Indigenes of Ibadan in Oyo State have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint one of the four indigenes of the city aspiring to occupy the position of Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan as well as the next chief medical director of the University Teaching Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan.
At a press briefing in Ibadan on Sunday, the President of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), the apex socio-cultural group in Ibadan, Adeyemi Soladoye, alleged marginalisation in past appointments to the positions.
He said the University of Ibadan, established in 1948, has not had an Ibadan indigene as vice chancellor adding that the UCH has also never had an Ibadan indigene as CMD. The tenure of the current vice chancellor of the university is expiring in November this year.
According to him, it is unfortunate that the university in its 72-year- history has produced 14 Nigerian vice chancellors since 1960 but none of them has been an Ibadan indigene, adding, “This neglect is not for absence of qualified Ibadan indigenes within the U.I system or in the academic circle of Nigeria to occupy the coveted seat of the Vice-Chancellor of the U.I.”
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He said, “There are four professors in the university who are indigenes of Ibadan that are qualified for the position. We have Remi Raji-Oyelade, who is a former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and current Member, University of Ibadan Governing Council; Kayode Adebowale, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration; Emiola Olapade-Olaopa, who is the immediate past Provost of the College of Medicine; and Kolapo Hamzat, who is the Head of Department of Physiotherapy.”
“In similar vein, it is now 54 years since Ibadan gave large expanse of land to build the University College Hospital (UCH), still, no Ibadan man has ever emerged as the Chief Medical Director of UCH – this one again seems to be the exclusive right of the indigenes of Ekiti and Ondo states,” appealing to the President to pick one of these indigenes for the position of vice chancellor.
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He said these records called for caution even on the part of the beneficiaries, adding, “Despite all the above, everybody is aware of the trademarks of tolerance and hospitability of Ibadan people. All ethnic and religious groups in Nigeria live in wisely assigned compounds on Ibadan land and there has never been ethnic or religious riot on Ibadan land.
“We do not want innocent oversight on the part of some Nigerians to cause disharmony between us and our Yoruba kinsmen but then this handshake is going too far beyond the elbow,” he said.
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