Prof. Femi Odekunle was born 1943 in the ancient city of Ilesa, Osun State. Prof. Odekunle has been an academic per excellence. He has trained numerous Nigerians across all divides; many of his trainees are occupying key positions thereby leaving his footprints on the sands of history to the benefit of humanity. He has been in public service until his death on December 29, 2020.
His life in PACAC
While serving in the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prof. Odekunle evolved beautiful ideas to stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria. For example, he recommended the establishment of the Truth and Restitution Committee modelled after the Oputa Panel of Nigeria and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of South Africa. He passed on while these ideas were in the works.
There was concurrence in the PACAC that the modest efforts made to fight corruption by the Federal Government isn’t the case in the 36 states and the 774 LGAs. Hence, the Committee embarked on State Level Activities to galvanize all critical stakeholders to aid the fight against corruption. In collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) the Committee went round many states.
While in any state, Prof. Odekunle was usually tasked with setting the tone of the discussion. His ideas, postulations and arguments had always canvassed for the desirability of leadership contagion. For Prof. Odekunle, facts on the ground show that having a good President and Vice President like Buhari and Osinbajo respectively is not adequate in tackling corruption in Nigeria. Similar leaders must percolate the 36 States, the FCT and the 774 LGAs. Again, leadership contagion must permeate the civil service, military, paramilitary, families, religious institution, judiciary, academics, politics, media, CSOs, etc.
His ideas are germane and cogent. As he rests in his grave, it is our duty to bring out those ideas, popularize and practice them. He has done his bit; let us do ours.
Tributes by PACAC and its Secretariat:
Odekunle: Departure of great patriot, family man
By Prof Itse Sagay (SAN)
Although, I had heard of Professor Femi Odekunle through news reports about the horrendous torture he suffered at the hands of the Abacha regime for nearly one year in Abacha’s gulag in 2007 to 2008, I never had the privilege of meeting him until PACAC inauguration day on 15 August 2015.
He looked stern and foreboding and it took a little courage on my part to walkup to him and say “Professor Odekunle I believe; I am Itse Sagay”.
We shook hands, but there was no great welcomingsmilefromhim. ButasIgottoknow him, I realized that, that was a ruse; a defence mechanism. For behind the frowning providence was a very friendly, accommodating and smiling personality.
When it came to our official responsibility, he was meticulous, painstaking and full of new ideas for combating corruption, some of which have been adopted by the Committee and passed on to the Presidency for implementation.
As all my Colleagues have acknowledged, Femi was a man who had the courage of his conviction and could be blunt when the situation demanded it. However, at the personal level, it was a differentkettleoffish. Hewaskind,considerate, generous and gentle to a fault.
To use the famous Shakespearean words, he was my friend, gentle and kind to me. On three different occasions, one of them abroad, he either took me or escorted me to hospital when I was ill, and stayed there the whole day as I was either receiving treatment or undergoing a test.
I enjoyed his and his wonderful wife’s hospitality whilst in Abuja. I was even treated to a wonderful dish of Nigerian food by his Mother- in-Law in London.
Femi was my twin at PACAC and I know I have not yet started feeling the full impact of his absence.
I agonize almost daily that, if Femi survived the dreadful Abacha gulag for about a year, what type of ailment could have taken him away so suddenly?, For me, this has been a monumental tragedy.
I cannot begin to imagine how Toyin and the children will be processing this dreadful development.
I can only pray that the Good Lord, our Creator should comfort them and give them the strength to bear this great loss. They should take consolation in the fact that their Husband and Daddy lived a full, admirable and successful life. God bless his great Soul.
A tribute on late Odekunle
By Sadiq Isah Radda
I came across Prof. Femi Odekunle way back in 1999 at ABU Zaria. He supervised my PhD. As his student, I got what I truly deserved: fountain of knowledge anchored on dedication, diligence, thoroughness, insight and maturity. In his hands, I graduated a much better academic. Wallahi Prof. had paid his dues! I have always used certain words to describe my Prof: dedication; commitment; integrity; empathy; due diligence; care; kindness; respectful. Since I knew him, it has been a budding relationship. Having owed him a lot, I kept in touch with him. I have always been loyal to Prof and even in death I remain so!
As fate will have it, destiny brought us even closer under the President Buhari’s Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption established in 2015. It was here I saw the naked fire in him to make practical contributions towards eradicating corruption in Nigeria. We did a lot of work in PACAC and his contributions were monumental. This Committee will miss his wise counsel and contributions.
Personally, I am touched by his death because he means a lot to me; and I very much know my worth to him. He elevated me to is brother! Wallahi! Today Prof. Odekunle is no more and we are hurting and grieving. The consolation is that he had paid his full and right dues having lived a fulfilled life. For his academic contributions, character and social disposition Prof. Odekunle is known not only in Nigeria but globally.
I extend my deep condolences to his family just as I console myself that death is inevitable. Nobody wants to die, but we want to die for something noble. Prof. Odekunle died struggling to make Nigeria and humanity better. For his humanity and good character, I pray to God to overlook all his shortcomings. May he rest in perfect peace.
Prof Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), Chairman, ICPC and member, PACAC
I met Prof Odekunle in the mid-90s when I was a very young academic organizing a conference on Problems of Corruption in Nigeria at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. He struck me as a brutally frank and highly cerebral academic especially in his field of criminology.
His insights and contributions enriched the project and he became a distant mentor of sorts. We later jointly became members of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption where I was pioneer Executive Secretary. His contributions, bold appraisal of issues and patriotic zest have contributed in no small measure to the work of the committee. His sudden death came as a rude awakening and minder to the irony that life after all is brief for us all. Sleep well in the bosom and eternal rest of your Creator Prof. May God comfort family and friends much more than our words can utter.
Close professional colleague/member, PACAC
By: Etannibi Alemika
I met Prof Odekunle for the first time in 1977. As an undergraduate in sociology with interest in criminology at the University of Ibadan, I was introduced to his writing. While on holiday I visited ABU and went to his office to pay him compliment. Thereafter in 1980, he was the external examiner for my master degree research project at the University of Ibadan. We served on several national committees, such as Presidential Committee on Prison Reform in 2006 which I chaired; Ministerial Committee on Fire Services Restructuring in 2012 which he chaired and until his passing, we were members of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption. When I initiated the registration of the Nigeria Society for Criminology, he was invited to Chair the Board of Trustees. For four decades we had professional relationships which blossomed into friendship.
Prof Odekunle deployed his energy to advance the popularity of criminology in the public spaces. Since he became ill two weeks, like many of his friends and close acquaintances I prayed and hoped he would pull through this illness but God decided otherwise.
In the midst of the sadness of his demise, there is room to celebrate Prof. Odekunle. He lived full age of over 70 years in good health, survived charges for coup plotting in 1998; and in the past four years enjoyed self-fulfilment in serving his country as a member of Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption and Pro- Chancellor of Federal University of Technology, Minna. It is gratifying that he died while ‘on the mountain top with refreshing life.’ We will miss the fiery scholar. May God comfort his family.
Aghogho Agbahor, Communications Officer, PACAC
Prof Femi Odekunle was my boss at PACAC, he was sociable, friendly and a brilliant individual. He was very meticulous and detailed. He was kind to me and I will miss him a great deal. He called and sent me messages to check on me regularly. This was his last text message to me “Thanks, and amen–am most appreciative. Hope you’re ALL ok too? Regards and good night, Prof Odekunle.” May GOD in his infinite mercy, bless his soul and comfort his family.
Tribute to Prof Odekunle
By Ona Peters,
Programme Manager, PACAC
It is still so surreal. We were together in Minna for a meeting a few weeks ago only for us to hear you were sick then dead. I had the fortune to meet Prof Femi when I started working for PACAC in 2015. Prof was passionate about the work of Committee; the fight against corruption. Because of his passion, there were bound to be heated discussions during our meetings about the best way to tackle the fight against corruption. Prof was very intelligent and thorough in whatever he set his mind to do. Prof Odekunle was also very socially, I was new to Abuja and he tried to talk me into joining a jazz club that he regularly attended and he knew the good restaurants in town.
He will surely be missed
Gary Kelechi Amadi, Member, Technical Team, PACAC
ProfOdekunle was a life teacher, he never missed any opportunity to give you advice based on his experiences and wealth of knowledge. I was always amazed on how detailed and particular he was. He was very passionate about his job and duties. He was not afraid of saying his mind. Professor Odekunle was a good man, I am happy to have met him in his lifetime. I pray to God for comfort to his family and may his soul rest In Peace.
Short tribute to Prof Odekunle
By: Segun Adesanya
The news of the death of Prof. Femi Odekunle came as a shock to me as well as to others. Even though we all knew that there are two possible ends for anyone who is infected with the dreaded COVID-19, we all hoped and prayed for his recovery. Unfortunately, death actually won the battle. I can vividly recall your telephone call that morning to know if I was coming over to Niger, Minna State. You wanted to know if I could go to your house to get you your sweater and take it along for you. After you got the sweater, I can recall your telephone call thanking me for bringing it to you and your very, usual warn but somehow calm disposition on the 15th of December, 2020. What I did not expect was the news of your departure from this terrestrial realm a week after. You were a cerebral man. A loving leader, an intelligent mentor. You having unique, kind, intelligent, meticulous, sincere and very simple and very bold.
You stood in your own class and you made you mark. Your passion for a corruption-free Nigeria, for which you stood and fought, will always be remembered. You are not a politician nor a fan of diplomacy, you say it as it is. You stood for excellence, integrity and dedication. Prof. Odekunle, you will always be missed. Adiu!
Prof Odekunle, great scholar- Fatima Waziri -Azi
Fatwaz, was what Prof called me. For years I knew him as Dosu’s dad until I met him while I worked at PACAC, and we became instant friends.
He was one of my biggest cheerleader; always had a kind word whenever he saw me. Always telling me to keep my head straight and keep publishing so I could make it to the Professorial cadre. When I did make it, he was over the moon.
Prof was my friend and he will be solely missed.
Dr Fatima Waziri-Azi
Director General
National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)
Upon his death on 29th December 2020 below was the official release by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) and the Committee still stands by it.
Prof Femi Odekunle: Exit of great academic, patriot
Prof. Femi Odekunle (1943-2020) grew up in relative comfort and had an excellent education from the start. He enjoyed very good education within and outside Nigeria which prepared him very well for the tasks ahead in life.
Prof. Odekunle has been an academic per excellence. His career in the famous Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was legendary and historical having left his indelible mark there. He has trained numerous Nigerians across all divides many of whom are occupying key positions of authority in Nigeria and abroad. Truly, he has left his footprints on the sands of history to the benefit of humanity.
The death of Prof. Odekunle has come to many of his friends, colleagues,former students and the entire nation as a big shock at a time his dexterity and wise counsel are needed most.
Prof.Odekunle, as an academic and elder statesman, touched many lives. The people who knew him well will report that though he was friendly, sociable and warm, Prof. Odekunle was courageous, bold,assertive, forthright, principled and value-oriented. Again, the facts of his sojourn revealed him as a brilliant scholar and an academic mentor to many younger colleagues.
He is called the Father of criminology in Nigeria because he took the discipline to greater heights in ABU, Zaria and all Nigerian Universities. He served the University system:HOD Sociology, Dean of Faculty; member of Council University of Lagos; Chairman of Council,Federal University of Technology, Minna, and lately member of ASUU/FG Negotiating Team.
To his students, Prof. Odekunle was a fountain of knowledge in which they learnt dedication, diligence, thoroughness, insight and maturity.
His close students used certain words to describe him: dedication; commitment; integrity; empathy; due diligence; care; kindness; respectful, merit, excellence, patriotism, nationalism, detriabalized , objectivity, sacrifice, etc.
As he was adding value to the Nigerian society President Buhari made him a Member, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption established in 2015. Upon receiving the news of his death, the President said ‘…the governmenthas lost a valued friend.’
The Committee that is helping the President in tackling corruption in Nigeria will miss his wise counsel and valued contributions.
This is because as a member of PACAC, Professor Odekunle was most forthright in his contributions internally and externally. He was a man who had the courage of his convictions and was always blunt when the situation demanded it. His impact on the work of PACAC was therefore tremendous.
Individuals, groups and the nation are touched by his death because he means a lot based on his character content and academic stature.
Prof. Femi Odekunle is no more. As painful as it is, we are consoled that, having died in the line of duty, he had paid his due. He lived a fulfilled life having raised very successful children, academics, bureaucrats and technocrats. His academic contributions, character and social disposition have made Prof. Femi Odekunle a well-known and respected person in the Nigerian society.
The Committee extends its deep condolences to his family and may they be consoled for he died for something noble: Prof. Odekunle died struggling to make Nigeria and humanity better.
May he rest in perfect peace. Amen.
Signed:
1. Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN-Chairman
2. Prof. Etannibi Alemika-Member
4. Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, SAN-Member
5. Hadiza Bala Usman-Member
6. Prof. Sadiq Isah Radda-Executive Secretary/Member
