Meet Ajiboye, Professor charged to lead rebuilding of Ogbomoso Parapo - read his 'inaugural speech'

Meet Ajiboye, Professor charged to lead rebuilding of Ogbomoso Parapo – read his ‘inaugural speech’

Femi OGUNLANA

Many people saw it coming but how it would be was shrouded. When it finally came Friday during a press conference by the Soun of Ogbomosoland, His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, it unfurled with the element of surprise. That is it anyway, the former executive committee of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo Agbaaye has transited into history books only to be remembered by its deeds. How the cookies crumbled!

The Soun who is the Grand Patron of the association wielded the big stick, disbanded the rump of the exco as its President, Justice Afolabi Adeniran (rtd), died last June. In its place the monarch announced a 8-member Caretaker Committee to be headed by an academic, Professor Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye, of the University of Ibadan (UI). The committee is to be supported by an Advisory Committee composed of some members of the dissolved and past excos including zonal chairmen.

The Soun said the move became requisite to repositioning the socio-cultural association in line with his 25 year-development plan.

The man Professor Ajiboye

Ajiboye is a Professor of Social Studies and Environmental Education at the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, and is the immediate past Registrar and Chief Executive of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), where he served two terms though he resigned before the expiration of his tenure. He is also the President of the Africa Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA).

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As TRCN boss, he gave the body visibility and is credited “with strengthening the professionalization of teaching in Nigeria and promoting educational reform.”

His academic career started when he was employed at the Federal College of Education (Special), Oyo, at the time he was pursuing his postgraduate degrees at the UI, his alma mater. He bagged Master’s degree and PhD, and after, he transferred his service to the University of Ibadan. Between 2005 and 2009 he had stint with the University of Botswana in East Africa.

He drifted into unionism serving as Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) UI branch, and later Chairman (2011 – 2016), then he was appointed zonal coordinator of the then newly created Ibadan zone of ASUU.

Prof Ajiboye was made the Head of the Department of Teacher Education in August 2015 but could not see off his tenure as he got appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari as TRCN Registrar a year after, in August 2016.

After resigning from the TRCN he has returned to the full embrace of academics at the UI.

Prof Ajiboye meanwhile had a challenging youth due to financial constraints. Born into Oyefiola family of Lagbedu-Orile in Ogo-Oluwa local government area of Ogbomoso zone, he attended the then Lagbedu-Pontela Primary School and the All Saints Primary School, Ado-Odo for his elementary education. For his secondary education, he started at the Osogbo Archdeaconry Commercial Grammar School (renamed Anglican Grammar School), however, he dropped out over inability to meet up with payment of school fees. He returned to Ogbomoso and became a “motor-conductor” following vehicles to different villages around Ogbomoso and at some point, he followed haulage vehicles to northern cities of Nigeria. Interestingly however, he never lost faith in his ability to return to school. His father came through for him later as he got him enrolled in form 1 at the Baptist Grammar School Ajaawa as a member of the second set in 1977. He finished in 1982 with the best result in the school. He had the choice of continuing at the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, but instead chose to go to Ogbomoso Grammar School for his A’level. After, he proceeded to the University of Ibadan for his first degree studying Political Science Education between 1985 and 1988, bagging Second Class Upper Division. His NYSC was at Sokoto state. He immediately enrolled for his Master’s degree and then PhD at UI during which time he secured employment at SPED, Oyo, as mentioned earlier. In 2011, he was elevated a Professor. He has served in the UI for almost 3 decades now.

Despite his successes he was strongly attached to his roots and contributed to its development in various capacities as member of various groups. He is a pioneer member and former Secretary of Zion Club of Ogbomosoland, President of Unity Club of Ogbomoso, pioneer President of Ogbomoso Ajisegiri Youth Forum Ibadan, and is a former General Secretary of Ogbomoso Community Foundation. He is currently the Acting President of Ogbomoso Descendants Development Association (ODDA) and is a member of Ogbomosoland Consultative Council OCC. Also, he is the Chairman of the Education Committee of the 25 year-development plan of Oba Ghandi. He is a top rated patriot always passionate about the narratives of his community.

Acceptance cum inaugural speech

Shortly after he was pronounced as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Ogbomoso Parapo, he spoke with newsmen, and below is the text of the interview, which could be termed his “acceptance cum inaugural speech.” He is hereafter quoted verbatim:

On behalf of all the members put together, I want to thank His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III for the implicit trust he has in us to put us together as Caretaker Committee to work on the issue of Egbe Omo Ogbomoso Parapo Agbaaye. The association is beset with various challenges at present, but if you hear the Kabiyesi clearly, his intention is to have a Parapo that is able to speak with a loud voice and to be heard. It is a Parapo that will be virile, that will be strong and that will be able to defend Ogbomoso’s interest.

Prof Ajiboye with Rear Admiral Jacob Ajani rtd

He has charged us to look at the constitution of Parapo as presently constituted, how does it run its activities and for us to chart a new way forward in alignment with the 25 year-development plan of Kabiyesi. I think the focus of Kabiyesi is the development of Ogbomoso and Parapo is supposed to be an association that will stand solidly behind him to achieve that, there is no way the Oba can achieve anything alone, he needs a solid Parapo to be able to do that and that is why I think Kabiyesi has done what he has done. The people he has put there are people I believe who have contributed strongly in one way or the other towards the development of this town and I believe that we will be able to stand for Ogbomosoland.

Kabiyesi mentioned the issue of Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), if you look at where we are as Ogbomoso Parapo and where CCII is, CCII is speaking for Ibadanland, the same thing, he wants a Parapo that will be able to speak for Ogbomosoland, not any segment of Ogbomoso town but to be able to speak for all Ogbomoso sons and daughters. That is the primary objective, a Parapo that will bring everyone together, that will rally all of us for development. I told some people, it is only those of you that were born after 1991 when we had new local governments in Ogbomoso that will think you are from one local government or the other. For some of us that were born after that, the only thing we know is Ogbomoso, there was only one local government up till 1991. And I believe the immediate past Kabiyesi wanted it to be Ogbomoso South, Ogbomoso North, Ogbomoso West and so on, but that was not to be, some people may be feeling the other way but today all of us will have to be together because Ogbomoso is one. Ogbomoso is one and we will always remain one, that is where we were born into. When I collected my birth certificate that is what was there. I want to assure you that is the kind of Parapo that Kabiyesi wants. We are going to join our hands with Kabiyesi to make sure that we deliver on this mandate