FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

As I rose from my bed some weeks back all I could feel in me was the words of Mordecai to his Cousin, Esther in the Book of Esther 4 :14 ‘

‘and who knoweth whether thou art come ... for such a time as this?’

As a student of history I know that history does not waste its time on nonentities but rather on people who have made great contributions to the course of this world. History books are full of those kind of people and I will mention a few.
George Washington of the US stands today as an icon not because of his extreme brilliance but because of the courage to stand up to the test of time and move for the independence of his nation. Abraham Lincoln is greatly remembered not for his great speeches but for rising up to the defence of the oneness of his country. These two men realized that they had come at a crucial point in the lives of their nation and they rose up to the demands of such task.
Mary Slessor is remembered in Nigeria, till tomorrow, not because of her beauty (many don’t even know how she looks like) but because she rose to the demand of her time. A very great example that will probably bring home the point I am trying to make is the exemplary work of Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi, the second VC of this University. This name sure rings a bell in the ears of every great Ife student, whether past, present (or even those yet coming) and this is because he stood to the test of his time. I once read a book where it was narrated how the then Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo ‘begged’ this man to come and put things in place in the new university and the story is told, till tomorrow, of how he impressed all; most of the structures of this University was built in his time.
Every time I think about people and achievements, I always refer my mind back to a folktune about one of the great founders of Ibadanland, Lagelu which goes thus:
Eniyan ki l’ose / what will you do
ti omo araye o’royin / that generations (to come) will talk about
Lagelu waye / Lagelu came to this world
o fi ogbon ori re tedo Ibadan/ and established Ibadanland with his intellect.
When we are gone, the stories that will be told about us will be of what impact we made while we were here. Take a good time to think if you have been able to justify your coming ‘at such a time as this’.
’Seun Alade.