Former OOU VC, Prof Olaitan dies at 60

Former OOU VC, Prof Olaitan dies at 60

.Adeyemi pays tributes

The death has been announced of Prof Wale Are Olaitan, former Vice Chancellor of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU).

He died on Monday, after a protracted illness. He was 60 years

Born in September 1964 in Ijebu Igbo, Ijebu North LGA of Ogun State, Professor Olaitan was a distinguished scholar, a passionate educator, and a relentless advocate for social justice.

His academic journey began at Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo, after which he worked briefly as a secondary school teacher before gaining admission to the Political Science Department of Ogun State University (now Olabisi Onabanjo University), Ago-Iwoye, as part of its pioneering class in 1982. He graduated in 1986 as the Overall Best Student, delivering the university’s first-ever valedictory speech. Recognizing his brilliance and exemplary conduct, the university immediately appointed him as a Graduate Assistant and sponsored his postgraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, where he earned a doctorate in Political Science.

A renowned expert in Political Theory and State-Society Relations, Olaitan authored and co-authored over 40 books and academic papers published in local and international journals. His contributions to academia and governance were profound, serving in various capacities at the university, including Head of the Political Science Department, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and ultimately, as the first alumnus to become Vice-Chancellor.

Beyond academia, Professor Olaitan was a prolific public intellectual. He maintained a widely respected weekly column, “Discourse,” in the Nigerian Tribune, where he passionately engaged with national and global issues. He syndicated the same column in NewsScroll, an online newspaper on which board he served as Editorial Advisor. Throughout his career, he stood firmly with the marginalized, using his voice to champion the cause of ordinary Nigerians, the poor, and the oppressed.

Professor Olaitan is survived by his wife, Kemi, and two cherished children, Alanu and Judge.

His legacy of scholarship, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to justice will continue to inspire generations to come. He’ll be sorely missed.

Adeyemi pays tribute to Prof Olaitan

 The Group Politics Editor of The Guardian Newspaper, who was a student of the late Prof. Wale Olaitan, Mr Muyiwa Adeyemi has expressed deep sorrow over his passing, describing it as a painful loss to Nigeria.

He noted that Prof. Olaitan possessed the intellectual capacity to address many of the country’s socio-political challenges, but unfortunately, the Nigerian system did not provide him with the opportunity to serve in a more impactful role.

Reflecting on his personal relationship with him, Adeyemi also known as Misty in school shared fond memories of their time together.

  He said, “What a painful loss. Prof Olaitan was my lecturer and supervisor. He was an exceptionally brilliant man and very friendly.

“As a student, I had a very close relationship with him and I was like his research assistant. Whenever he and his bosom friend, Mr Shina Kawonishe, was working on an article, I was among the students they would engage in research work.

When we wanted to publish our departmental journal, we made him our Staff Adviser while I was the Editor. We worked day and night. We called the journal, The Politist.

“Though, I used the journal to protest against making Maths 101 compulsory for Political Science students, he disagreed with me but when I met him with other students and convinced him with what obtained in other universities, he concurred and assisted us to convince the Faculty to change the course. He loved logic and once your argument is logical, Prof would fall for it.

“Being very close to him, I once took him for granted, and he taught me a lesson I will never forget. He asked me to record marks of some scripts in the broad sheet and instructed me not to allow anybody to come nearer to check their marks. But he hardly left his office when Bode Onasanya led two other friends to his office to check their marks. I could not resist these naughty friends and while they were checking their marks, Prof entered and expressed his disappointment in me. He sent me out. That was in our first semester part 4. He stopped all projects we were doing together including the journal.

Thankfully, Mr Kawonishe and Dr Reuben Abati prevailed on him to forgive, but he did not forget.

We continued our relationship but I was very cautious at this moment. It’s now strictly a teacher-student relationship.

For Prof to check some of the projects he was supervising, they must pass through me. My project on political communication was crafted by him and Mr Kawonishe. I was already in chapter 3 on another topic when an argument ensued between them and I fell victim of their academic disagreement. They changed my topic and I had to start all over with Prof Bayo Okunade from UI as the Adviser.

“Everybody thought I should get ‘A’ in my project but lo and behold I got B. I protested, but he told the visiting Prof that it was a punishment for taking him for granted.

“Both of them said I should see it as a lesson never to take my superior for granted. Prof Okunade assured me that with my GP they will offer me admission for postgraduate studies in UI.

“I protested and did not go for Pol Science again, instead I secured admission at UNILAG post graduate school for Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (IRPM) where I also met another course mate, Alimi.

“When Prof Olaitan got to know, he sent for me and he was terribly angry with my decision. Few years later, I went back to him to apologise because he always sends people and undergraduates writing their projects on Political Communication to me in The Guardian.

“As a VC, I visited him more than three times in his office at Ago-Iwoye.

About five years ago, we met at the Veterinary Bus stop, Mokola, Ibadan on our way to Premier Hotel for a workshop, which I also attended. It was a great reunion. I never knew that would be our last physical meeting.

Let me also put on record that he assisted me many times to secure admission for many people in OOU.

God will grant his precious soul eternal rest and grant his wife, Kemi, also our colleague in school, his children and his brother, gentle Kemi the fortitude to bear the loss. Good night Oga mi!

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