Most people may remember Professor Eddy OMOLEINWA for his scholarly accomplishments; many for his exceptional teaching skills; some for his prolific writings and yet others for his administrative acumen. For me I particularly duff my hat to, and salute the undisputed leader of the Masses as the great promoter and originator of economic democracy in the Faculty of Management Sciences Unilag. Prof OMOLEINWA believes in giving opportunity to younger lecturers to earn legitimate extra income through participation in fee paying programs. When it was fashionable for greedy Professors and Senior members of the Faculty to use their positions to allocate most courses in the fees paying programs like Diploma, MBA and part time programs to themselves, Eddy practised egalitarianism by ensuring that the benefits go around. When he sends a younger Lecturers to teach on his behalf, he also gives him part of the pay, making sure benefits and burden go together. When I started newly in Faculty as Assistant Lecturer, my mates used to envy me because I was earning the same participation share from Diploma program as Eddy who was a Dean and a Professor. I was a witness to how, as Dean, he fought some 'grab grab' Senior members of some Departments who wanted to allocate most Diploma courses to themselves to the detriment of Junior ones. He won genuine admiration of most the younger staff, not by his teaching, nor writing but by his sense of fairness as evidenced in his economic democracy.
Many of my colleagues told me stories of how Eddy, as he is fondly called, always come to their rescue financially including in times of long strikes and whenever salaries are withheld or delayed. If a younger Lecturer helps him to sell his books, he shares the margin with him or her, even disproportionately to the younger Lecturers favour.
You may fault Professor OMOLEINWA anywhere else, you cannot but applaud his economic democracy and selflessness. My best tribute to him is to emulate and preach and promote his economic democracy wherever I have opportunity. To me that is the most admirable and rarest quality he has. May God grant him many post retirement years in happiness and peace IJN
Okwy Peter Okpala
