But for God's grace, I was meant to be a nobody - Professor Zachariah Debo Adeyewa (V-C Redeemer University) at 60

Prof. Adeyewa with wife, and colleagues at Redeemer University

No doubt, Professor Zachariah Debo Adeyewa, the Vice Chancellor of Redeemer’s University Ede, Osun State, is a thorough bred academic! An embodiment of simplicity and diligence: traits he acknowledges has been endowed on him by the grace of God.

Few days ago, it was his sixtieth birthday. A big landmark in his life, but the Vice Chancellor was simply contented, sitting with his wife among his colleagues, campus students and a few family members, singing Christian hymns, playing music instruments and dancing to love songs he has been composing over the years for his darling wife. His excited wife danced along with him as they re-capped the dance steps of the earlier and present years of their married life.

Among the students, staff and principal officers of the Redeemer’s University, Professor Zachariah Debo Adeyewa is spoken of in amiable manner, in terms of character, dedication to the cause of the university, and above all, his humility.

  

In this interview with Paul Ukpabio, the Vice Chancellor opened up on issues that have bedeviled private universities in Nigeria, and the lifestyle that has made him a two-term Deputy Vice Chancellor at a public university, and Vice Chancellor of a topmost private university.

Congratulations on your sixtieth birthday sir, how does it feel to be sixty?

Well, I give all the glory to God for the privilege. One has to appreciate the fact that clocking 60 means that one has been alive for more than 31 million minutes and almost two billion seconds after birth. It feels great to be 60 as I look back to when I clocked 40 twenty years ago, and 50 ten years ago. Interestingly, I still feel quite boyish as I could do most of the things I did at age 40 or 50. So I give all the glory to God as I describe myself as a product of grace, nurtured by grace and sustained by His grace!

You also celebrated the Centenary senate meeting of the Redeemers University today, what does this feat mean to you?

It is a landmark event. The inaugural meeting of Senate was held on Wednesday, 26^th October, 2005. In the last 11 years, Senate has had 100 statutory regular meetings apart from other special or non-statutory meetings. It therefore means that on the average, Senate has met more than nine times in a year and never failed to meet on monthly basis except during long vacations or Christmas periods. This feat talks about the diligence, stability and the discipline of the system. Most Universities in this nation would achieve that maybe after 15 years or so due to internal or external instabilities. As the highest powerhouse that controls and maintains the academic standard of the University, we are therefore glad to be a model, a lighthouse.

You have been a two-term Deputy Vice-Chancellor, at a public institution and then a Vice-Chancellor at a private institution. Which will you say you have enjoyed most?

Yes, I have had the opportunity to serve at top positions in a public institution and now at a private institution and my experience has been wonderful in the two settings because one has been able to exploit the advantages of each setting. One thing that could be taken for granted in a Federal University during our time was the availability of funds to pay salary. You don’t need to think about it (things are different now!). In a Private University, you need to be more judicious on the issues of salary because unlike the case of a Federal University that is funded 100%, the funds for salary come from the proprietor and student fees. And because fees from students are not enough to meet the needs for salaries, you need to be more pragmatic, careful and apply strategies to ensure sustenance. On the other hand, there are many things that bedevil the system in the public universities due to the carefree attitude of government and other inherent instabilities in the system. If one brings all the factors together, I would say that I have enjoyed my sojourn at Redeemer’s University most. The reasons are not farfetched: we have a more disciplined environment, more autonomy, greater latitude for innovation, more stability, focus, peace, regularity of salary (unfailingly on 22^nd of every month), and so on.

But are you comfortable with the suggestion that the owners of the private universities wield unusual control over the administration of their varsity?

A University should not be rudderless. However, a good governance structure should take care of managing the University appropriately. Recently, someone described some private Universities as “private-private”, meaning that the proprietor is wielding an unusual control over the administration. This is an aberration. A University is administered on day to day basis by the Management team headed by the Vice-Chancellor. The University Council controls and superintends the affairs of the University but does not interfere with the day to day management processes. The Board of Trustees establishes policies to promote the sound development and operation of the University as well as oversee the implementation of those policies. Where the proprietor interferes in the management of the University, the overall health and the image of the institution suffers. A University is not business enterprise.  

How autonomous are the private universities?

By the unique setting of Universities, they should be autonomous whether private or public.  Some Private Universities are not quite autonomous by the way they are being run. But some are quite autonomous. I know some that are even more autonomous than public Universities. Redeemer’s University is one! The governance structure and practice has become a model for both public and private Universities.

Can you tell us some of the achievements of Redeemer’s University in recent years?

Redeemer’s University has made significant progress in all the major areas of academic endeavour: academic standard, research and community service. Our academic standard is above the national benchmark. All our classrooms are equipped with the latest teaching and learning facilities that are at par with any other in the advanced world. We have a disciplined system with proper feedback from students and lecturers. In other words, our automated quality assurance system is a unique model that has been applauded. In research, we have become the trailblazer, the powerhouse for the research on infectious diseases beyond the national boundaries. Our African Centre of Excellence for the Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) sponsored by the World Bank has become the hub for countries in the West and Central African regions. We are simply the best and the toast of other centres of excellence beyond national borders. We are currently training other experts and serving the communities in Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leon, and so on in terms of infectious diseases like Ebola and Lassa fever. We have developed Rapid Diagnostic Tools that could unravel these diseases within ten to fifteen minutes. We publish in very high impact journals like any highbrow University in the world.   

Prof Adeyewa

Research we know, is very fundamental to a varsity, how easy is it to access research funding for private universities in the country?

Government funding for research is abysmally low in Nigeria. Worse still, Private Universities do not have access to government funds obtained from the private sector (TETFUND). We are told that only public Universities could access it. The only way to access fund from TETFUND is indirectly: our frontline and world class researchers would have to queue up behind principal investigators in a public University. Imagine that our world class researchers on infectious diseases would have to go to other less endowed institutions in this area to get any funding. The retrogressive system in Nigeria is quite astonishing. Can you imagine Harvard University in America being told that it could not access research funding from the national research foundation because it is a private University? So Private Universities in Nigeria are asked to conduct research for public good with own funds whereas, public Universities could do same with private funds! The funds we expended in diagnosing the Ebola cases during the scourge in Nigeria are yet to be refunded by the Federal Government in spite of our patriotic contributions that were acknowledged by the government. So, Private Universities have to use own funds and funds attracted from grant agencies from outside the country. In Redeemer’s University, we have been able to attract millions of dollars from Europe, USA, and so on.   

Why are faith-based universities more successful in Nigeria?

Well, most Private Universities are faith based anyway and I believe the reason for the success is the passion of the proprietors to make significant contributions to the development of the country. The passion manifests in the huge financial investments for infrastructure, human capital development, goal-oriented vision, and of course, the discipline of the system anchored on godliness.

Also there has been the argument that faith-based universities are more expensive than others. Why is this so?

This is an erroneous assertion and belief that is far from the truth. The problem is that there is no proper costing for University education in Nigeria. The Federal Government refuses to acknowledge the fact that it cannot adequately fund University education so continues to say that tuition is free. The result of this lack of courage and sincerity to do the needful is quite apparent to all. This inadequate pricing and the benchmarking with Federal Universities has led many to believe that the cost of Private Universities is exorbitant. Many of the parents pay more at the secondary school level where there are no professors or high level research equipment. Private Universities in Nigeria cannot operate for profit except they charge fees in the range of two to five million. In Redeemer’s University for instance, the total fees collected in a session cannot run the University beyond few months. Our proprietors subsidize the salaries, running costs and other capital intensive operations. At the same time, our proprietors provide scholarships for numerous individuals. I know a University in Canada that is similar to Redeemer’s in many ways that asks for at least, $16,000 for tuition fee (about 8 million Naira) without accommodation, feeding, etc. Comparatively, it’s like paying $1,000 for everything (tuition, accommodation, feeding, etc) in Redeemer’s University. So to say that the cost of education here is exorbitant is simply untrue and unfair.

What would you say are the challenges facing private universities in Nigeria and our education system generally?

The major challenge facing Universities generally is funding. The second is lack of policy framework that could transform the education system.  Private Universities face the acute funding problem and lack of governmental support. Government sees private Universities as private entities. In developed countries and even in some developing countries, Universities, whether private or public, are seen as institutions that should be supported because they assist the government in providing qualitative education in the overall development of the nation. 

Prof Adeyewa with wife

What influenced your choice of being an academic?

My interest in research was my main motivation. In my undergraduate days, I really enjoyed the research aspect of the programme and therefore made up my mind to be part of this elite group.

Between your parents, who influenced you most in life, your mom or your dad?

I didn’t grow up in an elitist family. I grew up in a polygamous setting with about twelve children sharing common resources, our daddy inclusive. So I would say my mother had more influence on my life. I must say that I went on to live with my Uncle, Samuel Adetoyi Adeyemi, who is now late at age 9. He brought me up and influenced my life in some significant ways.

What memories do you recall of your early life?

I grew up in a large family accustomed to poverty. Things were tough and I couldn’t access proper education until I was 14. I had to hawk bread for several years and was excited to go to school in 1971. The future did not seem to hold much for me. But I am glad that the tide turned for me eventually.

How did your early life influence the person that you are today?

I grew up in a disciplined environment where virtues were celebrated and rewarded. Vices on the other hand were despised and made to look quite unattractive. But what really shaped my life occurred in 1973 when I decided to turn my life over to Jesus. That decision positively affected every area of my life. It shaped my life positively.

Can you describe yourself?

I would say that I am a ‘young man’ who has strong belief system in diligence, excellence, truthfulness (I abhor double life or deceit generally), I do not believe in impossibilities and I believe in empowering the youth.   

If you were not what you are now, what else would you have loved to be?

I would have loved to be a quiet man working in the University environment, conducting research and happily married to the same woman.

To have been in marriage for so many years, tells a lot about your personalities, but how have you been able to handle attraction from opposite sex to survive this long in marriage despite working on campus?

I love my God and I love my wife. My personal principle even as a young man was and till now is: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” (Job. 31:1). Also, the closeness to my wife is a shield for me.   

How about your family?

I have three lovely children. We are all closely knitted.

How did you meet your wife?

We met on Campus in 1984 (some 33 years ago). We later became engaged and then married in 1991.

From your experience, what do you consider the ingredients that make lasting marriages?

I believe its love, truthfulness, trust, unconditional love and devotion to one another.

At sixty, are you fulfilled?

I would say I am fulfilled. But I am only 60 and my aspirations are still many. I guess I would feel more fulfilled in the next few years as I achieve more in terms of the life goals that I have set for myself.

Any regrets?

No, none.

What is your style, what kinds of clothes do you like wearing?

Interestingly, my wife is everything to me when it comes to my wardrobe. She chooses my style. So my children joke about mum being everything to daddy. That’s why she is such an integral part of me.  When people say they like my dress sense or make complimentary remarks, I simply say, “…give that to my wife!”

What do you value most? 

I value personal integrity. I have a lot of respect for those who are not cajoled or forced to be accountable or to do the right thing. I love innocence in the real sense of it.

Your son said that he grew up knowing his daddy always travelling; even as a young man, you must have been very restless, tell us sir, where were you travelling to then?

Well, I was involved with research activities that took me to the Far East, far West (USA) and Europe. Such trips could last between three months to one year.

How do you spend your holidays? Do you have memories of a particular holiday you enjoyed most?

I must confess that I have not been having holidays. On one occasion, I managed to have a family holiday by driving to some different parts of the country with my family. That holiday has remained such a cherished period in my family. But I must say that I have enjoyed wonderful memories of trips with my wife while travelling to some unique places abroad.

What inspires you?

I would say books and exemplary lives. In particular, I am inspired by reading the scriptures. I love the verse that says “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isa. 8:20). I also love the inspiration that good books bring and exemplary lives through biographies.