We were seated in 500 Lecture theatre in the year 1985 as the young looking, agile lecturer delivered a lecture in CHM103 class to 100 level students who were enthusiastic to hear the next sentence that would flow from the mouth of this man speaking fluent English and having good command of the language in explaining the new chemical concepts. Alas, a young lady provocatively dressed and with high-heeled shoes whose sound reverberated through the hall interrupted the silence of the class while some students showed their displeasure by making some catcalls .
The Lecturer, Dr Jideonwo as he then was, stopped his lecture and said” now you say I yab, but on the day of the examination, it will be my turn to tell you students that you yab”. A roar of laughter from the students and in the next moment, the lecture continued with the same seriousness before the impudent distraction from the daughter of Eve. It struck me there and then, that this Lecturer had a common touch to lecture delivery; and a good mechanism for crowd control in addition to being in touch with common people and their antics.
At higher levels he demonstrated punctuality and regularity to class. As my 200 and 300 level Course Adviser we saw twice, at the beginning when I went to register my courses and at the end of the session when when I registered for my 300 level courses. There was a conversation between us which kept my face in his memory such that when I returned to lecture in 2001, he could recall easily my most well known character-outspokeness.
Professor Jideonwo alerted me to the banana peels in the Department though I was confident of the spikes in my feet that would always give me stability.
While standing on the balcony of his office one morning, he called my name and informed me that I was due for promotion in that year. Indeed, I did not know and no one else alerted me to the condition(s) for promotion. He reminded me again three years later, though, I had become conscious of the rules.
When the Department erupted into a volcanic site in the mid 2000s and for almost a decade, he remained neutral and it was common for the feuding parties to report themselves and their opponents to him. For his pacifism, some persons felt offended!
He also suffered greatly as there were centrifugal forces who were determined to hold back his promotion for as long as it was possible. So bad that three bound publications he submitted for his professorial assessment in 2005 were not found and none was sent out till 2009. Yet the almighty God brought a comet, Professor E.P.Kubeyinje to rescue him!
The opposition to his appointment as Head of Department was crafty and audacious by baseless anonymous petition posted in the internet in May 2009 just a month to when the Vice-Chancellor would appoint him.
Despite his best efforts at being friendly and neutral in most intra Departmental feud, his die hard enemies would not rest as they engineered myriads of false allegations against him using his beneficiaries as tools. Yet, he triumphed without lifting a finger to resist the onslaught because God protected him.
In my moments of travails 
especially against the entrenched forces who were determined to destroy my academic career at its infancy, Professor Jideonwo stood up when it mattered most to use the Office of the Head of Department to successfully midwife my PhD programme.
The University of Benin would remember him as the scientist who defeated the lenghty legal submission of a Professor of Law on the floor of Senate on the 6th October, 2009 while the battle raged for Professor E.P. Kubeyinje’s second tenure as Acting Vice-Chancellor. In response to the antagonists of Professor Kubeyinje’s second tenure, he said ” Law has its root in common sense and logic; sitting as Chairman of Senate is the Librarian, the Chair of the Vice-Chancellor is vacant and Professor Kubeyinje is here as Provost. Therefore, Professor Kubeyinje is no longer a subject of discussion, the business of this Senate is to elect an Acting Vice-Chancellor”. With that statement, Senate terminated all the verbal vitriolic targeted at Professor Kubeyinje.
Space would fail me to state the many good deeds of this puritan academic who insisted on maintenance of academic standard, succoured many who were distressed financially, assisted those who approached him, emphasised the need for friendship by his use of the common phrase “e spirit de corps”, stretched his hands of friendship to the lowly and was at peace with himself as he was highly contented with his life. He helped a good number of his younger academic colleagues to find their bearings.
The high point of his career was when he said on the final day at work ” I never changed scores the records are there”. It was not a mere statement, even his traducers knew they could not assail that claim!
Farewell my dear friend, the pacifist and academic puritan. You have enriched many lives in a variety of ways. Many of us shall always cherish your memory.
BY: Professor Emmanuel E.I.Irabor
Head Department of Chemistry
University of Benin