14/11/2023
I am an Apostle of Hard Work with Integrity and Honesty– FUNAAB Former Registrar, Adekola
Former Registrar of Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Dr Hakeem 'Bola Adekola shares his life and work experiences with Kabirat Arowona.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: Can we meet you, Sir?
Dr. ABDUL-HAKEEM: My name is Abdul-Hakeem Bola Adekola. I am a native of Lukogbe in Ogun waterside Local Government area of Ogun State. I was born in Lagos but was raised in Lukogbe in Ogun waterside. I attended Local Government Primary School, Lukogbe between 1974-1980. I attended Community High School Ibiade between 1980 and 1985 for my Secondary School Education. I proceeded to the then Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye between 1985-1989. I had my Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education in Ogun state. I bagged my first degree in History in 1989. My second degree is in Personnel Psychology which I also bagged from Olabisi Onabanjo University, the then Ogun State University. And I have a PhD in Personnel Psychology in 2006.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: What's your career trajectory?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: I started off as a staff of department of Social mobilization popularly known as MAMSER in 1991 before I crossed to Olabisi Onabanjo University where I rose through the ranks to become a Deputy Registrar in 2007. Same year, I competed and was appointed as the Pioneer Registrar of Fountain University Osogbo where I served between 2007–2012. At the completion of my appointment in Fountain University, I returned to Olabisi Onabanjo University where I served again as the Deputy Registrar in charge of Academic planning and later Deputy Registrar Senate Affairs where I was untill I competed again and was appointed as the Registrar of the Federal university of Agriculture Abeokuta. I resumed as the 4th substantive Registrar of Federal university of Agriculture Abeokuta on October 3rd 2017 and I served for six years and I ended my tenure on the 30th of September 2023. I am married to Professor Busirat Oluwakemi Adekola and we're blessed with Children and a grand child.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: FunaabCampusVanguard gathered that you were born in Lagos but you had your Secondary Education in Ogun waterside, what was growing up like? Do you think the environment you grew up contributed to your growth in any way?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Yes, I was born in Lagos State. My parents were living in Lagos in the late 60s when I was born and I lived some aspect of my young age in Lagos but I had to relocated back to Lukogbe in Ogun Waterside Local Government when I lost my Dad. As it was institutional in those days, we were taken back home and that was why I attended my Primary and Secondary school in Lukogbe and Ibiade respectively in Ogun Waterside Local Government. Growing up was very tough. I lost my Dad in 1971 and incidentally lost my mum the very year I started Primary school which was in 1974 and that made life practically not too easy but we weathered through it. I had to do a lot of job as a young child to be able to support myself in school, not because there were no other people doing so but they've children to support so I had to support myself. We thank God, I did everything I needed to do, I went to school and came out shinning. I was just lucky to be brilliant as endowed by Almighty Allah.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: What inspired you to be an Educationist?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Becoming an Educationist wasn't really by desire but it has been ordained by God. I remembered when I was in secondary school, I wanted to be a Medical Doctor. I attended a secondary school where we were the Pioneer set. By the time I got to class four, I found out that we do not have the good background in science to be qualify to study Medicine as we didn't have a Physics teacher. We were doing Biology and
Chemistry but we didn't have anyone to take us Physics throughout our class three. I decided to switch in class four to Humanities and l dropped Chemistry for Biology, added History in place of Physics and at the end of the day, I decided to add Literature because I switch from being a Medical Doctor to being a lawyer.
As I did that, I went into my School SAT examination and JAMB thinking that LAW is it. When I was to be admitted to the university, I had a bad luck like everybody in that year of a late release of our WAEC result even tho I was admitted for LAW on merit but I had no result to register.
I had all the required O level combination I needed to register for LAW but they've already closed the admission for that year, I had no option than to settle for my second option which was B. History as I never wanted to stay at home waiting. I registered for B. History with the hope of changing to LAW later. Those of us that were good were not released by our Department. No Department wants to produce bad students if they released all their good students. They gave us the option of starting at a lower level in the third year, I couldn't bear it because I was under a very tight sponsorship meaning I mustn't add additional year to my stay in the University. After graduating, I started a job in the Public Service and eventually find myself competing to get a job in the University system as an Administrative Officer. And that has been my trajectory till today that I've been in the Educational Sector and I've tried my best in the last 33years to pay my dues.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: How would you describe your first job and what was the Labour market like when you joined?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: I completed my Degree in 1989, before that time, the Nigeria Economy has already deteriorated and issues of unemployment has risen since the end of second democratic experience in 1983– the time SHAGARI Government was overthrown. Issues of Unemployment, Inflation, Economy distress and so on has eaten the country.
People finished and could not get a job for two to three years and the fear of those of us who may have to rely on Public service, that's if you are not a professional like those who can boost of establishing themselves like Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, and Lawyers. We all finished school believing things would be tough but Alhamdulillah. When I finished service in 1989, I quickly registered for professional courses in Personnel Management and Public Relations with the hope of booting my chances and not depending on the Degree alone making me more employable than others that we finished together. As God would have it, by January 1990, I got a job with MAMSER unlike many of my mates.
Many of them waited two years before they could get a job. I have a friend we finished together who became a Marketing Officer to a local paint industry but today he's a Colonel in the Army because he was lucky again when they employed those who became National Guards that were later absorbed by the Army. He was lucky because of his height and physical strength to be employed, that's just to give you the situation of what it was at that time that it was tough getting jobs. I got tough getting with Federal Government job in MAMSER as a Social Mobilization Officer 2 and switched that same year to become Administrative Officer 2 in the University system. The truth is, we did well. The two environment I had my jobs were good environments. The first one, the Social Mobilization was tough in the sense that we were employed at that time to facilitate the employment of the citizenry for the 1991 population census which took me to the hooks and crannies of Ogun Waterside.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: How do you feel knowing that you are a big personality a lot of people look up to as their mentor and role model?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Having been in the system for some years and I've had the opportunity of not only being a Faculty Officer, Secretary Post Graduate School, and also served in various aspects of the University– I have been Deputy Registrar and Registrar. I know that People look up to me, either my former students, present students or Staffs and I've also have the privilege of lecturing both at diploma first degree and Masters level. I have supervised students, both in first degree and second degree. I have had opportunity of interacting with students all my life therefore it's not difficult to come to that reality of the fact that people look up to me but what it means is that one must live an exemplary life people can emulate. You must be able to offer advice to people. By my own background, by having a rough background, I am also there to mentor people who can call themselves indigent who really want to get to the top that looking at the teeth of a king, you will never be able to realize that he also sucked the breast of his mother. What it entails is that, you carry yourself around with integrity, hard work, honesty and ensuring that you are friendly with everybody.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: Having served as the Registrar of Fountain University and Deputy Registrar at Olabisi Onabanjo University, and recently out of office as FUNAAB Registrar, what do you have to say about your impressive 29years career in University Administration?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Combined together, I've been in the University system for over 32 years, I've had most privilege other Administrative Officers do not have, including Lecturers. I have served in a State University, Private University and Federal university. Meaning that I have transversed all aspect of ownership structure in Nigeria and that gives me a robust experience to talk as an Authority in University Administration in Nigeria.
University education in Nigeria has been very tough, tough in terms of funding, and the basic fact remains that funding has been a major problem but improper management has also been a thing because the problem is not just about funding alone. Funding is relative, the University can be said to grow bigger than the funds available. The access to Education has been wide all over the years. Take for instance, it was not the number of Universities that were available when we were growing up which made people stay at home for 6 to 7 years even when they had their five O'level credits that we have today. With over 200 Universities available now, what can limit people who have the right combination of credit not to be in the university can only be money required to sponsor their education.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: You hold a Doctorate degree and you are married to a Professor, does it mean that your family is full of Academia?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: I own a Doctorate degree and my wife not only owns a Doctorate degree, she's also a Professor full time tenure. I got my Doctorate degree far before she got hers but in my own line, we don't get Professorship so I stopped where I am supposed to stop, PhD being the highest anybody can get. Any other title is in terms of the kind of job you do. Our first son owns a Doctorate degree too, he's also into lecturing in a University. That doesn't make us a home of Academics. My second son is an Administrative Officer 1, he's towing the line of his father while my first son is towing the line of his mother. The youngest of them is studying Computer science in the university, we don't know what he's going to do yet when he finishes but in all honesty, I love Education and I want all my children to be well educated, not just because of the fancy of the certificate but educated in terms of having education that's beyond certification.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: What do you enjoy doing at your leisure time to make up for those times you had a busy schedule?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: I love relaxing at home. I do some light exercise during weekends especially walking leisurely, sometimes, I go on 5km walk in particular line, it hasn't been regular these days because of insecurity problem we've in the country. However, aside walking to exercise, I also love watching movies. YORÙBÁ Movies.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: What's your take on the upsurge in internet fraud by the Nigerian youths and what do you think the Nigerian Government can do to encourage youths to take education seriously?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Things have changed in the internet revolution, the changes should however be a blessing in terms of learning and getting better education as research can be made within the four walls of one's room. We had to visit the library to get assignments done in those days. The youths should use the internet to their advantage but it seems they are not directing it well, they can sing the whole lyrics of Burna boy off hand but the same brain used in singing those songs won't be available to read just two page note for their classes.
That's where they should all do what's known as attitudinal change of using the time available to them now to learn and not waste it on social media but to get well educated so they can sell the knowledge where they needed to sell it. Government can help by making internet and free wifi available but the first thing Students should do is to be hungry for knowledge through the internet revolution. There are many courses that can be taken today without entering the classroom and they offer certification. I have learnt over the years that it's more relaxing and profitable to be on your own as an employer than being employed and the offer of internet revolution is assisting everyone who's serious in teaching them in their chosen field. The Government can then come in to assist students especially those who want to employ themselves to access the way that will make it easy for them to finance their ambition.
FUNAABCAMPUSVANGUARD: What word of encouragement do you have for people out there?
DR. ABDUL-HAKEEM: Only tough people last, tough time don't last. For those of us they see at the top today, we've had our tough times and that's why they're seeing us in the position they see us today. It's not true that everyone is born with a silver spoon, neither was education easier nor the country was better during our time. I attended fee paying school even when I didn't have parent to pay, I had to struggle to get money from family members and I had to do menial jobs during holidays. I worked on farms, I taught in primary school, fetch water for people to get money. Only hard work pays, there's no easy way to make money. You don't get to spend the money you work for lavishly on buying a wine for two hundred thousand and popping it on the floor. I am an Apostle of Hard work with integrity and honesty. Knowing fully well that once you start small, the sky isn't just the beginning of your ability to flower but a reminder that you can get to anywhere once you have the goal. What you need is attitudinal change to know that Education isn't a license for riches but it'll take you anywhere you want to be in life.
