Dear All,
Chief Michael Afolayan has rightly captioned my friend's and Chief Toyin Falola's Harvest of 2016 as "Adiitu," (Mysterious, enigmatic, etc). Professor Olukotun has demonstrated that talking about Toyin Falola's accomplishments is similar to the experiences of the proverbial group of the blinds touching different parts of an elephant. No one could rightly use words to capture Toyin Falola's ability and capability. But I want to say Chief Afolayan is more than a seer to say there are better things to come from Toyin Falola in the years ahead.
On the secret of Toyin's achievement, he once told me that he has not seen anyone who puts in 12 hours of work daily into his/her chosen occupation without having something to show for it in the end. Hence with due respect to the religious members of this Group and given the present level of the abuse of God by Nigerians, I will like to ask for caution in bringing God into what any rational person knows to be the outcome of sleepless nights of the labor of love.
I know there is an element of inexplicable factor (God's grace or blessings, luck, freak events, etc) in human affairs, but dedication and hard "WORK" comes before prayer, even in the Holy Bible. So, don't be deceived by Toyin's invocation of God! The invisible or secret Hand of God in Toyin's achievements is that God has made it impossible for him to play academic politics, to be lured into taking up any administrative position in any university at home and abroad,to lose his focus on scholarship, and to go to bed when keeping vigil at his writing desk and spending the family income on the next books are preferred options to praying and keeping vigil in the Church and paying tithe.
Best wishes for the years ahead.
Bola Dauda
On 30 December 2016 at 04:44, 'Michael Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Whether in prose or in poetry, what I'm hearing Professor Olukotun and others say is summed up in one word, "Adiitu," which no single English word is capable of conveying: Mysterious, mystifying, incredible, enigmatic, amazing, mind bugling; yet, relentless, assiduous, selfless, serviceable, kind, compassionate, inspirational, humble, friendly, transparent . . . wholesome, constantly self-assessing!That is the stuff divinely ordained generals are made of.No kidding!I just have to doff my hat to this enigma, Bobapitan (the Palace Griot) of Ibadanland, Toyin Falola - an Adiitu Olodumare, whose presence on our limited space has shaken the world around us. It's no cliché, but the best is yet to come. Mark my words!Michael O. AfolayanFrom the Land of Lincoln . . .On Thursday, December 29, 2016 4:52 PM, 'ayandiji daniel' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com > wrote:
I am excited to be a numbered among Prof Falola's mentees. The Man of the Year is a scholar with penetrating wit, riveting attention and infectious humility. I was his guest in the summer of 2015 while preparing for my inaugural lecture. His personal library was of such a tremendous assistance. Professor Falola personally provided numerous resource guide, gave quality attention, fed me and gave a comprehensive review of my draft lecture in a way no other reviewer did! May the Lord prosper him in the years and decades ahead. We shall do our best to follow your legacy sir.Ayandiji Daniel AINA, PhDProfessor of Political Science &Vice Chancellor,Caleb University,Imota, Lagos State,Nigeria.Email Addresses :dijiaina@yahoo.comWebsite: http:// calebuniversity.edu.ng"Unswerving loyalty to duty, constant devotion to truth, and a clear conscience will overcome every discouragement and surely lead the way to usefulness and high achievement". Grover Cleveland
From: 'Adeshina Afolayan' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com >
To: "usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com " <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com >
Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2016 11:21 PM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Toyin Falola, Man of the Year
This is indeed a fitting way to end the year 2016. And this is gratifying because it isn't a mere celebration. We are celebrating achievements founded on discipline, dedication and an unrivaled love of ideas. I have seen Prof. Falola roundly castigate those who look down on ideas and on books. I shared his lamentation when the University of Jos library went up in flames. By lamentation i mean a deep depressive state that incapacitates. I know about his financial commitment to publications. He hardly sleeps, and one could hardly keep up with him even after you have had your own six hours of sleep. He moves from one keynote to another; public lectures are numerous and he could combine three in a week. His agbari brims with ideas and arguments and theories! If you have stayed with him for more than three months, you will understand what i mean. When i was with him in Austin, the intellectual sparring commences immediately you rise up from bed, at any time. Sometimes, he invades your room, wakes you up and you commence!Let me share a secret: He has a newfound regimen that is bound to turn this year's harvest into a deeper incredulity next year. I have seen one just completed manuscript and i am aware of more than six in an almost-ready state.Falola, primus inter paresthe Erinmi that dominates the mighty ocean!the Ajanaku that dominates the dense forestthe Ologbojo, fearsome and fearlessI am not ashamed to sing your praise!Let those who are ashamed be silencedto their shame.Adeshina Afolayan, PhD
Department of Philosophy
University of Ibadan
+23480-3928-8429On Thursday, December 29, 2016 10:11 PM, Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso <jumoyin@gmail.com> wrote:
--TOYIN FALOLA,MAN OF THE YEARAYO OLUKOTUN"A harvest (of 12 published books in 2016, and numerous keynote addresses) is a testimony and this is mine. The glory is not mine; all that is mine is how God works in me". -Toyin Falola 23rd December 2016."Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort"- Paul J. MeyerMen and for that matter women, the German radical philosopher, Karl Marx famously wrote, do not make history in circumstances of their own choosing. However, the human specie can rearrange and has often rearranged, its circumstances. Recall the epigram which saluted the ingenuity of the Dutch in reclaiming their country from the Sea: "God created Man and Man created the Netherlands".The power of agency, of human beings to line up with God in the quest of creation often trumps the stranglehold of inclement environments. So, austere, harsh and brutal as 2016 was for most Nigerians, there were, here and there, spurts of innovativeness, ingenuity, outstanding productivity and narratives of notable strides, in the face of adversity. You see this in Lagos state governor, Mr Akinwumi Ambode turning the tables on hunger by producing Lake Rice, in partnership with the Kebbi state government, in the heroism and gallantry of our military in subduing and liberating the dreaded Sambisa forest, the exploits of our paralympics at Rio, and the magnificent exertions of Professor Toyin Falola, chosen as our Man of the Year, for publishing 12 books, in spite of a busy academic itinerary.This short list of achievers does not exhaust the number of transformational individuals and groups who made startling progress by cheating adversity;it is merely illustrative. Some may argue that Falola's achievement in the outgoing year occurred not in the social and economic frying pan that Nigeria became in 2016, but in the more opportune context of the United States, where he has not only been a Distinguished Professor since the early 1990s, but has been bedecked with a string of academic laurels and diadems, too many to count. Before you run away with this caveat however, please note that an inhospitable environment can be personal or national. Listen to Falola: "I never knew it will be a productive year. I closed 2015 with uncertainties, not even sure I will make it to 2016". The uncertainties referred to here relate partly to a health challenge, surmounted by the scholar. In other words, he wobbled into 2016 by struggling to live down the tremors of the preceding year. That apart, the griping tales of achievement by Nigerians in the Diaspora are very much part of our national history, to the extent that they showcase in the global arena what Nigerians are capable of doing, should the country succeed in transforming our current pessimism and dystopia into a beckoning utopia.Of course, our Man of the Year, is no stranger to landmark achievements. For several years now, he has being identified as one of the few academics who has published over a hundred books. He has held several key appointments such as President of the African Studies Association in the United States and he is currently a member if the Council of Scholars of the United States Library of Congress. He also holds a plethora of Life Time Achievement Awards and a growing number of Honorary Doctorates bestowed on him at home and abroad. To be sure quantity is not necessarily quality. As one philosopher remarked " it is not enough to be industrious, the ants surely are; it depends on what you are industrious about". However, several eminent scholars have paid tributes to the quality, breadth, depth and encyclopedic nature of Falola's wide ranging publications, including those books he published this year. When in 2013, he was honored with the Doctor of Humane Letters by the City University of New York, the University Orator remarked that the honoree is "a profoundly original thinker, intellectual leader, engaging teacher and Institution builder. You have made a global impact in the study of African history, modern Africa and African Diaspora". It is also well known that Falola's former students, many of them Distinguished Scholars in their own rights, have honoured him with five publications celebrating his epic academic achievements. His distinctive contribution has itself become a thriving sub field of intellectual history, illustrated by Distinguished Professor Abdul Bangura's book entitled 'Toyin Falola and African Epistemologies'.The question can be asked: if Falola has already been well recognised and celebrated for his inspiring achievements, why make him Man of the Year 2016? Is this not an over kill? My simple answer would be that in 2016 he scaled a new height of productivity, by turning out books, his essays are not counted, which many academics do not equal in their lifetimes. For doubting Thomases, I can confirm that I have copies of several of the books he published this year, and indeed contributed to his major edited book entitled Encyclopedia of the Yoruba (Indiana University Press 2016). So, there is nothing made up or arranged about the prodigious productivity of our Man of the Year. As mentioned earlier, the number of publications does not include keynote addresses, and lectures given at such fora as African Studies Program George Town University, Washington DC, Howard University, John Hopkins University, Temple University Samuel Adegboyega University and the Adeyemi College of Education among others.Celebrating excellence is agenda setting, to the extent that it invites us to reflect on how it is produced. As American Business man and Motivational author, Meyer, quoted at the outset reminds us, excellence is not the product of random and unfocused exertions but a result of goal directed planning follow through industry. Far too often, Nigeria has glorified mediocres, who by hook or crook attain public office while relegating original thinkers and achievers. I seek to restore the balance by drawing attention to excellence, in this case intellectual excellence displayed by one of our own. Considering also, that a crisis of underachievement persists in major areas of our national life including our Universities, it is important to interrogate our status by borrowing a leaf from illustrious pages composed by industrious and justly celebrated Nigerians.One of the pitfalls of our University system is that it does not adequately reward excellence or penalize sloth. For example, the practice of post tenure appraisal for professors, which keeps them from sinking into disrepair or intellectual obsolescence is alien, thus far, to our universities. We must somehow find ways, including the endowment of professorial Chairs to keep our scholars productive and at the cutting edge of knowledge generation and dissemination. It goes without saying too that the funding of education holds the key to making Nigeria the knowledge hub that it deserves to be.Overall, the Falola example of outstanding productivity in 2016, is being held up in order to unshackle and liberate our mind from imaginations constrained by persistent under achievement and dysfunction. Expressions like "how can someone publish 12 books in a year' is a product of imaginaries bounded by disorder and persistently low achievement.For stretching the boundaries of possibility to a limit, and reawakening us to vistas of intellectual greatness lurking in our unexplored potentials, Professor Toyin Falola is chosen as our Man of the Year 2016.
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