FUNAAB Vice-chancellor

THE ambience evinced no Less. Already seated are Principal Officers. As sprawling as Mahmood Yakuub Lecture Theatre is, it was almost filled to the brim by scores of members of the Congregation of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. For the sake of non-members of the Academic Community, Congregation is a University Statutory body comprising academic and non-teaching members of staff who are university graduates. It is a virile and vibrant arm that is represented in the apex decision making of the nation’s Ivory Towers, the Governing Council. Congregation also serves as an arm of the University through which information from the Management is disseminated, assimilated, received and responded to. As a matter of fact, the action or inaction of the body is germane to the progress and development or otherwise of the University.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018. Time 2.08pm. The mien of members portrayed expectations like a bride awaiting the arrival of her groom at the nick of commencement of wedding ceremony. Their form and poise is understandable. Congregation meeting in FUNAAB is not a cocktail party. Experience recalled and lend credence to the fact that it is usually business unusual. It is the forum where the programmes, policies and activities of Management are sufficiently laid bare. It is a platform where knotty issues affecting the mutual interest of cadres of staff are consensusly addressed. This particular meeting is no exception. The second of it kind since Professor Felix Kolawole Salako mounted the saddle as the Sixth Substantive Vice-chancellor of the University; so also for fellow new Principal Officers: Professor Morenike Dipeolu, Deputy Vice-chancellor (Academic), Professor Lateef Sanni, Deputy Vice-chancellor (Development), Dr. ‘Bola Adekola (Registrar), Mr. Chukwuwinke Ezekpeazu (Bursar) and the University Librarian, Dr. Fehintola Onifade. The stage is set; Not a stranger to public communication. Experience has taught him that it is his statutorily responsibility to kick-start the meeting. Exuding confidence, the Registrar, Dr. Adekola walked focusly to the dias, he took hold of the microphone and his voice reverberated thus:

“I am delighted to welcome you to the Congregation Meeting dedicated to mark the One Year in office of our Vice-chancellor, Professor Kolawole Salako. Today, our ViceChancellor will share with us his Administration’s score-card. He has come specially loaded to give us a feel of his activities in the last one year”. Truly the Vice-chancellor was “loaded” in the real sense of the word as he held his audience spellbound for over two hours, churning and reeling out catalogue of meaningful achievements that squarely addressed the teething needs of members of the University Community. Setting the tone of his speech which he delivered fluently with intermittent enunciation of salient points, the Professor of Soil Physics dug beneath the surface of the thematic concerns, pin-pointing crystal clearly that “I want the Congregation to know that I have not come to access myself but I owe it a duty to intimate you with what we have done in one year of office”. Professor Salako who titled his speech, “Here We Are” said it was imperative for him to rub minds with the Congregation because they are strategically important to the day-to-day running of the University, more so that they are a combination of academic and non-teaching staff whom he described as intellectuals. It is indisputable that only in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that meaningful progress and development can be achieved. Professor Salako, himself a lover of peace emphasized this much as the hallmark of the direction and focus of his Administration on his assumption of office. Enabling atmosphere is more desirable and crucial at the time of his assumption office, taking cognizance of the fact that the dusts raised by the subtle ‘family’ crisis that rocked the University was just settling down.

The Vice-chancellor in his first year of office lived up to expectation in this respect. Knowing that he’s a father of all, the bridge across the divides and fence mender, Professor Salako held the Olive branch, extended his hands of fellowship and in the process assuaged and calmed the frayed nerves of the aggrieves without compromising standard. Today, FUNAAB is a safe haven of peace, where normalcy of robust rapport and harmonious co-existence of stakeholders has been deeply restored and under which successive meaningful achievements and development evolves.

Within his first year in office, the scientist in the Vice-chancellor with unreprentant passion for food security came into play. As a former Director of the food security arm of the University, Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC) and former Director of the Community Based Farming Scheme (COBFAS), coupled with his research and other academic activities, he has carved an enviable niche and he’s widely revered for contributing immensely to poverty alleviation through increased food production. Little wonders that barely five months in office (November to March 2018), Professor Salako built and upgraded the Cassava Processing Factory in the University Industrial Park Unit where odourless fufu, gari, plaintain flour, poundo yam flour, High Quality Cassava Flour use for Composite Bread and cashew-nut are scientifically processed. The processing factory shares philosophy with the Bill and Melinda Gates sponsored Cassava: Adding Value to Africa (C:AVA) where the duo of top ranking members of the University Community, Professor Lateef Sanni, Deputy ViceChancellor (Development) and Professor Kolawole Adebayo are C:AVA Country Manager and Project Manager respectively.