By Solomon OKPO
Once upon a time, on March 25, 1961, the heavens smiled, and a baby was born. Not just any baby, but a child of destiny, an intellectual juggernaut, a beacon of hope for farming systems and, apparently, for university administration. Who knew that this little one would grow up to wield the mighty pen of research and, later, the even mightier scepter of bureaucracy?
Fast-forward to December 2020, and voilà! The Governing Council, in its infinite wisdom, plucked this seasoned researcher from his comfortable world of crops and ridges and placed him atop the chariot of university leadership. And what a ride it has been!
For over four years, he has tilled the academic soil, watered the institutional roots, and, if praises are to be believed, harvested a bumper crop of development. High standards? Check. Peace-loving? Absolutely. Staff-friendly? So they say. A true farmer-turned-administrator whose tenure has been a greenhouse of prosperity!
But, as his tenure nears its sunset, one question lingers: After all the sowing and pruning, what fruits shall students and staff truly reap? Infrastructure? Welfare? Legacy? Or just the echoes of goodwill speeches?
As the Vice-Chancellor basks in the warm glow of his birthday cake candles, the university community claps and cheers. Whether in genuine admiration or hopeful anticipation of pending miracles, only time will tell.
Happy 64th, Professor!
May your legacy be as bountiful as the crops you so dearly love.
