Tribute to Iyabo Motolagbe Mabawonku

Folake Bademosi

Like all mortals, Prof. (Mrs.) Iyabo Motolagbe Mabawonku, left this terrestrial world after 77 years of an impactful life dedicated to scholarship, service to humanity, altruism, nurturing the intellect of both young men and women lucky enough to pass through her tutelage, and serving God as part of her Kingdom’s assignment.

For over four decades, the erudite scholar, world class researcher, a consummate teacher and a doting mother and matriarch, concomitantly traversed many of life’s operating fields and endeavours, leaving her Midas touch and indelible footprints through her contributions and life changing impacts in all fields she walked through.

Very early in life, she showed intellectual promise and pursued her academics with full fervour and iron cast concentration to realise her set goals of global acclaim and honours through the academia. Hers was a life well laid out from cradle with purpose, goals, strategy, and inexorable outcomes.

Late Mabawonku was a Professor of Library, Archival and Information Studies at the University of Ibadan for decades where she helped produce scholars in the field at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. A renowned scholar of international repute, she served as both acting and substantive Head of the Department, introducing reforms that enhanced academic rigour, departmental governance, and research culture.

At different times, she was a member of the Senate of the University of Ibadan, where she also served on the Faculty of Education Board and, where her voice was highly respected. Mabawonku, during her lifetime, belonged to various professional bodies which included the Nigeria Library Associations and Institutions, Federation of International Library Association, in addition to serving on the Editorial Board of the African Journal of Library, Archival, and Information Science.

As one of the best academic resource persons in her field, she was highly recognized, and her service was profoundly sought after. She served as an External Examiner to several universities, including Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife; University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); University of Ilorin; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode; University of Ghana, Legion; University of Botswana, Gaborone; and the University of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. She was equally called to assess Professorial candidates in Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.

Back here at home, she was an authority in the development of the curriculum for Library and Archival Studies, prompting the National University Commission to appoint her to several panels on the accreditation for the discipline. She helped in developing and enriching the discipline through well researched papers at conferences she attended both locally and internationally.

The erudite scholar, teacher, mentor, doting family matriarch, and prolific author finally drew the curtains of her service at the University of Ibadan in 2017, after attaining 70 years old. But she wasn’t tired. Between 2018 and 2020, she was appointed Professor and Head of Department of Library, Archival, and Information Science at Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, where she also left her imprints as a foremost reformer, a consummate researcher, system improvement engineer and a goal getter.

Born in Ile Ife in 1948 into the family of the late Chief Jacob Oluwole Fakorede, a teacher turned civil servant, and late Chief Mrs. Augusta Omolara Fakorede, Prof. (Mrs.) Mabawonku was the first of five children.

The foundation of her sterling scholarship was laid at Mapo Day School, Ibadan, where she began her primary education in 1954. Due to the frequent transfers of her teacher father, she attended multiple primary schools in Ibadan, Akure, and Ado Ekiti, obtaining her First School Leaving Certificate at St Saviour’s Primary School, Ado Ekiti in 1959.  She entered Ekiti Anglican Girls’ Secondary school and was there between 1960 and 1964. Her Higher School Certificate was between 1965 and 1966.

Prof. (Mrs.) Mabawonku obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A. Hons) in English and Philosophy from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1970. She quickly followed up with a post graduate Diploma in Library Science at the University of Ibadan as there was no Master’s programme at the time. As it was common back then, she embraced teaching, but this was short-lived lived as she veered into librarianship.

She got married to her long-time boyfriend in ,1971, Prof. Adewale Mabawonku, a renowned Agricultural Economist. She moved to the United States in 1974 to join her husband, and utilised the opportunity to do her Master’s programme in Educational Media Technology at the Michigan State University, East Lansing, which she completed in 1975. Upon their return to the country, she joined the department of Library Studies (now Library, Archival, and I Information Studies) as Assistant Lecturer.

By dint of hard work, quality research, and impressive scholarly papers, she had risen to Senior Lecturer in 1985. In pursuit of more academic laurels, she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the University of Ibadan in 1987. She was promoted Reader in 2000 and became a full professor in 2004.

Her marriage to the late Professor Adewale Mabawonku produced four children who are doing very well in their different fields of endeavours. Sadly, she lost her husband in 1994 while he was at the University of Botswana.

As Prof. (Mrs.) Mabawonku finally takes her exit from this world and joins the Saint Triumphant, she leaves behind a legacy of uncommon intellectual prowess, edifying scholarship, a life of service to humanity, and commitment to Excellence.

•Mrs Folake Bademosi, a business woman, writes from Ibadan