Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo, 80, former vice- chancellor of the University of Ibadan shares his life experiences in this interview with ADEOLA BALOGUN
As someone who became a professor in 1975 (about 40 years ago), what are you still dong in this environment?
It is the only environment I can survive in, and I don’t think I can survive anywhere else. When you say environment, I think you mean the university environment. I have been in this room for a length of time. This is the first room that I checked into when I joined the University of Ibadan and I have been in and out – from a head of department to the vice-chancellor. This room has always been reserved for me. It is the only life for me. I can’t conceptualise any other life that will give me this level of satisfaction and fulfilment. I enjoy it enormously.
One would assume you wouldn’t want to teach again after being a vice-chancellor
No. When I left the office of the vice-chancellor, I resumed teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students. But I understood I wasn’t fair to the undergraduates because I did cancel so many lectures due to the fact that I was being called from here and there. So at a time, I stopped teaching the undergraduates because I thought I better not make life difficult for them. The postgraduates’ lectures could be scheduled without any problem. But now, my students are welcome to see me here; my colleagues can come in and discuss with me. I feel satisfied and fulfilled.
What do you do on your typical day?
Let’s look at my typical week first. Unless I am not in Ibadan, I am here every Wednesday and everybody knows that. But on the other days, what I do is I stay a bit longer in bed. After a light breakfast, I work in my study until lunch. After lunch, I also work briefly in my study and then I take a break. After supper, I also work for about two hours in my study. That’s the routine. Then of course within that general routine, I get invited out of Ibadan and within and I fit my schedule into such programmes.
Can you give an assessment of the English language in the universities in Nigeria, being among the pioneer teachers?
If you look at the English department, what you see is that prior to the late 50s, the English departments of universities in this country were teaching the same kind of courses, but gradually as we came into the 60s, adaptations began to be made. I came in to this department at first when it was time to diversify a little because the degree awarded here before I came in was a degree in Literature. The department wanted to offer alternatives so that the students who came here could graduate with BA in Literature, BA in English Literature and BA in English Language. At every point, we wanted the students who came to this department to do some Literature and language. So things have changed, and have been broadened now. Also, I can say that the process of adaptation has been even broadened better because the subjects we teach are now related to the circumstances of our country. Now more African and Caribbean Literature are done, unlike before. So there has been improvement.
You’ve been in Ibadan for over 50 years. What keeps you here; what is the attraction?
Well, the fact that I am partially from Ibadan is one of the factors that have made me stay here for that length of time. I am not a foreigner here. I have spent more years in Ibadan than anywhere else. I have friends here and I am very comfortable. I don’t know how I will live if I am in Lagos; it’s a bit chaotic there. In Ibadan, once you have the right mix with seriousness, you will like it here.
Can you remember the day you walked here when it was still called the University College, Ibadan?
Actually, I didn’t do my undergraduate studies here. So when I walked properly into this place as a lecturer, surprisingly, there was no culture shock for me. I spent five years in Britain before coming here. In fact, when I first came here, I felt like I was still in Britain. Things were fine. I had no reason not to adapt. I picked up from where I left in Britain. At that time, the University College of Ibadan was among the best universities in the Commonwealth. Unfortunately, we have moved back from that position over the years.
Why then did the university go down so quickly?
Well, all universities all over the world had the free hand to charge fees, and once a university is not supplied with finance, it will not move forward. Researches, especially in the sciences, involve a lot of money. The University of Ibadan was founded in 1948; Nigeria became independent in 1960; and this university also became independent in 1962. One has to admit that the university fared better under the colonial regime because the colonial masters had only one standard to copy, and that standard was the one in their own country. People argued that they were turning the university into their own culturally, but I don’t agree with that. Throughout that time and until now, Nigerians still go to Britain to study. The thing is that the British knew what it would cost to keep a university going, and they gave it everything. They made sure that Nigeria was at the forefront of research, especially in Chemistry, History, Linguistics, etc. Things were happening fine. But the moment our people got into government with the doctrine of balancing the regions, much of the money that could have been coming to Ibadan found its way somewhere else. I think finance is the biggest constraint that UI has. A few years ago when things were getting really bad, I got information from my former university in Britain –information about the institution’s finance and accounts- when I converted the income to naira, it was more than the budget for all the federal universities we had at that time. That’s one university that didn’t have to generate its own electricity, or tar its own roads, or need to have a fleet of cars. They don’t spend money on some of the unnecessary things that we spend money on here. They just go for teaching and research. I must admit that in the past few years, the Federal Government has been able to respond in a little way, though. Innovations are happening all over the world; discoveries are being made, but not much is happening here. These countries spend money on researches that focus on what don’t even affect them. Mind you, we have the brightest minds here, but there are no resources to carry out their researches. Some of them who have been frustrated enough have travelled abroad where they have access to facilities. However, it is good that some individuals here are establishing private universities where many of these researches can be carried out. I insist it is not moral for the Federal Government to wash its hands off completely from the affairs of federal or private universities. What I feel is for the Federal Government to grant aids and grants to the universities because it is the responsibility of government to train every Nigerian. Like what the colonial masters did by establishing missionary schools and giving them grants and aids, the Federal Government can also do that and that will stimulate the growth of the universities. We have the human resources in this country; finance is the main problem. In fact, what we need to start doing is how to attract back many Nigerian scholars who have travelled out to other parts of the world. Many of them want to come back, but they don’t want to come and sit in a lab where there is no electricity or water running. We need to focus more on infrastructure.
Will it be out of place if universities start charging their own fees?
There was a time when government subsidised university education to the extent that students didn’t have to pay, but there were only about six universities at that time. Now we have around 80 federal universities; so now the era has passed where we can say we have enough money that the students don’t have to pay again. While one is saying universities could charge fees, one is not advocating the charge of exploitative fees; but a contribution to the financial resources of the universities is not out of point. We need to turn around. Nigeria should be discovering things, not consuming products of researches.
How was it like having a father who was a graduate in the 30s?
Now, I look back and realise how privileged I was. Of course at times when you’re growing up, you feel like everybody is passing through the same experience as yourself. But as I was growing up, I knew there was a sacred place in my father’s house – which was his study. It was full of books and other educational resources. Even as children, he told us educational stories which I have found useful up till now. I went to the best school in Oyo at that time; D.O. Fagunwa was my headmaster. I had a privilege of having many great tutors at that time. It was interesting to me. I had a very happy time in Oyo. When I was 10 years old, we moved to Lagos – different from the hectic Lagos we have now. I was fortunate to go to the best schools in Lagos, including Igbobi College. I have been extremely privileged.
One would think you were going to be a doctor or a scientist; but why Arts?
I will answer you first by saying ‘Why not Arts?’ Well, there is still this tendency to try to list courses in hierarchical order. People believe the brightest minds go for sciences and engineering, while the least bright go for humanities. I don’t think it works that way. It is not true at all. As a matter of fact, I had one of the best results in my secondary school. My results in sciences were as good as my results in humanities. What I noticed was that I used to get excellent results in English Language almost effortlessly. I was in love with mathematics, but when I left school, my English teacher was surprised when I told him I was going for Arts. I don’t think you can arrange professions in hierarchical order. In fact, if you want to go back to history, Philosophy, which is an aspect of humanities was the pioneer subject known to man. And even now, when you look at the calibre of people in this department, you will discover that they are gifted people.
Didn’t your dad try to dissuade you?
No. My dad was also enlightened. My father didn’t involve himself in two things – matters of the course to study and that of choosing a wife. He would only give his advice. He wouldn’t interfere in any noticeable degree. But I had an elder brother who studied Medicine, so maybe he was happy that at least we had a doctor in the family.
Why didn’t you stay back after your studies in Britain?
When I finished my first degree in Britain, we were still a colony. One day I walked into the Nigerian office in London to make enquiries about the opportunities that were available in Nigeria at that time. So, I met a lady there, and she interviewed me. She asked me what course I studied and the class of degree, and I told her. She went in and brought a form for me to fill. I completed the form and she asked when I was going back home. Meanwhile, at that time, I had registered with another university to do a postgraduate course in education; so I still had one year left in Britain. However, she asked me to drop my details which I did. Three months later, I got a call from that office that the French government had given scholarships to three Nigerian students to go to France to study French. That’s what they told me but there’s more they could have told me. So I went to France. I later learnt that they were trying to form the first set of Nigerian foreign diplomats to train them. So when I came back from France, I went to this office and they told me that they were trying to recruit some Nigerians into the new Nigerian Foreign Service. I then wrote to my father to let him know of the development. And again, he didn’t really tell me to accept or reject the offer. He simply asked me: “You’ve been away for five years. Don’t you think you should come back home because they could start posting you across the world that you won’t be able to come home in the next 20 years?” I thought about this and went back to the London office to break the news to them. As it has turned out, I haven’t made the wrong choice.
Was the Nigerian Civil Service enticing then?
No. In fact, the impression in my generation was that the Civil Service was a place where there was no creativity or originality; you do things only as you are told. Teachers are moulding lives and I chose the profession because of that reason.
They say teacher’s reward is in heaven; was that the impression you also had then?
Well, I suppose it was, but at that time, the impression was to serve Nigeria and not about the materialistic mentality. The question of amassing wealth was not so strong then. In fact, the saying that ‘teacher’s reward is in heaven’ was attractive to me then. People want it here and now these days. We were not obsessed with all those things then. And this is what is causing corruption.
How did you do serving as vice-chancellor in UI for two terms?
The reason is simple. It is just a matter of giving one’s best and leaving the rest to God. As a matter of fact, there was nothing like scheming even when I was appointed the VC for the first time. I simply gave it my best. I even tried rejecting the offer but when it came to me, I gave it my best. After the end of the first term, I was surprised I was still given another chance, despite the opposition from the Ministry of Education in Abuja. It was after this that the rule came that VCs should only serve one term. It’s just by luck that I ran the office for two terms.
How was it like being the VC of the University of Ibadan then?
There were challenges as well as honour. First, let me talk about the challenges of being the VC of Nigeria’s premier university. I went to Britain sometime ago and I got to the Immigration Desk at Heathrow Airport; I gave my passport to the immigration officer and seeing the title ‘professor’ in my passport, he asked: ‘What do you do?’ I told him I worked in a university. He asked which university, and I told him the University of Ibadan. He stopped checking my passport and took a picture of me. He said, ‘Good university.’ So it’s a position of utmost responsibility – to give the students memories that could last them for the rest of their lives. That’s one thing I began to see gradually. I tried to see what I could do to ease the lives of students. So, it was hard work that the university didn’t collapse during my tenure. The only time when this university was shut down was when other universities were shut down. I just wished I had more money to embark on infrastructural development.
What was your experience when you got into the office and had to face this problem of infrastructure?
That was one thing that was a bit of a disappointment to me. I went to the governor of Oyo State at that time and I asked him if we could use the surplus water from Eleyele so we could use it as treatment water and start producing water. The governor called the Water Corporation and put up a ridiculous amount on it. First, we had to pay an incredible amount on raw water and then treat it again. Normally, this is not supposed to be so. I tried my best to give the students what they deserved, I can say that. I believe things will get better, especially in attracting back our people who have left for other countries and to keep the people who are still here so that they don’t run away.
After your long tenure as VC, did you find it comfortable becoming an ordinary lecturer?
I enjoyed it. In fact, I still lived as I live now when I was VC. I was conscious it was just a temporary position. Instead of getting a driver, I drove myself around town and people used to make jokes of me, ‘Is this not the VC?’ To me, I didn’t count it a big deal. If you are too conscious that you are a VC, to come back and start lecturing would be difficult. As a matter of fact, one should know that being a VC doesn’t mean you are the best in the university, the cleverest or the most senior. If you don’t let things get into your head, you would come back fine. In fact, the day I left the office of the VC was a dramatic one. I drove myself home that day. I never for once thought I was the head of the institution.
So being a professor is more thrilling for you?
Yes, and not just being a professor, but a professor in the University of Ibadan.
What informed your dressing style – just a simple shirt and tie?
I believe that if you are a teacher, it will be bad of you not being properly dressed. You have to be formally dressed and I have been doing this ever since I started teaching. It shows respect. It has been my habit to dress like this all the time. I’ve got used to this. I am also always conscious of the fact that I could be called for presentation at any time. So I try to look presentable at all times.
You have a lot of your former students who are now professors. How do you feel?
It’s part of the reward of being a teacher. I am proud of all of them. I derive pleasure in having trained them. I feel very happy that they have also assumed positions of responsibilities. I feel fulfilled I have made impacts on people’s lives.
Being a professor for 40 years now, do you have a biological child that is a professor?
No. They say times change. I have four children and two of them have Master’s degrees. Two of them are carrying on to PhD levels, but right now, none of them is a professor. I would have been very happy if one of them is, to continue the line of succession.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Let me confess to you that is a question that has always crossed my mind and I have always pondered over it myself. I hope it would be written on my tombstone that ‘This was Ayo Banjo – the good and the wise.’ Those are the two things I have been striving for. I crave for morality, goodness and wisdom.
How do you feel at 80?
I don’t feel any different from when I was younger. I am lucky I am not the sickly type. So I have no major worry healthwise as far as I am able to conduct my daily routine as I have done for many years. I have not really noticed the passage of time – which is what I am always grateful to God for.
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