“From a psychological point of view, any society where people believe that tomorrow would be better than today, there would be no revolution; countries with revolution are those who say enough is enough. When a man or a woman says l am done, the thing is that you have to back it up with action; not by killing people, setting the whole place ablaze, not those radical views. Indeed, setting the country on fire is barbaric and uncivilized. I recommend that everybody sits down one day and do nothing; we shouldn’t be cowards; we just sit down and do nothing and send the message to the authorities that enough is enough, because Nigerians are choking.”
By lgbotako Nowinta
On Sunday January 14, 2024, Professor Dickson Idusuyi invited Alltimepost.com to a small Pentecostal church located in Orowere Street off Medical Stores Road axis of the ancient City of Benin Kingdom, Edo State of Nigeria.
The epochal ceremony turned out to be an opportunity for the academic giant to demonstrate what he is generally known for in the world of philanthropic deliveries and strategies – he was eventually made a life patron of the church.
Though a Roman Catholic, he went there to turn the fortune of the house of God around. While there, he not only donated plenty school bags and other academic materials to the children in that temple of God in the name of Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW) but provided sumptuous meals for everybody present at the occasion.
Prof Idusuyi invited some of his friends to co-sponsor programs in that church. They included Mrs. Adesuwa Omoruyi-Obasohan, her husband, Dr. Julius Obasohan; Prof. Okhomina, Dr. Wilson Osaro, Nosa Festus Omoregie, Franko Akarame. Indeed, they all added glamour to the special event.
Curious to know more about this unique personality, Alltimepost.com had earlier secured an interview date with the Nigerian-born American professor of Social Science, Economics and Public Policy/Administration, Alcorn State University, Mississippi, United States.
Prof. Idusuyi is an unsung Edo titan in diaspora; an embodiment of selflessness and model humanity; a man of great compassion. His monumental sense of service and intellect has earned him official recognition at Alcorn State University.
As a burnt sacrifice, over the years, he has substituted himself as a factory breeding palliative, uncommon assistance, stimulating and penetrating philanthropic gestures to the needy and the forgotten, both in Nigeria and in diaspora; his great genius has been to side indefatigably with the needy, the hopeless, the hungry, the sick, the dregs of the society.
As a guest of Alltime Personality, Professor Idusuyi bared his mind on the state of the Nigerian nation and spoke about his splendid career in the United States. Below are the questions and answers session of the interview:
Question: Sir, what are your views about the state of the nation in Nigeria?
Answer: It is unfortunate that as blessed as we are with abundant resources, those we put in power; those we trusted with power failed us; they neglected education to nothing. We have these resources, the leaders don’t care about the students, the academicians; we don’t care about the professors. The people are struggling under one yoke and the other.
It is not that Nigerian government does not know the essence of education; they know but excessive greed is part of the problem. Some of these rulers just like the idea of everybody running around them to make them feel like kings; we want everybody to worship us; one guy wants to be a governor, a senator, a minister, why not give that opportunity to somebody else?
It is easy to blame the government, we know they are corrupt, but not all of them, there are some good ones. In the Nigerian situation enough is enough now. There is what you call zone of tolerance; there should be a limit to tolerance. You don’t allow your zone of tolerance to be expanded.
That is where Nigeria is right now. From a psychological point of view, any society where people believe that tomorrow would be better than today, there will be no revolution; countries with revolution are those who say enough is enough.
When a man or a woman says l am done, the thing is that you have to back it up with action; not by killing people, setting the whole place ablaze, not those radical views. Indeed, setting the country on fire is barbaric and uncivilized.
I recommend that everybody sit down one day and do nothing; we shouldn’t be cowards; we just sit down and do nothing and send the message to the authorities that enough is enough, because Nigerians are choking.
Question: How would you describe the resilience of the masses of Nigeria?
Answer: God bless those hard-working Nigerians. In the midst of plenty they are struggling; they are doing everything to survive, but those who are privileged never reckon with them.
When l drive round the town l see children who are supposed to be nurtured with wheelbarrows l say oh my God these are children that are supposed to eat three square meals a day; probably be at the table doing their homework; they are out there on the streets!
Anytime you give an award to somebody who embezzles money you are not helping society. What of truck pushers, the garbage collectors; those are individuals that should be rewarded. Nigeria was not like this before; we were not enticed by money.
In those days titles were given to you because of who you are. Your unique contribution to society. One thing l believe as an economist, is that in any society where the number of churches is bigger than industries, there would be no prosperity.
Question: Sir, how would you describe your philosophy of giving?
Answer: I can’t help everybody but that doesn’t mean that l can’t help one person, because someone had given me a helping hand; someone had lowered his shoulders for me to climb; someone climbed the ladder and kept it without throwing it away.
That you are there you must keep the ladder permanently for someone to climb too. That was what the Alcorn State University, Mississippi did for me. At Alcorn State University, they said this was somebody that was not born here, a Nigerian, he looked like us; they gave me the opportunity; they gave me a ladder to climb. They said they were going to assist me; and they did.
For about 7 years l was chairman of a department, in a country where l was not born; in Nigeria such things are bought. The greatness of Alcorn State University is that they bring you in, try never to forsake you; they provide you with the resources to do what you want to do.
Should l now say l should remove the ladder, l wouldn’t do that? That is the problem we have here in society. It is not those who have that gives; giving is not a function of wealth, it is a function of compassion and humanity.
The individual that will always give will keep giving; it is not a function of how much you have in the bank; you can have billions in the bank, and you don’t give a damn about anybody. I might have 50 kobo and l want to share 10 kobo with somebody. My philosophy is that l don’t ever think about me and my family alone.
Question: We gathered that you were singled out to be honored recently by the Edo Women In iaspora; what do you think necessitated the award graciously given to you?
Answer: Talking about the award given to me by the Edo Women in diaspora; this group of people out of nowhere selected me out of the great people around, to give me this award. I was not even informed initially; they hid the information from me. That means there is something that l am doing. You know how many we are all over the world for them to say l deserve an award?
Question: Prof. readers would like to know more about The Edo National Association Worldwide; your philanthropic interventions, please tell us?
Answer: l belong to the Edo National Association Worldwide (ENAW). One of the things we do is medical mission in Nigeria and in the United States, and several humanitarian interventions.
ENAW is a combination of all the social clubs; l was a president of a local club affiliated to ENAW. New York has about 3 Edo clubs; every president of a local club come together every year to deliberate amongst themselves, to choose their coordinating president/ chairman.
I did scholarship for students mostly from Baptist High School, Benin City, my alma mater, where l left in 1969. I left for the United States for the first time in 1974. I remember the case of a boy with cancer of the colon; the boy was denied treatment at the University of Benin Teaching Hospitals (UBTH), he was left to die but we moved into the matter, contributed money to do a laboratory test, did his surgery for him and paid for the expensive drugs.
Today the boy is alive and moving on with his life. We assisted another boy in Ishan land; there are several cases of our philanthropic and humanitarian interventions. In this regard l thank individuals like Mrs. Adesuwa Obasohan, the Women leader of ENAW, Walter Asemota from New York, K. D Salami, Frank Omonuwa etc. ENAW has collectively done great things. For example, we handled a case of a woman with a severe health challenge through donation.
Special thanks to Madam Bose Oviasu for paying for her surgery; Honorable Dr. Scott Izevbgie who brought the woman’s predicament to the notice of ENAW; Dr. Obanor (younger brother to Madam Mercy Obanor, then ENAW Medical Chair) for standing with ENAW and treating the woman; the ENAW COP Chairman for the famous visit to see the woman with Madam Bose Oviasu, and the numerous donors whose names I cannot remember.
Are we saying Nigerian government doesn’t have money to take care of these cases; they just don’t care and at the end of the day this selfish egocentric group of people die. ENAW is presently coming up with a Dialysis Centre at Ogbelaka in Benin City.
Question: Sir, tell us about your sojourn at the Alcorn State University, Mississippi, USA?
Answer: This university has been in existence for over 150 years. It has produced numerous academicians all over the world. It is the only African- American University that has taken the lead by embracing everybody from around the world; created academic freedom for people; am proud to be part of that institution.
The Alcorn State University is one of the best institutions in the United States because it provides you all the needs to sustain you to do what is best; it also has an outreach for those individuals who are crying for education. I have been there for almost 38 years.
I served as an Assistant Prof and a full Prof; served as the President of the Senate for 6 years, a Nigerian from Edo State; that University stands for excellence, it never discriminates; it gives you opportunity to excel.
Alcorn State University gave me an enabling environment as a Benin man where l sat down with the highest decision-making individuals, where in the world would that happen? I am today a combination of that academic environment and my up bringing; knowing that my dad and uncle stressed the importance of education when l was growing up as a boy in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
Question: Briefly tell us about your upbringing in those days in Benin City?
Answer: I had a fantastic parental upbringing growing up. We have one family name Idusuyi; we all grew up in harmonious environment. My father being the senior, he had a very cordial and robust relationship with my uncle; we the children ate and dined together. My father and my uncle valued the importance of education; so, l was greatly encouraged to study hard.
With my friends growing up, we had one thing in common: work hard to excel. Even, when we arrived the United States, we never gave up no matter the circumstances, because we knew that at the end of the day there would be a success story. We all had a very good parental background; the American system embraced us: that you can be whatever you want to be if you work hard.
Igbotako Nowinta, a member of Alltimepost.com Editorial Board, is a Serial Author @ Amazon, Media/Research Consultant, biographer and an International Conflict Resolution Expert.
