Day Of Honour For Men Of Honour At Sigma Club Roll of Honour As The Sun MD, U.I VC Inducted Into Sigma

The University of Ibadan, in Oyo State, was agog last Sunday, as Sigma Club honoured two eminent Nigerians, the Managing Director/ Editor-in-Chief of The Sun newspapers, Mr Femi Adesina and Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Isaac Adewole.

Sixty four years old Sigma Club is the oldest surviving students club in sub-Sa­haran Africa. Quite significantly, Adesina is the first journalist to be admitted into the Roll of Honour. Prominent Nigerians who have enjoyed that status include former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme, foremost law­yer, Chief Afe Babalola, eminent jurist, Dr Taslim Elias, Prof Adeoye Lambo, Professor Tekena Tamuno, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the then Emir of Kano, Dr Michael Omolayole, Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, among others.

Adesina and Adewole were garlanded at the 2014 special guest luncheon held at the Trenchard Hall of the premier univer­sity. The ceremony was chaired by former vice chancellor of the institution and former chairman, governing board of the Sigma Educational Foundation, Emeritus Professor Ayo Banjo.

The Medical Director, 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, Major General (Dr.) Reuben Nkado, and the Execu­tive Chairman, Jevkon Oil and Gas Limited, Lagos, Chief (Dr.) Okon Onyung, were also in attendance as special guests of honour.

In the chairman’s address, Professor Ban­jo noted that the University of Ibadan, estab­lished in 1948, was two years older than the Sigma Club, adding that the club has gone from strength to strength in the past 64 years. While attesting to the virtues, which the club usually inculcates into its members, he urged students not to go to academic institutions for intellectual formation alone, but should at the same time go for character formation.

Major General Nkado and Dr. Onyung also spoke on the occasion, attesting to how the trainings they individually received in the Sigma Club when they were sojourning for knowledge in the university helped them to excel in their professions.

This was followed by the induction of Adesina, who is the current President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and Isaac Adewole, an obstetrician and gynae­cologist as Honorary Sigmites for 2014.

The citations of the two inductees were read by the Chief Executive Officer of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, Mr. Yanju Adegbite. The Sigma Chief then for­mally inducted the duo. Highlights of the ceremony included oath-taking of loyalty to Sigma Club, and to Nigeria, sharing of wine, presentation of Sigma tie and certificate of induction.

The Sigma Chief, Dimgba Ugochukwu Peter, in his address, congratulated Adesina and Adewole, and said: “Our club is social and philanthropic. It was founded in 1950 by undergraduates of the University of Ibadan. By implication, therefore, we are the oldest surviving university student organisation in sub-Saharan Africa.”

In his response, Adesina expressed delight and appreciation to the Sigma Club for find­ing him worthy to be inducted into the roll of honour.

“As an undergraduate, I knew Sigma Club very well. I particularly remember the Ha­vana Musical Show they used to hold. When I got a letter, indicating that they wanted me as a honorary Sigmite, I was quite surprised,” he said.

Adesina, a graduate of the then Univer­sity of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo Univer­sity, Ile-Ife), noted that the Sigma Chief and members of his executive had visited the corporate head office of The Sun Publishing Limited in Lagos, to notify him of the induc­tion.

“It was with utmost pleasure that I signi­fied my intention to accept and I thank God that this day has come to be. I pledge that we will deploy all resources that the Lord has made available to us, to help the Sigma Club,” he declared.

Among those who turned out to rejoice with Adesina were his wife, Nike, as well as their children, Oluwatobi and Oluwato­sin; eminent virologist and former Oil Min­ister, Professor Tam David-West; the senior prefect of the honoree’s secondary school in 1975 when he was in class one, Dr. Rahman Adedokun; his immediate elder brother, Pro­fessor Tayo Adesina of the History Depart­ment, U.I and his wife, Dr. Kemi Adesina; his younger brother, Dr. Olubiyi Adesina with his wife, Dr. Olufunke Adesina. Mr Oluwaseun Adesina and his wife, Kehinde, were also there.

Equally in attendance were Adesina’s cousin, Mrs. Toyin Akinbobola and her hus­band, Elder David Akinbobola; and Mr. Yin­ka Fabowale, an Assistant Editor and Head, South-West Bureau of The Sun newspapers, who came along with his wife and daughter.

Professor Isaac Adewole, while respond­ing, said: “On behalf of my family and the family of University of Ibadan, we wish to express our sincere appreciation for this great honour. When I received the invitation, I did not realise that history would be made. I also did not realise that the last time a vice chancellor was honoured was 25 years ago.I honestly hope that the next one will not be another 25 years.

“So, there is a lot to learn from the Sigma Club about its resilience, survival tricks and how members have been able to sustain this noble club.

“I am particularly fascinated by the digni­ty, the respect and the courage that permeates every endeavour of this organisation. I am also fascinated about the need to contribute to societal good, which the university is all about.

“Femi (Adesina) and I had also worked together in the past on a pet project, and we are now together in the Sigma project. I have no doubt that both of us will contribute to making this club great.”

Professor Tayo Adesina described the in­duction of his younger brother into the Sigma Club as a manifestation of the kind of training that the Adesinas received from their parents. The upbringing they got, according to him, is that “we must live a life of service, a de­cent and honourable existence, and these are the kind of things that Sigma Club looks out for. Apparently, they have seen these in him. It is to the glory of God that he was identified and was picked as a honorary fellow.

“We give glory to God as well as thank our parents for the kind of training we re­ceived that has enabled people to see in us this kind of orientation that is worth honour­ing. It is part of a glorious life that should commend itself to younger Nigerians of to­day.

“In the Nigeria of today, such values as integrity and discipline have become very rare. So, for the Adesina family, our mid­dle name will be integrity because these are things that our parents actually were very fastidious about. You have to be honour­able, disciplined, dedicated, with vision, mission and a high sense of value.”

Prof Adesina stated that the ideals of Sigma Club “are part of what our parents actually tried to inculcate in us. So, we are natural Sigmites.”

Mrs. Olubukola Adewole is the wife of vice chancellor of the university. She said some of the qualities that marked her hus­band out for the honour included integrity, hard work, commitment and devotion to duty.

“A lot of the things exemplified by the Sigma Club are things that he also identifies with. He also wants progress, particularly for the University of Ibadan and for the general community.

“I am proud that there is such a club like this among students, ready to give back to the society. When you see this among stu­dents, it is something to be commended.”

Also, Oluwatobi, son of Femi Adesina said: “I congratulate my father on his in­duction as a honorary member of the Sig­ma Club and say well done to him. He has done a lot and we are very proud of him. We will emulate his virtues.”

Mrs. Nike Adesina said: “I am very happy; considering the motto of the Sigma Club, which says: ‘For all that is pure.’ I know that my husband, in his relationship with people, at home, at work, in the neigh­bourhood, is fair and just.”

Also, Yinka Fabowale said his friend of almost 30 years deserved all honours, cred­its and recognitions that have been coming to him, adding that the Sigma Club was not the first organisation that honoured him.

“He has an array of them, coming from all directions and from all parts of the world. I have known him to be an achiever, a man of excellence, and a man of the people. Al­most 30 years ago, he was instrumental in bringing me into the Adesina family. He is a bridge-builder.

“We have Tayo Adesina, who is a profes­sor of History in the University of Ibadan; Olubiyi Adesina, who is a consultant endo­crinologist; and the eldest sister, Professor Foluke Ogunleye, heading the Department of Dramatic Arts in the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

“I believe Femi Adesina is going to be a great asset in terms of leveraging on his connections and powerful friends to be of use and value to the club.

“The honour is obviously because of his knack for excellence, being on top of his game. He is a consummate journalist and this has made the Sigma Club to give him this honour and make him a part of them­selves.

“Talking about his contributions to na­tional discourse, he is well known to be a fearless and objective columnist, who has done so much to promote national dis­course, proffering solutions to our prob­lems.

It is only left for our leaders, especially political leaders to take heed of some of these golden nuggets of advice that he puts out in his column.”

The Sigma Club is reputed for hold­ing the Havana Music Carnival in Ibadan, which was instituted in October 1955. The proceeds are directed towards helping the underprivileged in the society.

The club places high premium on good character, discipline, honour and integrity.