By Anjorin Fehintola Stella

Forty-nine years after walking the halls of the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library as a young staff member, Aare Chief Dele Momodu returned to Obafemi Awolowo University on April 22, 2026, not as a visitor, but as a celebrated son of the institution. The occasion was the OAU Library Week, and it was nothing short of historic.

The Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, the same library where Aare’s intellectual journey began, received him with full honours presenting him with its highest recognition and affirming what many have long believed: that the library was the foundation of the man he has become.

A Warm Welcome from the University Librarian

The event opened with a formal address by Dr. O.A. Fadehan, University Librarian of OAU, who read the library’s Vision and Mission Statements to Aare as a formal expression of institutional identity and purpose. Dr. Fadehan described the statements as a true reflection of who they are as an institution committed to the discovery, creation, and curation of knowledge in service of academic, social, economic, and cultural development.

She warmly congratulated Aare on returning to his alma mater and offered her best wishes ahead of the award he would receive later in the day.

In Conversation with Great 94.5 FM: “Readers are Leaders” A Myth or Not?

In a compelling interview with Great 94.5 FM, Aare was asked one of literature’s most enduring questions: “Readers are leaders, a myth or not?” His answer was both personal and profound.

He spoke of a generation that fell in love with books not out of obligation, but out of genuine passion. He recalled reading voraciously, moving from thrillers like James Hadley Chase, Nick Carter, and Sidney Sheldon, to the African Writers Series: Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ayi Kwei Armah, and Nuruddin Farah.

“For us, showing off was about knowledge, not how much you had in your account,” he said, reflecting on a time when intellectual wealth was the true currency of social capital. He recalled Wole Soyinka teaching on campus, distinguished visiting lecturers including Dr. Bena Soli from Uganda and David Rubadiri from Malawi, and legendary OAU figures like Wande Abimbola and Ojetunji Aboyade. “We knew those names because we were grounded. We were reading.”

He recalled a vivid memory of his brother Prof Oladele Ajayi walking into his room to find thirteen large volumes of Bertrand Russell stacked on his table. For Aare and his peers, that was a point of pride. They memorised poetry and passages from novels with the same ease others memorised song lyrics. To prove it, he recited live at the podium stanzas from Wole Soyinka’s Abiku and passages from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, including:

“Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more.”

The audience was visibly moved. That a man of his stature could still recite these passages from memory decades later was itself a testament to the power of reading.

“If they say readers are leaders, then yes and at the same time, leaders must be readers. You do not stop learning,” he declared. He expressed his excitement at being recognised by the very institution that built him, noting that the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, where he worked 49 years ago, was the foundation of whoever he is today.

And My Idol Died: A Tribute to Michael Jackson

In one of the most moving moments of the event, Aare served as Guest Reader and the piece he chose was deeply personal. Projected on the LED screen was a photograph of him at Michael Jackson’s funeral service in Los Angeles, California, alongside the full text of his tribute article: “And My Idol Died!”

He revealed that he had written the piece on the very night Michael Jackson passed Thursday, June 25, 2009 and that it was published on the back page of ThisDay Newspaper on June 27, 2009. Reading it aloud in Oduduwa Hall, his voice carried the weight of genuine grief and admiration for the man he had called his idol.

The article was a defence of MJ’s legacy, a rebuke of those who attacked him even in death, and a meditation on fame, loneliness, and the cruelty of a world that often destroys the very greatness it claims to celebrate. For many in the audience, it was a revelation not just about Michael Jackson, but about the depth of feeling that lives beneath Aare’s public persona.

The Books That Shaped a Career, Presented to Those Who Will Lead

Aare personally presented copies of three of his published works to the Vice Chancellor, faculty deans, and students, each with a story behind it.

Fighting Lions a candid account of his 2011 presidential bid was described as “fighting lions with bare fingers.” He expressed hope that students who would one day enter politics would read it and understand what that journey truly costs.

Pendulum 1 his first collection of essays represented over four decades of writing. “In the past 40 years, I would have written over 1,000 essays and articles in newspapers and journals globally, and this was the first collection,” he said with quiet pride.

Pendulum 2 came with perhaps his most memorable anecdote of the day. When President Buhari invited him to Aso Rock in 2015 despite Aare’s very public criticism of him he did not bring a CV or a request for political appointment. He brought his book. He told the President plainly that he would advise him the same way he had advised presidents before him, and warned that if Buhari did not listen, he would “fail spectacularly like them.” Buhari looked at him in disbelief, expecting a minister hopeful, and got a man who would rather offer truth than seek favour. “After I left, I said to Nigerians: I apologize to you for supporting this man,” he added. “The rest is history.”

Gifts, Donations, and a Full-Circle Homecoming

Beyond his words, Aare’s presence was marked by tangible generosity. The School PRO announced that Aare had donated high-resolution LED display screens for academic and event use in Oduduwa Hall, a fitting gift from a man who understands the power of visual storytelling and public communication.

He also promised to make copies of his books available to students, ensuring that his literary legacy finds its way into the hands of the next generation. Throughout the event, students approached him to take photographs and pay their respects, a testament to the reach of his influence across generations.

The Distinguished Ambassador of the Library Award

The highlight of the day was the presentation of the Distinguished Ambassador of the Library Excellence Award by the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, Obafemi Awolowo University.

The citation, read by the OAU Public Relations Officer, honoured Aare “in recognition of your growth from a devoted steward to a distinguished symbol of success and impact, reflecting the limitless possibilities that begin within the library.”

The award was presented by the Vice Chancellor of OAU, Prof. Adebayo Simeon Bamire, with Dr. O.A. Fadehan, University Librarian, also participating in the handshake, a symbolic moment of the university embracing its own.

Also in attendance was the Orangun of Oke-Ila Orangun, Oba Adedokun Aomoniyi Abolarin Aroyinkeye I, whose royal presence lent further gravitas to the occasion.

For the Dele Momodu Leadership Centre, this day was a reminder of what authentic leadership looks like, rooted in knowledge, grounded in values, generous in giving back, and unapologetically committed to truth. The library that gave him his start has now immortalised his name. And Aare, ever the reader, ever the writer, has given the next generation every reason to pick up a book.

Dele Momodu Leadership Centre

For media enquiries, please contact the Dele Momodu Leadership Centre.

Anjorin Fehintola Stella is a Youth Corps member serving with the Dele Momodu Leadership Centre, Ibadan