SATURDAY MEMOIRSÂ
Prof. Rahman Adisa Bello, a renowned chemical engineer and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, is one of the best brains Nigeria has ever produced. With a calm disposition he endears himself to people from all walks of life. From a humble beginning, his academic accomplishments are testament to how far passion, hard work, focus, and ingenuity can take humans in life. Born on October 6, 1948 in Iboro Town, Yewa North Local Government in Ogun State, Bello’s academic dexterity manifested early, topping his class from elementary school up to university, where he came out with a first class in Chemical Engineering. A global citizen with administrative and project management acumen, he once served as a commissioner and later worked with the United Nations overseeing a project under UNDP/ILO in 16 states. His tenure as Unilag’s VC expired last November and has since returned to the classroom doing what he knows how to do best – teaching. In this interview with Funke Olaode, the humble, erudite professor talks about his journey in life
- I Didn’t Aspire to Be Unilag Vice Chancellor
- Professors Used to Earn Same Salary as Prime MinistersÂ
Navigating through life
Looking at my life trajectory I can thank God for being benevolent to me over the past 69 years, for taking me through courses that have been quite useful and which have taken this far. I have found my way through all kinds of situations and I have been opportune to serve humanity in various circumstances. I was born on October 6, 1948 at a little town called Iboro in Yewa North Local Government of Ogun State. By the time I was born, my father was a public servant and a bit of farming. He worked for the colonial masters operating their Rice Mill under the Ministry of Agriculture in that community. My mother was a petty trader. Going back memory lanes, it was exciting growing up in that local setting because we don’t have to worry about anything. There was contentment. I started primary school in 1954 before the introduction of free education by the Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
An exciting childhood
There was no electricity and no pipe-borne water in my locality. Going to the stream to fetch water was an exciting experience because we had two streams: one was like a confluence where you found warm and the other had cold water. When we wanted to have our bath we would go to the warm water. So it was a pattern. We had to go and fetch water for our parents and when you want to wash your clothes you go to the same stream. So, we got used to the environment. Life was comfortable but not as rosy compared with today’s standards.
Effects of parental influence
What I learnt from my parents guided me throughout my life. I was born into a Muslim home and the power of prayers and dedication to God is the first basic thing you pick up in the family. The guidance of both parents in terms of how you mold yourself in life was not lacking. I recall as the first son I grew up with my senior sister and three junior sisters. I grew up among four girls and I could remember vividly the way my mother treated all of us. The kind of security she provided in that local setting. We went out to play but mustn’t exceed the stipulated time. My father was loving but you must obey the rules and regulations. We weren’t pampered or lived a life of affluence but they showered us with love and this remain with me till today. It is a major factor that shaped my life. I wasn’t radical as a child. I was quiet. I have always been a calm person ready to understand situation before making any move.
Bello Goes to School
I was about five years when I started school at Iju United Primary School, Iboro. My parents were not formally educated but they cherished education and as the first boy they were excited . My senior sister was also in the same school. The excitement of being walked to school every morning was there. I finished from this Primary school and moved to Egbado College where I finished in 1966. After that I attended Ibadan Polytechnic where I did Mechanical Engineering. It wasn’t my desire to go there because it was during the common Entrance for Higher School Certificate in the Western Region. My school had HSC and I was in the science class so only those who were in Arts class were allowed to go for the common entrance interview to other schools while those of us who were in science class were denied this opportunity. Any invitation coming from other schools such as Government College Ibadan, Loyola College and Olivet Baptist College, Oyo would be kept by the principal. So we didn’t get those invitations. I went home after my education hoping to go back to my alma mater for Higher School Certificate (HSC) but I got a telegram from the then Technical College Ibadan (The Polytechnic ) inviting me to come over as a student. We just finished Christmas and lectures had started. I went to Ibadan to have a discussion with the principal who encouraged me to come because government was going to give scholarship that year. I got the scholarship which helped my parents anyway.
From Polytechnic to University
Having missed the opportunity of going for HSC, I embraced polytechnic education wholeheartedly and immersed myself to what the school could offer. I spent two years and obtained OND in Mechanical Engineering. As I was finishing the programme, I got an offer with the Nigerian Tobacco Company behind Iyaganku in Ibadan as mechanical engineering technician. In what I could term as a destiny, the then University of Ife started Chemical Technology, the first in the Black Africa in 1969. The Head of Department then Prof. Sanni came to see my HOD in Polytechnic and found that our programmes in the department were quite detailed. He requested for the top five students that they would be able to fit into the programme (Chemical Technology) being set up at Ife. I was top in my class and three of us went for that interview and were recommended by the HOD. But the faculty said we didn’t have Chemistry and they couldn’t admit us to 200 level. They suggested that the best they could do for us is to go to Foundation class (prelim). I accepted to go because I knew about Chemical Engineering and I am passionate about it. That was how I got to Ife. I also got the Federal Government scholarship throughout my stay. God assisted me and I still topped my class graduating with a First Class in 1974.
Embracing the Larger Society
After my fulfilling foray at Ife, I went for the youth service in 1974/1975. I served in Maiduguri the then headquarters of Northern States. I was allowed to practice my profession so I was kept in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry supporting the industrial establishment. It was a dream come through because right from my childhood I had always wanted to be an engineer and what type of engineering wasn’t clear. It wasn’t that I had any role model considering the rural setting where I grew up. But In those days, we had consulted books widely in the school’s library and we used to have group discussions. Again, Engineering was higher than Medicine in those days. The leading courses were Engineering, Medicine and Law. Teaching was taken seriously because teachers were getting money. Those who read Mathematics were offered automatic employment with accommodation and a brand new car. It was tempting and the lure was there but I knew what I wanted.
Embracing Teaching
Developing passion for teaching, research and administrative services, and then aspiration to be a professor came as I progressed in my career. Again, lecturers were well-paid in those days. A professor earned the same salary as the Prime Minister at the time – £3,000 a year. That was why it was easy for a lecturer to be recruited from Britain and they were coming because the salary was the same. By the virtue of your performance as a student you were encouraged to go into research. Having had a first class in Chemical Engineering and a potential for research, I wanted to go for Master and PhD. I did my Masters and PhD in Canada in University of Waterloo. It was from abroad that I got recruited into the University of Lagos in 1977. Along the line I was asked to come and represent my people between 1994/1996. I served as a commissioner in Ogun State. It was a good experience for me because it taught me how to serve people.
I Became a Professor of Chemical Engineering in 1998
Each lecturer’s ambition is to get to the top of his/her profession. Anybody who is in this job would aspire to become a professor and your research capability is key. I was doing my work and had applied to be an associate professor before I went to Ogun State to serve in 1994. I was appointed associate professor when I was in Ogun State and as soon as I came back there was an opportunity for me to put on for professorship. I did. I became a professor in 1998.
Experience in Unilag
Taking lecturing as a profession gives you a lot of opportunities: to practice your discipline and to also develop others to take over from you. Most of us in engineering service the society and my brand of engineering supposed to look at turning raw materials to useful product. And without us no industries in any nations can move on. And that is why you need a lot of engineers to be able to make our products more serviceable for us by creating employment. So the passion to do it, create yourself and recreate other people and that is what pushes one. Part of our duties here is service. I served my community, serve my nation and can serve the world if invited. I have served as a project manager for UNDP/ ILO before covering a project that was in 16 states in Nigeria. I did it for a whole year and the experience I got there I brought it to the academic community. If I were not here I wouldn’t be able to hold that position. When I found myself at the helm of affairs of Unilag, all the experiences garnered both in public service helped.
I Never Aspired to Become VC
Looking back, were there things I would have done differently? Well, yes. Sometimes I went round things as you know that life is not a straight line, you have to manoeuvre. But each of the experience I got along the way had helped in my career life. For instance, I didn’t go straight to HSC as others did. I didn’t go straight to secondary school after primary education. I lost a year and had to spend two terms in a Secondary Modern School. I didn’t have the guidance so I was the one moving. Since one is good enough my parents were ready to push but didn’t have the capacity where next to go. I just manoeuvre myself into the system.
I never aspired to become Unilag’s vice chancellor. I was contented in my profession and of course, I have had administration experience having served in Ogun State. As at that time I wanted to serve the system and even served in one committee or the other and enjoying my practice. I served as DVC and others followed. It was destiny.
Acquiring PhD was My Best Moment
Talking about my best moment; I think it was the day I completed my PhD in University of Waterloo in Canada. I was married before I went for my graduate work so I had a family. I went with my wife and had our first two babies in Canada. We had opportunity to stay back in Canada but we were eager to come back because Nigeria was doing well. Nigerian naira was stronger than US and Canadian dollars. I left Nigeria in December 1975. Staying back wasn’t an option. The Ph.D was an area that was unique and was working with two supervisors.
The senior one was in charge but never on ground as he was always moving round looking for grants locally and internationally. But the younger supervisor who was always around understood what I was doing. By the time I presented my work at a seminar when the senior one was around he would condemn everything I did. It was frustrating and if I wasn’t determined I would have been frustrated. But I later wrote my reports and this man to my amazement commended me and said, ‘Did you do all this?’ That became a turning point in my life.
I met my wife in secondary school
I got married in 1975 – to Momudat Adedoja, a native of Abeokuta. Both of us were in secondary school though I was her senior. She trained initially as a nurse at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in those days. When we went to Canada she studied Sociology, came back and joined the public service. She retired as a director in the Lagos State Ministry of Education. The union is blessed with four children: three boys and a girl. I thank God that they responded to training. The first one read Chemical Engineering and has a PhD in Petroleum Engineering. I never pushed any of my children to embrace any career. The second one studied architectural design, the third studied electrical engineering and the fourth read Microbiology and later did an MBA.
How I Will Like to Be Remembered
So I would like to be remembered as one who has been able to come through life, influenced as many people I could positively and touched life in a way that when people remember me they think positively about me.
My philosophy of life is that always position yourself and there is nothing wrong being ambitious but do it within the limit and not by pushing things away because you want to get there.
