THE ORACLE: EMERITUS PROFESSOR MATTHEW AKINYEMI ARAOYE (1940-2018)
By
Seye Adetunmbi
After I received the sad news of the transition of Professor M. A. Araoye, my memory raced back to around 35 years ago when I saw how he took interest my beloved father and was always looking out for him medically. I noticed that most of the times he drove through Ifaki either on is way to University of Ilorin where he was based or on his way to Ekiti from Ilorin, he would make out time to check Baba to see how he was fairing. He would ask after his medications and sometimes prof came with some the prescribed medicine for my beloved father, Chief D. O. Adetunmbi. It was after I asked my father that I got to know that he was a brother of Chief Ademola Araoye who held Baba in high esteem as his senior colleague in the Nigeria Union of Teachers activism. Apparently, prof met Baba, Chief Adetunmbi through prof's brother, Chief Araoye and thereafter they bonded with one another until the transition of Baba in 1990.
Professor Araoye was a nice kindhearted person and a disciplined gentleman. I remember going to his office in at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, to complain about an ailment to him after introducing myself to him. My surname was my passport. He went where he kept medicines and gave me the drugs that healed the ailment. He said as a son of Baba I must be well behaved on the campus and this I appreciated a great deal.
I was very happy to see him at the Bishop's Court Ado-Ekiti on the 25th of April, 2016. It was during the inauguration of the Board of Governors of Ile-Abiye College of Health Technology on invitation of Chief S. B. Falegan, the Chairman of which Prof Araoye was a member. I made sure a I got him a copy of the special publication of Ekitipanupo Legacy book which he commended after going through it. And that was the last time I saw him though I called to speak with him after we met in Ado-Ekiti.
The emeritus professor indeed lived a remarkable life of service to God and humanity. He was a product of Christ's School, Ado-Ekiti where belonged to the 1956 set with the school number 54/010. In 1979, he was appointed Lecturer and Consultant Physician at the University of Ilorin. He later served at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital as a Professor of Medicine and Dean of the College of Medicine. He was the pioneer Provost of the College of Medicine, Benue State University and also the Provost at the College of Medicine in the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.
His students called him oracle! Some of the alumni of University of Ilorin that passed through his tutelage and those who had encounters with him have the quoted statements below to say about the resourceful and brilliant scholar:
Dr Dele Abegunde wrote:
I read Seye Adetunmbi's eulogy to Professor Matthew Akinyemi Araoye and could not agree more with his capturing of the essence of the definitive Araoye, who we popularly but fearfully called - the Single Majority.
I was privileged to have been thought medicine and the character that should go with it by Prof Araoye (I wish I can capture the emphasis which which he pronounced his name personally). Araoye was indeed medicine and character personified. He was hot across all subspecialty of medicine and taught with definitive authority. Araoye demonstrated sound and leadership kind of knowledge on even non medical topics appearing to acknowledge the lesser knowledge of everybody else with a gentle knowing smile that he wore always. According to his own admission, he went to Europe to Study Mathematics, he came back home with a strong training in Medcine!
I never got along as well as tried and loved to. Baba was too focused on medicine and teaching medicine to notice any admirers. I - and a lot of us wanted to be a sound as he was.
For Baba, medicine was too sanctimonious to accommodate some off use who fraternized with Kegites, Unilorin Theatre.! And I did a tiny little bit of those even to the chagrim of some of my lecturers who saw me on stage acting role during the annual convocation plays. To cap it worse, my name appeared on a fake cultist list that was bandied on campus in 1984 - if it was during a fight between some cultist in unilorin and another in the college of Tech. Together with 4 other medical students and the Single majority was alleged to have declared that Medical students on the list were not graduating. I was preparing for my graduating exam and all the other meds on the list were not. I rushed to baba's office to protest and declare my innocence (proven latte by a probe instituted by the authorities). Baba had little time to listen to me - he was on his way to his ward round, but listened anyways (you can imagine the fear I felt, 4 years in the University on OO1, O11 when the going was good and one silly list was putting all those in jeopardy). Though I had barley seconds to defend my innocence, Baba, looked at me and delivered his judgment. "well, any medical student found wanting will not graduate!" The Oracle has spoken. Oracle was the other name we called him. I don't know if he knew. In the end the University authority probe, cut through the cheese and I was spared.
One day we were waiting for our lecture to bi=egin and were in class making so much noise that got to him in the office. Those offices in those days were small cubicles, with no air-conditioning and lectures sometimes kept their doors open for improved ventilation. He apparently came to investigate what was happening. As soon as he peered through the door, a great silence and comportment engulfed all of us in the class (Peter Ikuabe, Ebun Bamgboye and many more, might remember this day). Baba just looked at us is our pretenses for about 30 seconds and gestured with his hand to cut a small circle through the class declaring "by the time we graduate this number, we would have done a good job". This circle cut majority of us who were back benchers out precipitously, but before he finished the statement and drawing this imaginary circle, we in the back had carried those metal chairs (can you still remember them?) and not only moved into the frontal circle that was going to be "graduated", we were in front.
We believed he was serious, but looking back years latter, baba was only just enjoying himself at our expense, telling us to behave like doctors that we were going to be in a few months. Well 25 of 67 graduated at the first go and I can assure you, he worked tirelessly that it should be more than that.
The oracle was well respected by all including the VC then and we knew it, purely the way he applied himself and did what he had to with purpose and character.
Rather interestingly, I will miss him, like many doctors and patients alike in the field of practice. Sun re o.
Dr Joseph Kolawole Ariyo wrote:
Seye, thanks for sharing. He was my teacher in Ilorin medical school from 1979 to 1985. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace with the Lord. The medical profession will miss him Dr Gbenle Silas wrote:
We called him the 'Oracle'. He was also referred to as the 'single majority.'
Some of us were lucky to have had him as our lecturer.
What a fine gentleman. May his gentle soul rest In Peace. Amen. - Silas
Sunmola Bakare wrote:
One of the greats of UNILORIN. Rest well in the bosom of the Lord.
Akin Falodun wrote:
Nice man and very close family friend, we met at the American embassy Abuja few years back and reminded him of my last encounter with him. My late uncle was breathing his last breath and we swiftly called his attention being the family physician, he responded in a jiffy but we lost him. Olubayode Daramola, the pioneer Registrar of University of Ilorin. Prof was a good man and may God grant him eternal rest. Indeed, Professor Araoye was a distinguished academic and an honorable gentleman. The Emeritus Professor rested in the Lord on Sunday 1st of April, 2018 at the age of 78 years. May his gentle soul rest in peace, amen.
His students called him oracle! Some of the alumni of University of Ilorin that passed through his tutelage and those who had encounters with him have the quoted statements below to say about the resourceful and brilliant scholar:
Dr Dele Abegunde wrote:
I read Seye Adetunmbi's eulogy to Professor Matthew Akinyemi Araoye and could not agree more with his capturing of the essence of the definitive Araoye, who we popularly but fearfully called - the Single Majority.
I was privileged to have been thought medicine and the character that should go with it by Prof Araoye (I wish I can capture the emphasis which which he pronounced his name personally). Araoye was indeed medicine and character personified. He was hot across all subspecialty of medicine and taught with definitive authority. Araoye demonstrated sound and leadership kind of knowledge on even non medical topics appearing to acknowledge the lesser knowledge of everybody else with a gentle knowing smile that he wore always. According to his own admission, he went to Europe to Study Mathematics, he came back home with a strong training in Medcine!
I never got along as well as tried and loved to. Baba was too focused on medicine and teaching medicine to notice any admirers. I - and a lot of us wanted to be a sound as he was.
For Baba, medicine was too sanctimonious to accommodate some off use who fraternized with Kegites, Unilorin Theatre.! And I did a tiny little bit of those even to the chagrim of some of my lecturers who saw me on stage acting role during the annual convocation plays. To cap it worse, my name appeared on a fake cultist list that was bandied on campus in 1984 - if it was during a fight between some cultist in unilorin and another in the college of Tech. Together with 4 other medical students and the Single majority was alleged to have declared that Medical students on the list were not graduating. I was preparing for my graduating exam and all the other meds on the list were not. I rushed to baba's office to protest and declare my innocence (proven latte by a probe instituted by the authorities). Baba had little time to listen to me - he was on his way to his ward round, but listened anyways (you can imagine the fear I felt, 4 years in the University on OO1, O11 when the going was good and one silly list was putting all those in jeopardy). Though I had barley seconds to defend my innocence, Baba, looked at me and delivered his judgment. "well, any medical student found wanting will not graduate!" The Oracle has spoken. Oracle was the other name we called him. I don't know if he knew. In the end the University authority probe, cut through the cheese and I was spared.
One day we were waiting for our lecture to bi=egin and were in class making so much noise that got to him in the office. Those offices in those days were small cubicles, with no air-conditioning and lectures sometimes kept their doors open for improved ventilation. He apparently came to investigate what was happening. As soon as he peered through the door, a great silence and comportment engulfed all of us in the class (Peter Ikuabe, Ebun Bamgboye and many more, might remember this day). Baba just looked at us is our pretenses for about 30 seconds and gestured with his hand to cut a small circle through the class declaring "by the time we graduate this number, we would have done a good job". This circle cut majority of us who were back benchers out precipitously, but before he finished the statement and drawing this imaginary circle, we in the back had carried those metal chairs (can you still remember them?) and not only moved into the frontal circle that was going to be "graduated", we were in front.
We believed he was serious, but looking back years latter, baba was only just enjoying himself at our expense, telling us to behave like doctors that we were going to be in a few months. Well 25 of 67 graduated at the first go and I can assure you, he worked tirelessly that it should be more than that.
The oracle was well respected by all including the VC then and we knew it, purely the way he applied himself and did what he had to with purpose and character.
Rather interestingly, I will miss him, like many doctors and patients alike in the field of practice. Sun re o.
Dr Joseph Kolawole Ariyo wrote:
Seye, thanks for sharing. He was my teacher in Ilorin medical school from 1979 to 1985. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace with the Lord. The medical profession will miss him Dr Gbenle Silas wrote:
We called him the 'Oracle'. He was also referred to as the 'single majority.'
Some of us were lucky to have had him as our lecturer.
What a fine gentleman. May his gentle soul rest In Peace. Amen. - Silas
Sunmola Bakare wrote:
One of the greats of UNILORIN. Rest well in the bosom of the Lord.
Akin Falodun wrote:
Nice man and very close family friend, we met at the American embassy Abuja few years back and reminded him of my last encounter with him. My late uncle was breathing his last breath and we swiftly called his attention being the family physician, he responded in a jiffy but we lost him. Olubayode Daramola, the pioneer Registrar of University of Ilorin. Prof was a good man and may God grant him eternal rest. Indeed, Professor Araoye was a distinguished academic and an honorable gentleman. The Emeritus Professor rested in the Lord on Sunday 1st of April, 2018 at the age of 78 years. May his gentle soul rest in peace, amen.
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