By Wale Ojo-Lanre, Esq.
Yes, I must confess. Prof. Mrs. Habibat Omolara Adubiaro disappointed me.
She disappointed me in the most beautiful, most academic, most elegant and most unforgettable manner.
Honestly , I went to the 23rd Inaugural Lecture of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti expecting the normal academic ritual: a great scholar mounting the podium, speaking with power, pausing occasionally, sipping water, adjusting papers, clearing the throat, and allowing the audience to catch breath in between scholarly bombardments.
But Prof. Adubiaro refused to follow that familiar script.
She came prepared. She came loaded.
She came elegant.
She came graceful.
She came with the carriage of a scholar, the discipline of a scientist, the confidence of a public servant, and the composure of a woman who knows her onions and can peel them without tears.
The new 1000 sitting capacity hall of FUOYE was filled to the brim. In fact, it was not just filled; it was dressed, decorated, sanctified and intellectually electrified for the occasion.
The Governor of Ekiti State, His Excellency Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, and his darling wife, Prof. Olayemi Oyebanji, were there. The Deputy Governor, Chief Monisade Afuye, was there. The Head of Service , Rt Hon Deputy Speaker Mrs Bolaji Egbeyemi Olagbaju , Dr (Mrs) Olufolakemi Gbonjubola Olomojobi , Mrs Titilayo Olarike Olayinka ,Ekiti State Accountant General and the Chief of Staff , Mr Niyi Adebayo were there. The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, the Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, royal fathers, scholars, administrators, political leaders, friends, admirers and well-wishers all gathered to witness excellence in motion.
The Vice Chancellor of FUOYE, Prof. Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, was the Chairman of the occasion. The Vice Chancellor of BOUESTI, Prof. Andrew Babatunde Omojola, and the Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Prof. Joseph Babatola Ayodele, also added colour and academic weight to the event. Mr. Adubiaro, the husband of this wonderful Professor, sat there with quiet pride, the kind of pride that does not need a microphone. Also present was Mr. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, Chairman of the Federal Housing Authority, Chief Akin Fasae , , among many distinguished guests.
And then came the woman of the moment.
Prof. Mrs. Habibat Omolara Adubiaro, Professor of Food Chemistry, appeared in her professorial robe, and the robe fitted her as if it was tailored in heaven by angels who understood both scholarship and style. She was not heavily framed in body, but Almighty Allah compensated her with a massive, majestic, intimidating and humongous brain. She carried herself with grace, dignity and calm authority. Nothing was forced. Nothing was artificial. Nothing was noisy. It was simply class.
Her lecture, titled “From Biodiversity to Biovalue: Compositional, Nutritional, Functional and Oleochemical Insights into Some Underutilized Plant Resources,” was not one of those inaugural lectures that punish the audience in the name of scholarship. No. This one was alive. It was deep without being dull. It was technical without being torturous. It was scientific without being suffocating. It was academic, illustrative, colourful, practical, elegant and exciting.
She spoke with speed, but never lost control. Her pace was fast, but her words did not stumble. Her delivery was firm, fluid, precise, polished, intelligent, persuasive, confident, masterly and exceptionally organised. She allowed the gospel of food chemistry to sink into the minds of the audience without harassment. She took us from biodiversity to biovalue with the confidence of a scholar who has paid her dues in the laboratory, in the classroom, in research, in administration and in public service.
I have attended many inaugural lectures. Some are so heavy that even the chairs begin to beg for mercy. Some are so dry that one starts checking the time after the first ten minutes. Some are so technical that even the speaker appears to be looking for the way out. But Prof. Adubiaro’s lecture was different. It was beautiful. It was solid. It was deep. It was refreshing. It was intellectually nourishing. It was a lecture that fed the mind, provoked thought and celebrated the hidden wealth in our underutilized plant resources.
But alas, this is where my problem began.
There was a bottle of water on the podium. Beside it was a glass, almost full, strategically positioned like a loyal servant waiting to be noticed. That glass was not placed there for decoration. It was there for service. It was waiting patiently for Prof. Adubiaro to pause, lift it, sip from it, and give it a sense of purpose.
I too was waiting.
I said to myself, “Madam Professor will soon drink water.”
She continued.
I said again, “Maybe after this paragraph.”
She continued.
I adjusted myself.
The glass remained untouched.
The bottle remained innocent.
The audience remained captured.
The Professor remained unstoppable.
Unlike some speakers who would have destroyed five bottles of water in the heat of perspiration, pressure and professorial panic, Prof. Adubiaro disappointed the bottle, disappointed the glass, disappointed my expectation, and disappointed every normal prediction of human weakness on the podium. She did not sip. She did not shake. She did not lose steam. She did not beg for rescue. She delivered with the stamina of a marathoner, the discipline of a soldier, the clarity of a preacher and the brilliance of a scholar.
That was my disappointment.
I expected a pause; she gave me power.
I expected a sip; she gave me substance.
I expected fatigue; she gave me fire.
I expected the usual academic heaviness; she gave us intellectual elegance.
I expected water to assist her; she proved that preparation is stronger than thirst.
And that, to me, is the real lesson of the day.
Prof. Adubiaro is a statement that greatness is not measured by body size but by brain size, discipline, diligence and divine endowment.
She is proof that a woman can be graceful and powerful, modest and mighty, calm and commanding, scholarly and accessible, deeply religious and deeply scientific.
Just as someone quietly muttered beside me: “This woman máa ń jẹ́ kí Muslim wù ní láti ṣe” ( meaning, the conduct, deeds, discipline, humility and graceful composure of this lady are so fascinating that they make one admire the beauty of being a Muslim.)
That statement was not made lightly. It was provoked by what we saw: decency without drama, faith without noise, brilliance without arrogance, and elegance without excess.
She is a symbol of what happens when knowledge meets character, when preparation meets opportunity, and when faith meets excellence.
As Secretary to the Government of Ekiti State, she has already shown that she is not a ceremonial ornament in government. As a Professor of Food Chemistry, she has shown that she is not a borrowed academic garment. She is real. She is tested. She is grounded. She is gifted. She is a blessing to the university, to Ekiti State, to womanhood, to scholarship and to humanity.
So, yes, Prof. Mrs. Habibat Omolara Adubiaro disappointed me.
She disappointed me by refusing to be ordinary.
She disappointed me by refusing to be boring.
She disappointed me by refusing to allow the glass of water to share in her glory.
She disappointed me by proving that excellence does not need noise, that scholarship does not need arrogance, and that a woman blessed by Allah can stand before kings, scholars, royal fathers and citizens, and deliver with uncommon grace.
May Almighty Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful, continue to elevate her, enlarge her coast, strengthen her mind, preserve her family, bless her scholarship and grant her more honour in service to humanity.
Prof. Adubiaro disappointed me indeed.
And I pray that many more Professors will disappoint me like this.
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