DR BAYO FASUWON: NAVIGATING THE THRESHOLD OF AN ASTUTE ADMINISTRATOR AND ACADEMIC
***Reflecting on Unusual Commitment of Outstanding Teacher as AAUA IPTP Programme Director in Complimenting Giant Strides of Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige
It is the story of a teacher, administrator, family man and servant in the vineyard, Bayo Fasuwon of the best state university in Nigeria.
My contact with this jovial but a disciplinaran was when I had to further my studies to go for a Post-Graduate course in Public Administration in the tertiary institution popularly described as a 21st Century Citadel of Learning.
How would a student put his potential university on probation? That was my case. I went to have a trial whether I could cope , not owing to deficiency but the reality of an anxiety whether I could get what I wanted from an ‘eko agba’ literarily translated as adult education in the famous Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba -Akoko in Ondo State, SouthWest Nigeria.
For someone who came to the reality that certificate recognition is a major component of the existence of the structure of administration in our dear giant of Africa, it became a necessity to advance his academic qualifications, notwithstanding his in-depth knowledge about his profession as a pen pusher.
I ran into this fairly young teacher who must have traversed some other tertiary institutions in the country as one of my lecturers.
He is Dr. Bayo Fasuwon.
The very first day he took my Post-Graduate Diploma in Public Administration class at the then Breeder’s College Center at Oba-Ile in Akure North local government area of Ondo State, I came to a conclusion that I was on the right path to achieving additional academic records.
I was also lucky to be taken by Dr. Celestine Jombo, Dr. Wole Oluwasuji, Dr. Adedeji, Dr. Iwu and a host of others.
One unique approach I observed in the person of Dr. Bayo Fasuwon now was his personal interest in ALL of us in the class.
Why did I arrive at that? He asked us to produce an album that indicates who and who were in the class as this also assisted someone like me whose hobby and profession is mainly to run after issues that do not concern me but are good resource materials for my ‘aproko’ journalism trade.
I began to show more interest in him and realised he also got me , even on my social media activities.
One day, Dr. Bayo Fasuwon asked me, “do you have mark-5?” Please don’t be scared, it’s a type of sophisticated camera and not a weapon like the name sounds.
I later realised he was a lover of movies as I saw a trait of Christian movie production on his Facebook wall.
Now, let’s talk about what interests me most about this friendly but strict teacher and administrator.
In the area of imparting knowledge, I am aware that thousands of students from within and outside Ondo State have benefitted from his wealth of experience as he teaches with practical examples.
He uses immediate items and personalities at his disposal to explain the topics being treated while his deep sense of humour plays a great role in warming his teachings and topics into the hearts of his already attentive students.
While I want to acknowledge the standard of the questions I have come across in my examinations by all my lecturers and examiners, I also want to say it here on records that Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba -Akoko has best of the best academics in Nigeria as they are also proving their worth outside the shores of Nigeria.
Now let me share this very question that amused my course mates and I during one of our Master’s Degree Class examinations.
On a lighter mood, a supposedly simple question was delivered logically as Prof came into the hall few minutes after some had already started sweating on the question ‘number one’ that was also made compulsory.
It was centered on a popular and scary robbery incident in Ikare-Akoko, the headquarters of Akoko North East local government area of Ondo State.
It was aimed at highlighting the various possible administrative lapses in the Nigeria Police as an organisation saddled with the responsibility of protecting the populace.
Permit me to note that my investigations revealed that the Institute of Part-time Programme in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba -Akoko has had an unprecedented admission rates since the emergence of this committed don whose passion for academic excellence remains a reference point.
His unusual human relations with the students has also resulted in a high degree of confidence in the tertiary institution led by a committed and focused Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige.
The class of 2023 of the Master’s Degree in Public Administration was one of the groups that have attested to the growth recorded by Prof. Olugbenga Ige and the Institute of Part-time Programme in the university.
This led to donation of a vehicle to compliment the efforts of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige.
For the class of 2024, they had to register the fact that they were groomed for future endeavours by the university and its lecturers.
This also led to donation of support furniture items to the school as well as solar facilities to the department of public administration.
Receiving the Solar facilities, the Head of department of public administration, Dr. Dare Arowolo described the donation as timely and assured that the gesture would compliment the efforts being put in place by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige in providing uninterrupted power supply in the citadel of learning.
It also gladdens my heart to also make reference to the fact that admission rate in the Institute of Part-time Programme in Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba -Akoko has continued to increase while results processing and approval have been unprecedented.
As one of your former students and a hopeful one in the process of furthering my academic studies, I congratulate ‘Prof’ Bayo Fasuwon for living up to expectations of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Olugbenga Ige and the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba -Akoko community at large.
With the enormous knowledge I have acquired from the 21st Century University properly called, I am going back to town made popular by former Governor Adebayo Adefarati of the Sunshine State.