Just within the span of two weeks, fate arranged for me direct physical contacts with two famous veterinarians who have made uncommon marks globally in fields beyond core veterinary practice where they have attained enviable heights due to their commitments to good values. I have always known that there is diversity in the foundational studies that eventually propels holders of the doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) degree into achieving successes wherever they find themselves. Professor Oyewale Tomori is a typical example. He is a celebrated virologist, consultant for World Health Organisation (WHO) and a few are like him in that regard. He was Vice Chancellor at the Redeemer’s University and past president of Nigeria’s Academy of Science. As guest speaker at the recent Convocation Ceremony of the College of Veterinary Surgeons Nigeria, he was in his true elements, brilliant and frank in speaking truths to power. He traced the trajectory of veterinary profession’s vast contributions to whatever is the development of the country today in spite of numerous challenges.
He referred to the veterinarian as the best in disease diagnostic capabilities, for conditions afflicting animals and even man because their patients would not talk to them and they have to weigh heavily on careful observational skills. It was at that ceremony that the acronym UN was first used to my knowledge and in a hilarious but most factual manner, differently from how we had always known it as abbreviation for United Nations. He has since repeated its use at a summit on infectious diseases and future pandemics before a select audience, which the social media made viral on WhatsApp reporting how a Professor succumbed to emotion and wept for Nigeria. He reminisced with infectious nostalgia how he lived in the UN, and the audience wondered if UN was in the past a country before it got renamed United Nations. Then he broke the ice; he had only shortened UN to mean the Utopian Nigeria. We laughed at first until the reality sunk in deeply that it was no jokes. Professor Tomori took us on a tour of how he benefitted from a country that offered him partial scholarship throughout the secondary school at Government College Ughelli without his parents influencing anyone.
None even accompanied him to sit for the entrance examination and the interview that followed. The same trust in a nation was his experience through the veterinary medicine course at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria without anyone knowing his father or whether his village near Ilesha was on the map of Nigeria or not. According to him, in the post-colonial era, there were limited choices available in western region for a father who would have wished to deny his children education as a justification for breeding uneducated farmers. So his father was wise to accept the offer of scholarship for him, the 39th child rather than risk a jail term. Chief Obafemi Awolowo made education not only free but also compulsory. The late sage was chief amongst those who had visions and saw through the future while they wielded powers in government. There were lessons too numerous to the discerning minds in the narration by Prof. Tomori. He spoke of the trusts that existed amongst people of those days. How commercial drivers were kind enough and did their jobs diligently and did not plot harm for innocent children, let alone kidnapping them. The fact that his father did not have to follow him, a 12-year old all the way to Ughelli from near Ilesha without any fear of being kidnapped means so much to us today, and that was apart from being unnecessary to lobby the principal or any teacher during the common entrance and interview.
Merit was the yardstick. In comparison to the happenings today, the society will rain curses on such otherwise trusting parents should anything funny happen to such a child in transit, knowing that adults that boarded vehicles at designated Ojota parks in Lagos had reportedly find themselves drugged and headed for slaughtering at the LagosIbadan expressway before they were rescued recently by Amotekun personnel, after a tip off. Then because of widespread corruption, the school administrators who should ordinarily admire positive values in such boldness and independence will most likely sideline and abandon the child for others whose parents chauffeured them in, and with gifts in cash and kind. From the stories we read, it is not impossible that parents could even be paying sums of money for special protection for their children against other students bullying them and for the fears of cultism that pervades schools today.
In canvassing for better life for the young generation, Prof. Tomori said he became what he is today because “their” own Nigeria provided him the enabling environment, which has today become the Utopian Nigeria that had expired a long time ago through a sequencing of poor leadership that kept dragging us backwards. A leadership that offers black but frantically panel beat us to see it as white in the most debasing and fake manner. It must not be lost on us that Prof. Tomori, a septuagenarian who obviously could sustain his comfort zone wept in his deep reflective emotions, because he was standing before those in whose hands Nigeria waivered precariously and he was not sure that the utopian Nigeria that gave him all those opportunities would ever be brought back in his lifetime for the young generation of today that he believes are much smarter.
In a seemingly sharp contrast to the philosophy of a utopian Nigeria, I met the revered Emir of Mambilla, His majesty Dr. Shehu Audu Baju II yesterday, December 17, 2021 in Yola, moments after the wedding Fatiha of his stepson that he truly majestically hosted. It was a rich mix of culture and tradition as the high and mighty in traditional kingship at Adamawa and state functionaries all took turns to visit him at the beautiful but modest home in the hearts of Yola. He is a Veterinarian, graduate of the 1985 set at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and we regard him so highly, having attained the status of Director of Veterinary Services with the Taraba State Government before he became Emir of Mambilla. His wife, Her royal majesty AIG (Dr.) Aishatu AbubakarBaju, is Assistant Inspector General of Police and our President of the Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN). She was the groom’s mother and the veterinary community in Nigeria and overseas, family and friends from all over Nigeria responded in unison to honour her. His royal majesty was very much at home with the delegation of the VCN led by Dr. Bala Mohammed, the Vice President of Council.
He saw us as the custodians of values, for his cherished profession and despite the stream of visitors waiting to seek his attention we had a great reception. He took us on the beauties of Mambilla and the strategies of administration he established in managing the multi-ethnic society and that got me thinking of the Utopian Nigeria that Prof. Tomori talked about, and it’s not in doubt there are so many lessons for Nigerian leaders to imbibe from what goes on at the Mambilla Plateau. A land cohabited uniquely by all rainbows of colours, tribes and tongues, and not minding the religion you practice, even for animists they had a niche to occupy. Investments abound in Mambilla for all shades of businesses and cattle ranching and the owners cut across the various tribes in Nigeria. The Emir spoke in glowing terms of how his people have developed what is their unique lingua franca that has long been adopted by all residents of their enclave irrespective of wherever they originally came from, be it north or south. I had earlier heard this from an Igbo-by-birth guest who sat close to me as we had breakfast together at the home of the Bajus. The Igbo man who had integrated so wonderfully well was everything phenotypically northern in his dressing and exchange of conversation with other visitors from Mambilla who were at the occasion. The traditional ruler talked about his traditional council consisting of southerners as well without any myopic biases.
A place with an average of 12 oC in temperature all year round must have a large expatriate presence, particularly the Chinese construction workers safely toiling hard to fix the Power projects for this country. Kidnapping as frequently reported in the news is strange to them and unheard of in the Mambilla. He had instituted a functioning strategy to keep the admirable peace that his people enjoy. I told the revered monarch that perhaps the time has come for Mambilla to teach Nigeria some vital lessons on how to become the true nation of our dreams. Again the thoughts of Prof Tomori hit hard on me and could not but wonder if the Mambilla indigenes and residents were not living in their own federal republic of the UN (Utopian Nigeria) and it is my wish that the beauties of today are preserved and sustained without negative extraneous influences for generations yet unborn.