Yesterday, Professor   Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, Vice chancellor, University of Ibadan, marked his 60th birthday. When TheNEWS asked him how life has been over the last 60 years, Adewole replied with eclat:

Professor Isaac Adewole

“It is a story of thanksgiving simply because I was delivered inside a vehicle. By ordinary run of events, maybe, I shouldn’t be alive. That I am alive is an evidence of God’s faithfulness. My mother, a trader, fell into labour inside her shop and a prominent medicine vendor in Ilesa that had a vehicle, Mr. Abimbola was called. He came to her rescue and took my mother to the hospital but before they got to hospital, I was delivered inside his vehicle.”

The celebration which took virtually the whole day started with a two hours thanksgiving Service at Agbala Daniel Cathedral, Ojoo, Ibadan, followed by a Public Lecture titled “Building A Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Zambia Using an HIV/AIDS Infrastructure And The Spirit of Abundance”, delivered by a USA based gynecologic oncologist, Professor Groesbeck Parham MD, and unveiling of the Isaac Folorunso Adewole Foundation, IFAF, by Professor Oladapo Ladipo, OON.

The guests, in their different ‘aso ebi’ were treated to scrumptious continental and intercontinental meal with assorted red wine and juice for stepping down. Soft drink was conspicuously absent. The season was equally a torrent of encomiums on Adewole who was described as brilliant, humble, helpful, compassionate, resourceful, selfless, a great man, sound administrator, innovative performer that has immensely transformed the premier University physically to an international standard.

To Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo: “Adewole is not tall in stature but he is tall in intellect.” Former Pro-Chancellor of the institution, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, urged the celebrant not to forsake his God, or bear grudge against anybody or truncate the process that the institution’s council would soon embark upon in selecting his successor.

In attendance were: Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi; his counterparts in Ekiti and Lagos States, Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Babatunde Raji Fashola (represented respectively by their Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Government Affairs, Funminiyi Afuye and Special Adviser on Education, Fatai Olukoka); Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu (represented by CMD, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital) OAUTH; Prof Victor Adebayo Adetiloye; his UCH counterpart, Prof. Temitope Alonge; Prof Oladipupo Akinkugbe; Chief Adebayo Akande, owner of Splash FM, Ibadan, and Pastor Olubi Johnson of Scripture Pasture, Ibadan.

The climax of the ceremony was the cutting of birthday cake by Adewole which was supervised by Emeritus Prof Takena Tamuno.