Professor Jeleel Ojuade is the Vice Chancellor of Ojaja University located at Eiyenkorin, one of the suburbs of Ilorin, in Kwara State.Ojuade, an artiste and lawyer, is also a professional drummer and dancer. He hosted an advocacy programme on Nigeria copyright law and the role of Repronig recently in Ilorin. In this interview with Edozie Udeze, Ojuade relates the history of the university and why it now runs twenty-seven academic programmes and more.

The recently concluded advocacy programme on the Nigerian Copyright law and the role of REPRONIG for the North Central Zone of right owners and creators held at the Ojaja University, Eiyenkorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, provided an opportunity to meet Professor Jeleel Ojuade once again. Ojuade is the Vice Chancellor of the university, an artiste who has always been visible in the theatre terrain in Nigeria.

A classical drummer and dancer who grew up in the family of traditional drummers, he has proved his natural dexterity on the drums even with multiple degrees, beginning with his Bachelors in Performing Arts from the University of Ilorin. He also has degrees in Law but his love for the matters of Theatre has taken him to far places in the world, using the drum to pierce and penetrate, according respect and self-worth to himself.

In this interview in Ilorin, Ojuade opened up on his life as a Lawyer, an artiste and now as a Vice Chancellor of this great citadel of learning situated in one of the quiet and serene suburbs of Ilorin.“Yes, we have been graciously granted the permission to run a multi-campus. One of the campuses is at Ife. So in this admission that is on-going the multi-campus will be fully operational.

“Well, concerning the REPRODUCTION Rights Society of Nigeria, I have been a bit close to them for years now. But as the Vice Chancellor of Ojaja University, I have been appreciating all that they have been doing in terms of advocacy, enlightenment and all. But then I have also been granted the right to be a member of the legal counsel of Nigeria.

“Therefore our university is a registered member of Repronig and it is based on that that we are hosting this advocacy programme for the North Central Zone of Nigeria, with Kwara State as one of the states concerned.

“I was really touched when they contacted me that we have been chosen to host this programme for the North Central Zone. I took permission, anyway, from his Imperial Majesty, who is the Chancellor and owner of the university to host the programme.They were very happy, the chancellor was also very happy and here we are today, talking about and discussing the issues of writing and creating works and the rights of right owners of creative works in different forms.

“I am happy I am meeting you again after so many years”, he said with a broad smile. Concerning the feel and the experience about the hosting of this great event, Ojuade went on, “Honestly I am so happy seeing the turnout. The crowd is impressive. I was thinking it was going to be a small turn out. But coming here now to see this crowd, very great people in the hall, has also reinforced my strong belief that things about intellectual discourse will not fizzle from the society and mainly from the people involved in it. Rich and highly stimulating presentation by guests and participants shows how great our intellectuals are in all things academic. Indeed, I am greatly impressed.

He continued: “The interest people are showing forthwith is a good sign that people and things generally will turn around good in this country”. Concerning his habitual attitude to drums, drumming and dancing, an elated Ojuade simply said, “I still have my drum and I still dance too”. Then, he smiled, remembering with fond memories how his evocative drumming sessions which took him across the Atlantic all the way to South America. In the State of Bahia, Brazil, Ojuade in company of other intellectuals with the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) delivered his own papers with the drum by his side. He and his drum often eulogized the spirit of Yemoja in Bahia where followers and adherents of Orisa in Brazil adorned in white and white costumes performed for the Nigerian delegates.

Here is what he said, “Yes, let me burst your brain a bit. This was originally known as Crown University. But since inception, they wrote to the Ooni of Ife to be their chancellor. He only visited when he was going in 2016 to KWASU to deliver a lecture. When he came, he only spent 30 minutes. He did not get to hear about the university again until 2022. And then they went to him. When they got to him, they related a lot of problems to the Ooni. And because the university was not doing well, they ran into trouble”.

Speaking further, he said: “They had financial and administrative issues. However, they told the Ooni to support them with money and all that. He paid some debt, yet that could not resolve the whole issue. It was then he told me to come and find out what the real issues were. And when we got here, we discovered that the real situation was not pleasant at all.

“Eventually, they went back to the Ooni to either partner with them or find an alternative out of the jam. That was how we were able to convince him. Thereafter, he took over the affairs of the university.Hence, we now have it as Ajaja University. Then we began rebranding, changing the strategy and then changed the name to Ojaja.Then, again, we began what we have now as Ojaja.

“Why I said let me burst your brain is this: when I came in January 2023 they were running 13 programmes and they were more of sciences and social sciences. None was accredited and we did not know. After series of years here. Even the students after spending six years here got home with degrees that were not recognized. It was that bad. Six years, they could not graduate. So, in here, there was no way I could function. Even then there was nothing relating to my own field. That is concerning drumming. That is where I am going.

“Then I said no. This cannot be possible. Arts must come here. Theatre must be allowed to be a department in this university. So that was how we put our legs in troubled water. We started and went on to have all the courses accredited.That was the first step. Then they started castigating the Kabiyesi saying why would he come here to buy a university when Ile-Ife is there. Then I went behind the door to meet the NUC for permission for a multi-campus. They went through their legal apparatus and all that to ensure it was properly done.It was then granted that we should have a campus in Ife, Osun State. And here we are!

So, it is a multi campus university. In Ife today we also have an Ojaja university which is a campus of what we have here at Eiyenkorin, Kwara State. So when I took the approval to the chancellor he was extremely happy. Now, let me fast forward. As at today, we are starting with 12 programmes at Ile-Ife in this current academic year. In its entirety now, we have twenty-seven programmes. This is across five faculties. In fact, they have granted us Law now. Yet we are only waiting for resource assessment before fully taking off.What we have done is to relocate Faculty of Arts to Ile-Ife. The programmes in Arts we cannot run them here because of the secularity of this place.You know Kabiyesi is known for his deep love for culture and tradition. There is also the Divination Department. That also will be run in Ile-Ife and some other programmes that are more culturally-oriented and divinely attuned and embedded”.

So, we have full Theatre Arts department at Ife now. We have Music which is also a department on its own. We have Multi-media Arts department. We have Broadcasting and then we have Mass Communication departments.We also have Dance department in which drumming will be totally enhanced and given total prominence.

“We are doing this in order to give peculiar attention to the instruments in African theatre. We need to have experts in drumming, invocation, chants and all that.This is the time to bring all of that into total focus to be able to document what we have as Africans.

“Students will study each local dance pattern to its logical conclusion. That is the idea; that is the concept and that is how we have configured it. We will also have film village in Ife.

From Theatre to Law, how do you do it? He was asked. He smiled profusely, then said, “well, it is not confusing. It is not at all. You know I have told you the story before. While growing up, I discovered how our traditional artistes could not make much money from their sweats. This made me to add Law to my theatre background in order to help safeguard the rights of artistes. And here we are. I am going on to add a Ph.d to my Law degrees hence. And we should do something about copyright law which is why we are here today, anyway. The works here have to be protected by law and I will continue to work with those in charge to ensure that”. (The Nation)