Professor Lai Olurode has addressed some of the issues that bothered around his leadership as the former Chairman of University of Lagos Muslim Community (UMC) and an ex-National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Olurode, who was among the retirees celebrated by the institution’s Muslim community on Friday at a special event, was the INEC Commissioner in charge of Ogun, Osun and Ekiti States from 2010 to 2015 and the UMC Chairman between 2016 and 2020.
While speaking exclusively with Muslim News, the Iwo-born professor disclosed that he emerged as chairman of the UNILAG Muslim Community at the end of his tenure as INEC Commissioner.
He said, “After I served in INEC, I had the opportunity to become the UMC chairman. I didn’t push for it. We had a Shurah Committee. It was the committee that recommended me. Before then, I was vice-chairman to Professor Rahman Bello, who was then the chairman. When he was appointed Vice Chancellor, I stepped into his shoes as chairman of UMC. Alhamdulilah, we were able to do several things together with other members of the exco. People thought we did well.”
According to Olurode, he and his team made efforts to unite all Muslim factions within the university community under the umbrella of UMC.
He said, “I served for four years as chairman of the UNILAG Muslim Community. What I noticed was that there were factions within the University of Lagos Muslim Community. The factions persist.
“We tried our best to bring them together. But I found students difficult. Some of them say they are MSS, and they want to do things on their own. We would always tell them to set their priorities right. But they want to draw their programmes, and reach out to the same people we reach out to for support. And I told them to defer to UMC. Let UMC do everything for you. It doesn’t speak well for you to be seen competing with UMC. We tried but it proved difficult.
“Even among staff, once some of our friends are recruited to positions within the university, they do not identify strongly with the community again. They see themselves as different from us and they want to enlarge that friction within the Muslim Community. And we tell them that whatever you do out there is for a while; you’ll step down and come back to the fold. Let’s get united. So, in the instance of discrimination against Muslims, some of them will look away.”
Prof. Olurode said Muslim organisations at UNILAG should work together as one entity under the banner of the UMC because the name commands more respect and carries more weight.
“Muslim students should see the UMC as an umbrella organisation. They cannot be competing with UMC. I think they get encouragement from some staff, that’s the tragedy. They are misleading them. They have to subsume whatever they are doing under the umbrella of the UNILAG Muslim Community. That’s the only way we can excel. They can’t do it alone. When we carry the banner of UMC outside, it carries more weight, has more stamina and commands more respect than any other thing.
“I also think the university community, especially Muslims should act cohesively. A house divided against itself is going to fall. They should not allow factions. There was a time we were trying to do something. Some people came from outside to pray with us. I don’t want to be particular.
“One person was trying to create factions in the university’s Muslim community. We stopped that. He started his feeding programme for Muslims, and we told him UMC already has one. You should subsume your own under that. You’ll be creating a crisis for the community. They should become more cohesive, work together and build synergy. There will be infighting and differences, but they should resolve all these amicably following the tradition of the Prophet (SAW) so that they act and speak as one body,” he said.
The retired Professor of Sociology also called on the current leadership of the UMC to retrace the legacies of the association and build on them.
“I have not also seen so much sense of history in what is being done by the current exco. I think they need to look back at what others before them had done; the developmental orientation that had been established should be followed and built on. If you lose your heritage, what do you have? If you have no sense of history, you cannot go far in life.”
Speaking on his role as commissioner at INEC, Prof. Olurode said he had a good working relationship with the then chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega despite occasional disagreements on how things should go.
He said he almost lost interest in the INEC job because so many obstacles stood their way to effect reforms.
“When we started at INEC, at a point, I went to Jega and said I wanted to leave, that I’m tired. It’s a thankless job. If you want to do it thoroughly and professionally, there are tremendous obstacles. But Jega said Lai you can’t run away. If you run away, then you can’t complain again. This is an opportunity for you, let’s come together and make things happen,” he noted.
“I think from the comments of Nigerians, 2011 and 2015 elections, I’m not sure the standard had been met till now, particularly in 2011 when we introduced the biometric register which was electronic. It’s not that the register is perfect but it can continuously be improved upon. I saw it as an opportunity to display my knowledge and I thank Allah for the opening. How it came about, it’s just Allah. And I knew I just had to maximize the opportunity. We were able to showcase Islam in different ways.
“Jega at a point thought that I was doing something funny to him; he didn’t know I supported him wholeheartedly. We had a forum in Lagos and openly before other commissioners, he disclosed that there’s no one he trusted in the commission other than Prof. Olurode because I would tell him the way it is, not to bring him down but to ensure things are done properly.
Alhamdulilah, one can anticipate the challenges we would face in the field and I would go to him to let’s do it this way. On the few occasions that he didn’t agree with me, we had some challenges. But in most cases, we agreed.”
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Why I quit Political Science for Sociology: Prof Lai Olurode (Part 1)
• Ex-INEC commissioner retires from UNILAG after 40 years
Born as Dauda Bilawu on November 2nd, 1952 at Iwo, famously known as the city of the scholars, Prof. Olurode received his Secondary School education at Baptist High school, Iwo between 1968 and 1975. Read more HERE
Muslims should create alternative platforms to check discrimination in Nigeria, says Prof. Olurode (2)
Despite his exploits in academics, Professor Lai Olurode’s quest to combat Islamophobia in his hometown made him to establish a school, radio station, JAMB centre and even wrote story books for children for the benefit of all, irrespective of religious beliefs. He told Muslim News how he was able to achieve these feats. Read more HERE
