•As Rector lauds contributions by teaching, non-teaching staff
By Adesina Wahab
Yaba College of Technology, YABATECH, has held its first valedictory lecture with the Rector, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, appreciating the contributions of teaching and non-teaching staff to the development and growth of the College.
Abdul’s comment came on the heel of the fact that the valedictory lecture was delivered by a non-teaching staff, Dr Julius Ayobami Sonibare, the Coordinator, Centre for Institutional Policies and Strategies who is retiring from the College
The title of the lecture was “The hidden X: Motives, meaning and the architecture of human struggle.”
“We want to mark the begining of a tradition and culture that recognizes all the staff of the College irrespective of where they serve whether academic or non-academic. All of us are working together to raise YABATECH top among the ivy league of such Colleges. And look at today’s lecturer, he is a non-teaching staff.
“In our bursary and registry departments we have lot of potential academicians there and that is why we have opened the gate for free flow of transfer of staff from non-teaching to teaching. Nobody’s contribution can be under-estimated and we must identify and acknowledge the roles played by each and everyone of us,” the Rector stated.
He described Dr Sonibare as an academician that missed his way to the registry and wished him a blissful retirement.
Sonibare in his lecture postulated that there is always a hidden X in whatever individuals and even corporate bodies do.
He explained that the hidden X could be the reasons, the purpose or even the impact of such actions.
Illustrating his position with his own life, he said he left the job of a Mathematics teacher in a private secondary school for a job at YABATECH which led to a deep cut in his salary.
“I left a job where I earned N28,000 monthly for another one in YABATECH where I was offered N9,150 monthly. What was the hidden X? At that time, I could not state the complete answer. I knew I wanted a different dimension of professional development.. I wanted to understand institutional administration from within. I wanted to test the knowledge I had gained against the complexity of a higher education institution. I also sensed that the College offered a platform for a broader career.
However, sensing is not knowing. The X remained hidden,” he stated.
Sonibare charged individuals to discover and develop their hidden potential, saying every individual possesses abilities and possibilities that may not be immed
He also admonished young people not to despise the days of their humble beginning and that they should accept responsibilities when opportunities arise.
He called for the strengthening of mentorship in schools and work places, emphasizing the importance of learning from one another.
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