Reminiscences On A Great Academician: Prof. Albert Ilemobade

THE late Prof. Albert A. Ilemobade, the slain former Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, will be laid to rest at the All Saint’s Anglican Church, Ogbonkogho, Ondo State, on Thursday, July 30, 2015.

The loss of this great Vetenary Surgeon brings to mind great thoughts about the beautiful life he lived. He was a great scholar and skilled administrator whose tenure in FUTA changed both the social, academic and physical structure of the environment.

This tribute recounts some events that brought us together and my candid reminiscences about his quality as a unique friend of great valour who served this nation to his last day.

When the late Ilemobade turned 70, I sent him a two-page letter from where I am lifting part of this piece. I spoke with him in the early hours of Saturday, June 20, 2015. It sounded like he was at a prayer fellowship because of the noise around where he was. His last words were “I’ll call you back later Andy”, Albert never did! Quite sad. Why did the intuition in me not press me further to drive down to Akure from Odode-Idanre to meet this wonderful man of great warmth full of wits!

Let me ramble a bit. I had worked with Prof. Delola Adeloye (now 80) and Prof. Theodore Francis at their surgery at UCH making sketches of the brain of soldiers with bullets stuck in them. Later, I left Ibadan and came to UNILAG. My association with the two surgeons eventually led me to meeting Albert.

The Federal Government was planning Universities of Technology. I was representing Unilag on the J.C.C. Reference Committee. Mr. Olaniyan (now Chief Olaniyan) was on the Board too. From there, FUTA and four others started to form. I was not involved at the higher level decision when later the decision to set up the University formerly came into being, but Chief Olaniyan and Prince Adesanoye (later Oba Adesanoye) did as they worked assiduously to see that Ondo had one of the Technical Universities.

Prof. Theodore Francis who I had known during my days in Ibadan became the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. J.C. Ijeoma, the Registrar and Chief G. Akinola-Deko the Pro-Chancellor. They commissioned me to produce three designs each for the University Logo, the Principal Officers Gowns and the Students Academic Gowns for the three foundation Schools with which FUTA started. One of each of my designs for each group was selected and are still in use to date.

We worked closely together until Prof. Theodore Francis completed his term and Albert stepped in. On November 14, 1988, Prof. A. A. Ilemobade assumed office as the second Vice-Chancellor of the University. The University played host to its visitor General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, during the 1990 convocation when the N50 million-endowment fund was launched, the first of such in any Nigeria University.

Prince Andrew A. Aroloye, Odode-Idanre, andreproductions@yahoo.com