The gathering was generally a spontaneous coagulation of eggheads in the University of Ibadan. It was quite convivial as people milled while coming and leaving, but it was also measured. The venue – the Deputy Vice-Chancellor’s Residence – immediately spelt sublimity, but it also buzzed with different kinds of feelings. Relief. Thanksgiving. Joy. Laughter. Accomplishment. Belief. Expectation. The established academics and other members of the immediate University of Ibadan community had congregated, on the spur of the moment, at the residence of one of theirs, Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, who had just been announced as the 14th Vice Chancellor of Nigeria’s Premier University. Friends and well-wishers too were coming in their various forms, shapes, sizes and callings – some with their spouses to rejoice with the new Vice Chancellor.
I had also arrived there with a reasonable measure of ‘what should we expect?’ Was it still purely a university affair – which would mean that all non-initiates must ‘hold on’, or could ‘civilians’ now join in the deserving felicitation? It would be trite to say that my classmates, who went with me, upon the prompting of the Head of the Department of Communication and Language Arts, Dr Bisi Olawuyi, would also be wary of what to expect there. However, we were all within the university campus and would lose nothing by just getting there to see. What is more, it is good to rejoice with them who rejoice… going by biblical suasions.
And here is a unique opportunity to, once again, rejoice with ‘Makinde Olapegba, my roommate in the Great Ransom Kuti Hall of Residence of the University of Ibadan; my housemate for a brief period in Fodacis Estate, Ring Road, Ibadan; my friend, my gist-mate; my brother, and more. We are proudly The Boys from Kuti – where we lived for years as hopeful undergraduates. Now, we have come of age even though we are still trudging forward as we travel in the journey. But we have come long enough to be grateful to the Almighty God, and to all men (and women) who have been instrumental to the successes of today.
The Boys from Kuti is not thinking in the same mould as Ira Levin’s 1976 book entitled: ‘The Boys from Brazil.’ Levin wrote about present atrocities; the chilling realisation that evil usually persists even when we have achieved peace after an open war, and so on. The Boys from Kuti is a celebration of small beginnings, of friendship, comradeship and solidarity. The nearest lesson from Ira Levin’s work, which warns against complacency, is its implicit advice that we should not forget lessons of our past. Levin warns against forgetting past atrocities so that we will not fall into the same snares. The boys from Kuti are here with the exact opposite of such sentiments – we want a sustenance of those successes after we have fought through barriers, enjoyed The Divine Assistance to rise to the top.
Mrs. Temilola Hannah Olapegba, PhD, fetched the thought of ‘the boys from Kuti’ when she welcomed me and my friends to their home. Days earlier, we reeled in the joy of Dr Olapegba’s successful defence of her PhD thesis. Days after, her husband got the nod to be the 14th Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan beginning from November 1, 2026. While we shared the joy of the moment, she went into a deep contemplation. She recalled the days her husband and I were undergraduates and roommates in Kuti Hall. Prof. Olapegba, myself, Chief Ademola Adebayo and Chief Olushola Olaniyan were roommates at B48, Kuti Hall, University of Ibadan. She lifted her face in an introspective gaze and said: ‘Look at you, look at your friend… The boys from Kuti.’
She struck a chord with that statement. It was a profound reflection that pulled many strings in the harmonious relationship our families share. That statement sat so deeply in me that I deduced it was not a submission from mere human wit or introspection. It was a call to show and give thanks to Him who makes all things beautiful in His time. There are many other hugely successful boys from Kuti, but we are simply being grateful for one of them – one with whom I share a close relationship. There are also many other boys from Kuti who have been forgotten. There are many other boys from Kuti who would have gone six feet under. There are many Kuti boys who cannot joyfully declare their relationships as roommates, floor mates, block mates or even hall mates. Of a fact, there are many Kutites whom we do not know. But they too are boys from Kuti and they sure would have their stories.
Professor Olapegba should especially be celebrated. His emergence as the Vice Chancellor of Nigeria’s Premier University on Wednesday, 22 July, 2026 did not come as a passing whiff. He had come from such depths that you will not fail to decipher after a few minutes with him. Makinde is profound in his convictions, and vocal in his thoughts. When you interact with him, you will soon be sure of the direction of your interaction. No airs, no pride, no pretenses, and be sure you have a strong enough standpoint to defeat a convinced Makinde. This is the same in the room back; at home, at the Kegites Club, in Hall interactions and in school positions.
His emergence seeped in so innocuously and left many in amazement. The surprise expressed at his emergence was not because of the appointment itself, but the smoothness of the process. There was the usual politicking and lobbying, but his appointment is among the smoothest the university has witnessed in many years. A lot of factors are responsible for that, but the ones that stand out are the overwhelming love and support of his colleagues, the love from alumni, the backing of the students, and the prayers of friends. All these speak to the kind of person Prof Olapegba is. He has built his reputation over the years and his lifestyle agrees with people across board in and outside of the university community. What might earn a man such acceptability? Integrity. Humility. Humaneness and worthwhile relationships.
In November 2022, this column mused on the life that one has lived up to that point. It was a peep into some of the events that one recalls with nostalgia and why our past should rather not haunt us. It was entitled: ‘Language, lies and all of us.’ A successful man’s reputation should rather excite his friends and community. I also think that a man’s trajectory should not be a source of confusion and conflict. Why would your life become some people’s debate standpoint? Why should your life cause so much argument and strife? The entire University of Ibadan community felt the same way when Professor Olapegba was announced as the new Vice Chancellor. Those who felt differently could not speak up because he is not just qualified and experienced, his appointment met all the necessary criteria, and his persona satisfied the overwhelming majority of the relevant stakeholders. That is the boy from Kuti.
A man who opts to go to the stream will have to go. Olapegba has sought appointment as the VC. He submitted himself for all that was necessary to be able to get the job. Now he has got the job. We trust his ability to do all of us his supporters proud. However, it must be stated that the job of a Vice Chancellor is not a miniature responsibility. It is even more so being the Vice Chancellor of a first-grade, iconic institution like the University of Ibadan. So, Prof Olapegba will need the sustained support of all and sundry, especially stakeholders in the university. He needs the continued support of all those who have been behind him all along, who encouraged him to get to this height. Those prayers for his success must not stop, and the work to make his job easy for our overall success must also not cease.
Please pray for the success of the boy from Kuti who has come of age. Congratulations Professor Olapegba and best wishes.