As a follow-up on the recent outcry by the Press in a bid to arouse consciousness and facilitate the repair of some badly shaped facilities within the Faculty of the Social Sciences. The POSSPRESS Organisation met with the Faculty Dean, Prof. P.O Olapegba.

POSSPRESS: Can we meet you sir?

Prof. Olapegba: I am Prof. Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, a psychologist and the 30th Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences.

POSSPRESS: Your educational background?

Prof. Olapegba: It started very many years ago, around 1975 at St. Paul’s Anglican Primary School, Ilu Titun, Okitipupa Local Government, Ondo State. After my first term Primary 3 I had to move down to my mother’s village to stay with my grandmother because my mother was going back to school. So I came down to Lanlaté, Oyo State, and I transferred to St. Paul’s African Church Primary School at present day Ibarapa Local Government. I left Primary school in 1981. I went to Lanlaté High School for my secondary education and graduated in May/June 1986. Because of circumstances I couldn’t proceed, so I had to go to Lagos to work as a sales clerk for some years until 1991/92 session when I got admission into the University of Ibadan to study psychology. The sessions dragged because of ASUU strikes and student unrests, and so I eventually graduated in 1997. I went for my NYSC in Sokoto state in a town known as Wurlo. Immediately after my service I came back to UI for my Masters Degree, and specialized in Social and Personality Psychology. By June, 2000 I was employed as an Assistant Lecturer in UI. And afterwards I started and finished my PhD and here I am today.

POSSPRESS: You have continually been rising in positions and ranks since being an Undergraduate Adviser (100L) between 2001-2015 up until the echelon position as the Dean of the Faculty in 2018. Tell us the secret behind your academic successes as a lecturer.

Prof. Olapegba: Well, I’m still praying to be successful, so I wouldn’t say I’m successful yet. But then in terms of the modest things God has allowed me to achieve in my career and the secret behind it, let me start by saying the secret behind any man’s success is God. Secondly, focus and the desire to make a difference. The desire to live a life of service.

POSSPRESS: Were there any memorable moments? If yes, tell us about the most memorable.

Prof. Olapegba: The most memorable moment was the day my professorship was announced. And it is not just a professor of any university, it is the professor of University of Ibadan.

POSSPRESS: The deplorable state of major infrastructures within the faculty cannot be overstated. These include the bad state of the lecture theater’s, comatose lecture room facilities, non-conducive learning environment and so on. As the head of the faculty, what do you make of all these, particularly as it has to do with student’s academic performances?

Prof. Olapegba: Let me start by disagreeing with you that infrastructures within the faculty are deplorable. That is not fair to the faculty because from the time of my predecessor a lot of work has been done. And of course, when I came on board I have always spent substantial amount of money on infrastructure (in the classrooms, the faculty premises, etc). They may not be excellent as it were, but we can’t use the word deplorable. For example, if we check the LLT, my predecessor spent a lot of money reconstructing the seats. And when I came onboard they have started removing again, we brought in an engineer and again reconstruct the seats. Quite recently we took someone around and we also fixed all the projectors in the classrooms except the one in the LLT because the one there is working. Another issue is with the ACs and fans; I’ve taken steps about this; for the LLT, the overhead and standing ACs are not working, the report I get from the Porter’s was that some of the students are the cause. Now, we are billed about N600,000. The reality of things is that the faculty does not have money, so we have to prioritize what to do. On the toilet facilities, I discovered the pressure on the toilet is too much, so there is need for more toilets to relieve the pressure on the present one. Behind the faculty there is a toilet facility constructed by the university management across all faculties. The problem with that now is accessiblity and we are working on that presently. So within our limited resources we will do all that we can do. However, it is good when have concerns, bring it to us and we will see to ways to address them.

POSSPRESS: If the student’s are equally a guilty party to this, how do you think this can be properly addressed to prevent future reoccurrence?

Prof. Olapegba: Thank you very much, the faculty can do a lot of things. But to me, the most important thing is that the students should be there own watchdog. This facilities are for you, so beyond what the faculty management will do, you should police yourself. So I think FATSSSA should take it upon itself to talk more to the student’s and even reporting when you see something that is wrong. So when you police yourself as student’s you will realize you can do it better. Likewise Press Organization’s within the faculty can begin to box student’s who engage in such bad acts. So beyond what the management will do, you students should also know that you have the responsibility to protect the facilities provided for you.

POSSPRESS: Permit me to say sir, a yoruba adage says; “inu din dun lo n mori ya”, but unfortunately, the educational system of Nigeria is failing to reward excellence. There are outstanding student’s within the faculty, most of whom are largely unrecognized. Is there plan by the faculty management to give out scholarships to worthy student’s?

Prof. Olapegba: Yes, there is something we’ve been doing which we are bringing bavk now. And that is the Dean’s List. Student’s who are in First Class category, usually we publish their names on notice board and then give them certificates across levels. For the final year students, when they are graduating, aside from being on the Dean’s List, the university celebrates them, there are awards and prizes for them.

POSSPRESS: To complement the Dean’s List, are there plans for giving out scholarships?

Prof. Olapegba: (Smiles) Well, as it stands now, like I said, the issue is about funding. We do not have the fund to give scholarships now as a faculty, I’m not even sure if the University is giving. The only intervention we make as a faculty is with the indigent students. It is not proper to start what cannot be sustained, and we can not do that for now.

POSSPRESS: How will you assess the academic performances of student’s within the faculty?

Prof. Olapegba: Yes, we have very good students. And of course I’m not saying that to flatter anyone. Though we can do better. But then the kind of engagements we get in class and when we grade results, we realize that we have very good student’s. Though we still have some unserious one’s, but given the facilities we have and the kind of hardship student’s are being through, I think we are in pretty good state.

POSSPRESS: To aid academic performance, why are student’s denied the opportunity of borrowing books from the faculty library and return as and when due?

Prof. Olapegba: Well, the faculty library is set up as a reference library. Number one, you would see we have limited number of books there and we have many students who wants to consult the books. So for now, alliwimg students to take the books away is like denying other students opportunity of using it. And also that, to me, shouldn’t be an excuse of academic performance, like one Prof. will say: “books are dead, journals are alive”. This is not to say you should not read books, but everyone today carries a library around. There is virtually no student without a smart phone. So many attimes I see those outcries as excuses because the have you read the ones there?

POSSPRESS: As the Dean of the faculty, tell us what you’ve been able to achieve?

Prof. Olapegba: When I was coming onboard as the Dean of the faculty, one if the things I spoke about in my manifesto is to uphold the tradition of excellence of the faculty. The faculty is known for it’s excellence and we strive for it. Scholarship runs among our lecturers and even among the students. So I promised to put in place measures to further consolidate this. One of it is the library, secondly, is to make our lecture rooms e-complaince (we’ve not been able to achieve more on this because of funding). Also to foster a collegial atmosphere where students will be able to relate with their lecturers in a very cordial manner. Likewise, to give the faculty a facelift (such as, the car park, planting of trees, paintings, etc). We’ve also been able to ensure the welfare of academic staffs. We are also trying to bring back tge faculty newsletter which had not been done for a very long time. Wevehad inaugural lectures and faculty lectures. We are also looking at establishing more departments within the faculty. So the spirit of excellence and scholarship in the faculty has been promoted.

POSSPRESS: Leadership is no mean feat, and in every association of group of people, opinions are expected to differ. How do you manage the divergent opinions in decision-making process without being dictatorial or sentimental?

Prof. Olapegba: The Faculty of the Social Sciences is a very lucky faculty and I consider myself to be lucky as well. Because, it was founded as a family. We see ourselves as family – staffs and student’s. So as the head of the faculty I’ve enjoyed tremendous support from colleagues who are willing to take on responsibility. So in yes if administering the faculty, I’ve not have lots of challenges. The only challenge I have us funding. There are so many things I desire to do which I’ve not been able to muster the fund to do them.

POSSPRESS: Nigeria marked her 20 years of uninterrupted democractic rule last year. Do you think the country has made great strides since indepence?

Prof. Olapegba: Aaah!! You know, I just wonder we should celebrate 20 years of uninterrupted democracy. Because when you look at the country you ask yourself, in those 20 years what have we done? Democracy is suppose to bring better life to the people. But can we seriously say that our 20-year democracy had delivered that to the people. So, to me, I don’t think there was any reason to celebrate. We still have challenges, chronic poverty, our infrastructures are not there, massive looting and corruption. So I don’t think our democracy has fared well.

POSSPRESS: Most people agree that ethnicity remains a cog in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress, but why is it difficult to embrace national cohesion and integration? What would you consider to be the way out?

Prof. Olapegba: Thank you very much. You see, when people talk of ethnicity as being the bane of Nigeria I sometimes want to disagree. Because it is not ethinicity, it is corruption and bad governance. And I will that you what, when you go and look at the list of the individuals who have been looting us blindly in this country, they cut across all ethnic groups. And all of them are friends. When people are coming together to steal, their ethnic background is of no consequence. They don’t think about religion. So the issue of ethnicity and religion in Nigeria are political tools that the corrupt politicians are using to divide us.

POSSPRESS: Your view on youths participation in politics?

Prof. Olapegba: My take on that is that everyone should be involved. The reason is simple, it is about you and your future. So you must have a voice in what will affect you. Without being irresponsible, you must be involved.

POSSPRESS: Your advice to the students?

Prof. Olapegba: I advise the students to be focused. Have a vision and pursue your vision. In the pursuit of your vision, avoid distraction.

POSSPRESS: How do you pass out time while not at work?

Prof. Olapegba: It’s difficult to know when I’m not at work. Because I’m a man of many parts; I’m a lecturer, dean of the faculty, secretary of ASUU, and I’m also a Pastor. But then once in a while, I do a big of watching television, reading some books that are not academic. Though there are so many other things I will love to do, but time. I write poem once in a while too.

POSSPRESS: Thank you sir for your time.