Twenty years have passed since Professor Jelili Adebisi Omotola, SAN, the seventh Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), departed from this world. Yet, his footprints remain deeply etched in the sands of time. Fondly known as “OmoT” by his admirers, he also had his detractors within UNILAG, often referred to as the “Ogoni 9.” His overall balance sheet weighed heavily on the asset side, generating a substantial surplus that kept him as a “capital” with great reserves. This reserve is what the Dean of Law, Professor Abiola Sanni; the Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola; the Pro-Chancellor and Doyen of Silk Group in Nigeria, Wole Olanipekun; and the children of OmoT are committed to growing continuously. They showcase this legacy through awards and infrastructure upgrades, staging international moot sessions for law students, with winners rewarded handsomely in cash and kind.
A Visionary Leader Ahead of His Time
Despite criticisms from his foes regarding his foray into the “Outreach Degree Programme” in South Korea—a venture that, by today's standards, could have generated significant Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for the university—it remains a visionary initiative unmatched by other Nigerian universities in internationalizing higher education. For the Pro-Chancellor, OmoT was “sui generis,” a class of its own and unparalleled. He was his teacher, mentor, and during the silk selection process, an impartial adjudicator. Olanipekun was part of the selection team that presented OmoT for the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN). He described him as “Awonagbawa won fi toroawonagba,” an outstanding personality who must be rated accordingly for his enormous goodwill value. He stood by him in times of joy and travail.
Leadership During Turbulent Times
From 1995 to 2000, Professor Omotola led UNILAG, taking the bull by the horns during a trying period in Nigeria. The country was under military rule, transitioning from General Sani Abacha through General Abdusalami Abubakar to the emergence of civilian government. University education was brought to its knees as the military showed little regard for it. Poverty reigned in Nigerian universities then. University administrators were greatly challenged, but UNILAG seemed isolated with teaching materials, air conditioners, refrigerators, and televisions coming from South Korea—a country that had once begged Nigerians and other foreign investors to invest just $10,000 in their economy to earn citizenship. Some Nigerians became manufacturers and businessmen in South Korea, forming a support group that made the demand for a Nigerian university outreach program quite appealing there. This strategy, carried out through informal engagements, made informal tactical activities possible; offering them Nigerian university education was like counterpart funding in kind.
Legal and Administrative Innovations
Although the law establishing the university frowned upon such informal tactical forays, it remained a marginal activity or even a lesser injurious offense compared to the injuries inflicted on universities by military rule. During the “Moot and Mock Trial Session” celebrating OmoT at the University Auditorium on April 30, it was baffling to hear that when both claimant and defendant are guilty of committing an injury identifiable by law—especially in conflicting documents of land ownership—equitable interest could supersede legal interest in adjudication. Thus, OmoT could have been vindicated in his struggle to keep UNILAG alive amidst conflicting military and civil society interests: accepting military decrees that disrespect university education versus the de jure legal instruments that established the university to compete universally.
A Father's Approach to University Funding
At an ASUU meeting, OmoT once appeared and declared: “Money is no longer coming to the university as it should to support research and teaching. As the father of this university, I cannot fold my arms and watch poverty take hold. I must go out and bring money into the university, and it is your duty as lecturers to devise intrapreneurial abilities to access the funds I intend to bring. Show what you are capable of and access the funds.” Today, universities engage in multiple cooperatives and sign memoranda of understanding to attract research grants by associating with highly rated universities worldwide, as Nigerian universities have yet to feature among the top 100. Imagine if equitable interest, as opposed to military disdain and officious legalese, had made the South Korean foray a truly universal venture to keep faith with the university's vision of being one of the best in the world, well-rated to access international research funds.
Business Acumen and Legacy
OmoT often said, “A lawyer has no business with poverty,” just as the university has no business begging for money. He advised telling business people what the university needs infrastructure-wise and the accruable benefits when they install it; this approach is easier than begging for money. His vision is seen today in Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) models. With OmoT, the Federal Government installed “chateau d’eau” and entered into UNILAG Water Venture. Engineering projects followed with a great hall infrastructure seating over 5,000 people, accessible by event planners. He also envisioned making the lagoon front a major tourist corner with planted hospitality activities, and helped actualize access to UNILAG by water, road, and air. He succeeded a Vice Chancellor known for being highly academic but leaving the business side unattended. His admirers say he needed to prove that a Vice Chancellor is both academic and business-oriented, hence his great concern for demonstrating effectiveness in both realms.
His legacy lives on, and it behooves the university to perpetuate it, as Professor Sanni, the Dean of Law, is doing. Ariole is a Professor of French and Francophone Studies at UNILAG.
