity of going for HSC, I embraced polytechnic education wholeheartedly and immersed myself to what the school could offer. I spent two years and obtained OND in Mechanical Engineering. As I was finishing the programme, I got an offer with the Nigerian Tobacco Company behind Iyaganku in Ibadan as mechanical engineering technician. In what I could term as a destiny, the then University of Ife started Chemical Technology, the first in the Black Africa in 1969. The Head of Department then Prof. Sanni came to see my HOD in Polytechnic and found that our programmes in the department were quite detailed. He requested for the top five students that they would be able to fit into the programme (Chemical Technology) being set up at Ife. I was top in my class and three of us went for that interview