By ‘Tayo Adekunle
Alhaji Muhammed Olatunji Oladejo of the University of Ibadan is a man of many parts.
He is a journalist, a university bureaucrat/administrator, a public affairs commentator, a Yoruba sociocultural exponent and an Ibadan irredentist par excellence. His social capital within and outside the University is immense.
He is a friend of the young and the old alike. He is also very accessible and always ready to help. A personal example will suffice in this regard.
Six years ago, I contacted him about an issue I wanted to resolve at the University of Ibadan. Due to the urgency of the matter, he directed me to come over immediately, and for about two or three consecutive days he personally led me to various offices to find a solution.
Although we were unable to make headway due to extenuating circumstances, he permanently ingrained his name in my heart with the energetic efforts he made during that period.
It was during that same time that I met other young persons thronging his office daily for a similar request or the other.
Without a doubt, Albert Pike surely had Mr Oladejo in mind when he stated: “What we do for ourselves alone dies with us, but what we do for others and the world remains and is immortal”.
Happy birthday, Alhaji Tunji Oladejo and many happy returns.