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By Idowu Olayinka
A friend called me on phone at 8:27 pm yesterday evening, Friday 19th December 2025, sounded deeply worried and troubled, to inquire if I have heard anything about our colleague and common friend Professor AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji. I replied in the negative. I promised him that I would try to find out and decided to call the Dean of our Faculty of Technology, Professor Isaac Bamgboye. He told me that both himself and AbdulGaniy were together in their Department (Agricultural and Environmental Engineering) the previous day for the External Examination of their MSc students. I felt relieved but he promised to find out. Dean Bamgboye called me back at 8:56 pm to confirm the very sad and depressing news of the transition of our friend, Professor AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji. He was only 60 years old!
I worked with AbdulGaniy at the International School University of Ibadan (ISI) during my stint as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Chairman of the ISI Board of Governors. At one of our meetings AbdulGaniy alluded to some of the reasons why not a few of our 100 level students of Engineering struggle to pass their Mathematics in relation to the Curriculum especially if they had not offered Further Mathematics at Senior Secondary School. At another time he stated authoritatively that Mathematics is an Arts subject. He should know as a Professor of Engineering with a special interest in Mathematical Modelling. Indeed when the University College Ibadan opened its doors to students in January 1948, with three Faculties namely Arts, Science and Medicine, the Department of Mathematics was domiciled in the Faculty of Arts and the situation remained so until the mid-1960s when Mathematics was relocated to the Faculty of Science. Many of the first generation of graduates of Mathematics at Ibadan (University College Ibadan/University of Ibadan) earned Bachelor of Arts degree.
From July 2018 till October 2020, I was invited by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to serve on four different occasions as State Collation Officer or the Returning Officer for elections held in Ekiti State (off season Governorship), Ogun State (regular Governorship in 2019), Ondo State (off season Governorship in 2020) and Ekiti State (Presidential in 2019). In all these cases I discharged my duties creditably to the best of my ability, so much so that my employer, the Governing Council of the University of Ibadan commended me. In truth, the task was made seamless for me because in all the instances a brother, Professor AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji, was always on hand as an INEC Commissioner to guide me. I can never forget his honesty of purpose, transparency, selflessness and competence. He was such a true patriot. I had never been prouder of him as a fellow Native of UI.
I was very happy when I reliably gathered some three months ago that he was one of the 10 candidates shortlisted for the Vice-Chancellorship of the University of Abuja. Knowing his credentials, hard work, track record of honesty and transparency I wished he would clinch the position for which he was eminently qualified. But unfortunately that was not to be.
Condolences to his wife, children, friends and associates. The good God will forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest.
…Prof. Idowu Olayinka is former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan.
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