Professor Samuel Adeoya Ojo, is one of the many professors of his generation from Ekiti, easily one of the biggest “factories” for the production of academics in Africa.

Professor Samuel Adeoya Ojo

And he has been a pioneer many times over: his class of 27 in secondary school produced 23 professors; he was founding Director of the Nigerian French Language Village etc. He will be 70 years old on May 25. He shares his life experience with Bashir Adefaka.

On his early life?
I was born into a very modest family in a place called Ifaki-Ekiti in the present Ekiti State.  I was not born into a very, very wealthy family but I was born into a family that appreciated children.  I matured much earlier than most of my peer group.  I was just able to resolve some of the complications of life so early.

I was born into a polygamous family but I must confess that I was not in any way inundated or destabilized by all the vices of polygamy.  And the simple reason is that I grew up to appreciate who I was; I grew up not hoping that my destiny, my future, my life depended on anybody except God.

So I was not bothered by any of those problems that would normally afflict polygamy.  So I grew up as a very, very happy child, very disciplined, very obedient, very appreciative of the values of life.  And I was a very listening and very, very decent child.  You know, my parents cherished a lot. I didn’t have problem with my academics.  I had the privilege of enjoying a lot of goodwill from all those who were around me.

And again I wasn’t a poor student.  I was one of the best students in my class and as the Lord would have it, I succeeded in having the best school certificate result in a class of 27 that produced 23 professors within 15 years of leaving the secondary school.  It was a class of very, very brilliant people.

The interesting thing about my life is that it happened that I was always part of the pioneering venture: I was one of the pioneering graduates of the Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s free primary education system in 1955.  I also pioneered my secondary school.

After leaving the secondary school the Lord also did it that I was a pioneer in the institution that I attended, the Federal Advanced Teachers’ College where I did my NCE for three years in Lagos.  I must confess that the Lord also enabled me to do well in the school and  at the end of it I was lucky to be given the scholarship that allowed me to go France to study.

I did my first degree in France, I did my masters degree in France, I came back to Nigeria and I became a lecturer in the University of Lagos.

When did you become a professor?

I became a Professor of French in 1983 and three years later I was given the special privilege of being a pioneer director of the Nigerian French Language Village.  (Laughs)  There again I was a pioneer. The Lord actually made me to be a pioneer in my life and that is one of the things that I have to thank the Lord for.

There is something that is very peculiar and unique to me in my life experience and it is that, my pioneering had taught me how to cope with the challenges of life.  It also taught me how to see life as a very worthy battle and that the more you invest in life the more you are likely going to reap.  If you investment energy, commitment; if you invest interest and you are always sticking to yourself, you are gradually helping to lift yourself up.  That’s one of those things that I gained in life.

At a time many people would want to go to study in England, you went to France.  What was the attraction and what language background did you have of French that made you feel you could have it smooth studying in France?

The only thing that would have been an attraction to me was France because in my three years NCE programme I did French and English.  And at the end of it, the best of my classmates were given the scholarships to further their education in France and I was one of them.

You know, there was no attraction for me to go to Britain because the only place I could learn French was certainly France.  And the only place where I could advance my study of the language was France.

So the language background I had was the three years NCE programme I had in Federal Advanced Teachers’ College and I also did French in secondary school because I studied Latin which also helped me to appreciate how to study a foreign language.

So when I got to France, the language was not a problem to me.  I was actually given a scholarship to stay in France for one year but because of the ….  that I didn’t have problem in learning the language and I had the opportunity of renewing my scholarship on a yearly basis.  We were honoured people in France and at the end of it, I registered for my Ph.D.

You are from Ekiti, a part of Nigeria renowned for its production of many professors.  What  is the attraction about professorship for the people?

The only thing that Ekitis are known for, which must have also contributed in this special education we have having, having so many professors is that we are, by nature, very hard working.  We are by nature very, very committed to what we are doing.  I want to tell you that for academic success, you need to work hard very well and be convinced that whatever you are doing, you can get the good result without stress.

There is this thing that distinguishes the Ekitis and it is the fact that we are very, very conscious of who you are, of the family which you come from, which therefore means that you would always try, as a typical Ekiti man, to uphold the noble virtues of your lineage and so you do not want to be found in the company of those who are cheating in examinations, who are dishonest in wherever or whatever they are doing.

So the typical Ekiti man is used to achieving success, he’s used to working for success.  We don’t just have success, we work for success and in working for success, you are tuned to wanting to achieve a lot because you encouraged to overcome whatever comes in your way of achieving that success.

The first generation in Ekiti were interested in education.  Invariably we were teachers.  You won’t find, in my generation, many accountants, engineers and so on.  The academic was our first and we were interested in being there and attaining the peak of it.  To me, these are some of the things that made Ekiti people to have produced many, many learned people.

What led to the establishment of the Nigerian French Language Village and how did you emerge its director?
It was through the grace of the most high God that I got to the directorship of the French Village.  I never lobbied for that position.  I never even competed for it.  I was nominated by somebody who appreciated the quality of the work I did before.

The French Village came out as a result of certain problems in the university system at that time.  The government just decided that the only way that they could save French from being totally wiped out from the universities was to find a solution to the very, very expensive one-year programme in French at that time.

There was problem with our foreign exchange, the government was unable to release money for the one year programme and so Nigeria was owing money and it was becoming a shame for the country to host more countries like Togo and Benin Republic and so on.  So people from the universities and Ministry of Education were brought together to work out the solution.

That was what led to the establishment of the Nigerian French Language Village.

By the time that committee, of which I was a member, submitted its report to the Minister of Education, Professor Babatunde Fafunwa, government decided after a few months that they needed an Implementation Blue Print for the French Village.

They then appointed a committee that was headed by me.  I was then the Head of Department of French in the University of Lagos.  They gave us three months to finish the works.  I think we finished it in 45 days and we did a thorough work.  And Professor Fafunwa was highly impressed about the quality of work that we did within a short time.

So I think the minister was just impressed that ‘Oh, this man is good and this is a man who has been involved in all the programmes regarding how the blue print was brought about and if he’s given the chance, he will make it work out well.’  That was how I was invited to head the French Village  by the Minister of Education, Professor Fafunwa at that time and I was there for 12 years.

Initially I was given a two-year tenure but considering the quality of work that was coming out and because of the way that I was managing the place, government just felt that the best thing was to renew my mandate and that was how I was there for 12 years from 1992 to 2003.  And I must thank the Lord for what we were able to do.  Myself and my team, we started an institution that was very, very formidable.

Profile:

Name:        Professor Samuel Adeoya Ojo, OON.
Date of birth:        May 5, 1941.
Place of birth:        Ekiti State.
Present position:    Retiree.
Strength of character:    Godliness, courage and humility.