By Kola Adepoju
Barely two months to the end of his tenure, the Vice Chancellor, VC, of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, FUNAAB, Prof. Felix Kolawole Salako, has continued to show that he is not about to relax in doing what he knows how to do best – service delivery!
I was heading to office on Monday morning when the sight of an excavator excavating and clearing the heaps of ‘mountainous’ wastes recklessly dumped in the stream overlooking the main entrance of the FUNAAB main campus caught my attention and held it spellbound for a while.
The sight was more tempting and beckoning, given the swiftness with which the blade of the camel-like neck of the excavator was digging deep into the abyss of the stream and bringing to the naked surface murky tower of waste and refuse that traders and residents of the vicinity and clime disposed into the drainage or indirectly into the river, without caring a hoot about the adverse effect of their nefarious act.
The ‘clinical’ manoevuring and off-loading with finesse of the waste excavated from the stream to the two waiting mini-lorries, popularly called tipper in this part of the world, prompted me to declare subtly in Yoruba language that “Beeni ti Salako ri,” meaning, “Bravo Prof. Salako (the outgoing Vice-Chancellor) of FUNAAB for your trademark or tradition of unwavering commitment to corporate social responsibility.”
Honestly, this is about the fifth time since he assumed office that Prof Salako directed his Director of Works to move excavator and trucks do the river bank to remove the dumps therein, in order to prevent it from blocking the free flow and of water and prevent flooding that portion of the busy Camp/Alabata Road, which automatically disrupts vehicular movement whenever it happens, and often damages the same road, which his outgoing administration rehabilitated twice.
Save for the need to do the needful and in view of the fact that two wrongs can never make a right, Prof. Salako wouldn’t have commited any blunder by ignoring the blockage in the stream, having warned the residents and traders who populated the area severally to stop indiscriminate dumping of waste therein, and for which he moved relevant university personnel and equipments to the site to do the needful.
I alighted from my official car to join the Director of Works, the University Bursar, Mr.Chukwuwinke Ezekpeazu, and some residents later joined us to monitor the excavation of debris from the stream and the exercise lasted for about two hours.
At the end of Prof Salako’s intervention, the stream flowed expressly with ease as captured in the pictures attached herewith, while the reptiles therein have been ‘rejoicing’ for a new lease of life; for their common “enemies,” which took over their ‘sovereignty’ and ‘territory’ were excavated.
The users of the road, especially staff of FUNAAB, residents of the host communities, traders and motorists in general, have started heaving a sigh of relief from palpable fear of flooding due to the prevailing incessant heavy downpours.
Prof. Salako is no doubt fulfilling his promise to work till his last day in office, which in this instance is October 31st, which is barely six weeks away.
This is another infectious drive in the catalogue of Prof Felix Kolawole Salako’s midas touches, ditto his impacts on town and gown relationship.
•Adepoju, the Director of Public Relations, FUNAAB, writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State.
