Life And People
Moses Adesola Adebisi, (1963-2021): A Tribute -By Adekunle Theophilius
These adversaries pursued him relentlessly. But again, MASBISI a man of exceptional diligence, uncommon valor, strong commitments and unwavering convictions with the mindset that what matters is posterity and not ephemeral judgments channeled his energy to diligently performing his job and enriching the lives of his students.
The recent death of Dr Moses Adesola Adebisi a respected and dedicated Mentor, Teacher, Patriot, Counselor, Thinker, Humanist, Scholar, Icon, Leader, Role Model and Prodigy popularly known as Masbisi by his array of students, friends and admirers hit me like a thunderbolt and left me distraught. He was a man of many parts, amiable individual, erudite scholar, unbending humanist, labour intellectual, social activist, excellent teacher and extraordinary mentor who touched lives, made impacts and motivated people to learn and work harder in order to excel in their respective endeavors.
Where would we start in describing Dr Moses Adesola Adebisi? Is it his infectious presence, genuine concern for others, considerate nature, simplicity, amiability, interventionist spirit and panoramic disposition to issues and people regardless of social, political, religious and ethnic background? Is it is eagerness to go the whole hog to assist people or willingness to make sacrifices for the cause of academic and professional development and excellence?…For people who knew him personally, not a few were inspired by his worldviews, influenced by his perspicacity and wooed by his heartening attitude. I particularly cherished our exchanges, chats, ambience, his straightforwardness, poignancy, voice and content. A great quality of MASBISI was his predilection to carefully listen to his mentees, unique gift of patience, facility to analyze swiftly and offer words of advice. I often appreciated his extraordinarily camaraderie, he was always at home with people, always mingling with them regardless of diversity and was always in tune with people’s interests, aspirations and progress
A great area that MASBISI towered above his contemporaries was his passion for the job, quest for real excellence and keen interest in the academic and professional development of his students who learnt the tenets of diligence, hard work, resilience and excellence from him. He was always keen to know how his ex students are doing, reaching out to them and ascertaining their welfare and wellbeing. The fact is that a large percentage of his ex students and mentees will attest to the positive impacts that their close associations with the Iconic MASBISI had on their lives and these invaluable lessons would remain indelible with them and fond memories will be treasured forever.
Unfortunately, these distinguishing features of Dr Moses Adesola Adebisi which should have been sources of emulation and commendation attracted unnecessary acrimony from some quarters. These adversaries pursued him relentlessly. But again, MASBISI a man of exceptional diligence, uncommon valor, strong commitments and unwavering convictions with the mindset that what matters is posterity and not ephemeral judgments channeled his energy to diligently performing his job and enriching the lives of his students. Regardless of the magnitude of difficulties and depravations encountered for almost three decades at the University of Ilorin, he faced his travails, traducers and tribulations with unusual forbearance, courage, equanimity, and benignancy.
Although Masbisi is free now, people are heartbroken and sad about his untimely demise and transition to the great beyond, His death is a great loss and tragedy because he still had a lot to offer humanity. But the consolation is that his life and legacies is reminiscent of the quote of the 18th Century English poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who said ‘‘the lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime and departing, leave behind us footsteps on the sand of time’’. That is why Moses Adesola Adebisi’s name will continue to be remembered many years after his death. The unfortunate circumstances surrounding his death are so emblematic of the dysfunctional state of the nation that he spoke and stood against for decades. His death which dovetails into the description of Nigeria as a graveyard of talents also questions the validity of long treasured values of hard work, decency, honesty and sincerity in contemporary Nigeria. In this tribute, I want to sincerely thank MASBISI for being there for me , for caring, for not running away, for being part of your life, for allowing me to be part of your life. You will never be forgotten and your mentees would do their best to continue the struggle against injustice, for merit, reorientation and excellence in Nigeria. May his gentle and amiable soul continue to rest in perfect peace.
