MONDAY- 13th December, 2021: The board of trustees and management of Dominican University, Ibadan, Oyo State, on Friday received a world class Economics library from the Emeritus Professor of Economics, Sir (Prof.) Ibi Ajayi, KSG.FNES. in a well attended ceremony at the university auditorium , Dominican University, Samanda Ibadan.
A Professor of Economics and a strong supporter of Dominican University since its conception, Professor Ibi Ajayi has handed over the Economics library to the university in bid to position DU as a leading university in Africa..
The Vice chancellor of the university, Rev, Fr. Prof. Anthony A. Akinwale during his speech at the Tom and Carolyn Walker hall of the institution thanked Prof. Ajayi for his generosity to the University.
While Quoting Aristotle’s philosophy of generosity, which he described as the mean virtue between wastefulness and ungenerosity, Prof Akinwale expressed his delight saying, “Today history is being made in the ceremony that we are about to witness, a ceremony that testifies to and celebrates Prof. Ibi Ajayi’s munificence.
“Indeed Prof Ibi Ajayi’s donation of his immensely rich library to the Dominican University is a gesture that clearly surpasses generosity. Prof Ajayi is a well known Economist who distinguished himself by placing his expertise at the service of the University of Ibadan, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the African Development Bank to mention a few.
“In the midst of his many commitments, he played a major role in the history of the Dominican University. He has been a dependably strong supporter of the University since its conception with his friend Rev. Fr. Prof. Joseph Kenny of blessed memory and the formidable team of Professors from the University of Ibadan in planning an implementation committee once put together to work for the license of the Dominican University and when it took quite a long time for the license to be granted by the federal government, he never withered in his commitment.
“In my many conversations with Rev. Fr Kenny before his transition from life to life, he expressed the desire to have Prof. Ajayi in the governing council of the University, I have no doubt that from the celestials sphere, father Kenny is watching this ceremony with contentment.
“Prof Ajayi’s drive for high quality University education, his wealth of experience as an academic, his priceless competence as a technocrat, his candle and sagacity have all been brought to bear on his membership of the governing council of this young University. Indeed we are enriched.”
He further maintained that the impact of the library is already beginning to bear fruits in the lives of student and beneficiaries of the university.
“This gift immortalizes you, but we still owe you a gift, and the gift for us to ensure that this gift you have given us is well kept and put to good use for the benefits of the academic community and the public.”
The Chancellor, Dominican University, Ibadan, Rev.Fr. Modestus Ngwu in his brief remark, said that Prof. Ibi Ajayi’s donaton is a celebration of knowledge.
He said “knowledge is the greatest thing we celebrate today. Today we celebrate the donation of an Economic library by Prof. Ajayi. He has for years been part of the foundation of the University and he has given human resources, his time, gifts and today he is donating his entire library. For us that is something very special.”
The ArchBishop Emeritus of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, His Grace, Emeritus ArchBishop Felix Alaba Job described the donor’s guesture as laudable and one that needs to be celebrated.
“Prof. Ibi Ajayi has been a pillar to the formation of this University right from the planning stages, and to leave his mark indelibly on the university. The donation of today is a sign of what stuff he has been made of. You are talking of him as an academician but a person is a complicity of body and soul.
“His spiritual activities are bound to him, as we thank you we pray for you, we pray for your beloved wife who has gone to rest ahead of you. I pray that what you have done today will bring alot of reward not only to you but the whole of the generations of students who will come to the Dominican University.”
Prof. Ibi Ajayi in his remark said he is making the donation to the society at first and the Catholic Church who have always been part of his history.
He said “when I thought of this donation, I realised that I have been privileged overtime.
“There are many ways of assisting an infant university to grow and develop, but two prominent ones are the development of social capital for it and the development of human capital.
“In the first category are excellent buildings and environment of the university, without any doubt, social capitals are necessary and important but they do not measure the high quality of education and the productivity of the members of staff of the university, what does is the human capital development assumed in the quality and excellence of library resources, laboratories, excellent publications of staff, inevitable journals and their global competitive in attracting external funding for research.”
“I believe therefore that the competitiveness in attracting external funding is very important for this side and certainly creates a name for universities all over the world not only for the cv of the recipient but for the university as well.
“This latter contribution is my attraction, hence I am donating rare books and journals to this great institution. The second tract of my books and journals donations will consist of more books in the area of capital flights; it’s my intention by Gods grace to make Dominican University library an invaluable point of reference.
“I want others with similar resources too in other areas of specialization to join me in this world wide mission. Permit me to speak to power because I want to gently appeal to all stake holders of this university to ensure that this university meet the dreams of the founding fathers.
“The institution is neither a seminary, nor indeed an extension of a parish but a catholic university made of men and women, lay and clergy that must showcase high degree of excellence in the exhibition of the university’s programs, carve out niches for the university in the community of universities in Nigeria and Africa.
“Some high degree of cooperation and innovativeness will allow the university to survive all existing competition. We must all work together in peace and trust, forward ever and backward never. Indeed we need to make sacrifice in due times for a better tomorrow.”
In an exclusive interview with CEOAFRICA, Prof. Anthony A. Akinwale disclosed that the university received a total of 1450 volumes of books as first instalment of the donation of books from the Professor of Economics adding that he hopes that with the library the university will be able to train the future leading lights of the economy in the future.
“We want to train graduates who will be technically and ethically competent whether it is in economics, computer science etc. It not enough to have technocrats, you need technocrats who have ethical competence in today’s Nigeria. Everyone is talking about corruption, it is not because Nigerians are the worst in the world, but because we have not highlighted the ethical component of university education.
“A university is a universe of knowledge, yes you have specializations but specializations within a universe of knowledge in which there is a conversation across the boundaries of academic disciplines.”
He further disclosed that the University will be putting the library to use not just for students alone but for the wider public and for all individuals who wish to do any research along the line of the discipline.
The Metropolitan Archbishop of Ecclesiastical Province, Archbishop Gabriel Abegunrin also had good words for the donor, “People don’t want to part with their books, some leave it for the family, for him donating it to the Dominican university is a special thing that we recognise and we appreciate so much. It shows the depth of appreciation from the man like he said himself that the Catholic Church has done so much for him, therefore its a payback in a way.
“And I believe that the Dominican university that we all love will grow with his donation because the university needs alot of books, library and E-library and I pray that doing this now is a promotion for the university. Those who study here, years to come, even when the donor is dead, he will still be alive in his books.”
