The sad tale of celebrated scholar, writer and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Theo Vincent, now facing hard times and living in a slum in Lagos.
Prof. Theo Vincent, ex-UNIPORT VC
The Ilaje area of Lagos is usually associated with social misfits of all kinds. Even the adjoining area like Bariga has a notoriety that makes many people think that it takes special courage to live there. As a result, many members of the elite and other privileged people prefer to look elsewhere to establish their homes.
But currently, this is where foremost literary scholar and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Theo Vincent, lives. It is one of the sore points that a correspondent’s long search for the great teacher has revealed as he was traced to a dilapidated 2-storey residential building in Ilaje quarters in Bariga.
On why he granted the Interview to reveal the state of his current situation:
I don’t usually grant interviews to journalists. Many of them have tried to talk to me in the last few years, but I refused to speak with them. We can talk about literature, since you said that you studied English in the university, and nothing more.
On their residence and the neighbourhood, Prof's wife compained:
No, we don’t like this place at all. But we have no other choice than to stay here until we can afford to move to a better place.
The building which he lives in Illaje, Lagos
On his condition and why he's very scared of drawing the attention of other members of the wider academic community to his predicament:
I don’t want to be made a subject of sympathy from other people. So let us talk about literature or something else. I know that I have a disability, but talking about it won’t help. The important thing is to cope with the situation and to keep praying.
On coping with the Inability to see with his eyes which has not affected his passion for literature:
Even in my condition, I have finished writing the book. What remains is to clean it up. Unfortunately, I cannot do that now because of my disability. But it is not the same thing as reading by myself. I wish that I had not lost my sight.
Sources at the University of Lagos revealed how the scholar had been hit by a series of misfortunes before and after his retirement from the institution.
"He was with us for a while after he retired, teaching as a consultant. Then we noticed that his sight was gradually failing. Sometimes he would stand outside the faculty building as if in deep thought. To anyone watching him closely, it would become clear that he was having a problem walking home unaided.
Everybody noticed that Vincent had lost his sight. Unfortunately, nobody had the presence of mind to intervene or offer to help him out of his predicament, which seemed to be compounded after he was asked by the university authority to pack out of his apartment at the staff quarters."
Entrance to his room in the building
Another source, said the scholar was virtually homeless after he was forced out of the flat that had served as his residence for almost 40 years.
"He was more or less ejected from the flat. Nobody knew where he moved to for a while, until we heard that an unnamed Christian organisation or church somewhere around Akoka had intervened and relocated him to a new apartment in the neighbourhood."
It is generally believed that the man intentionally does not desire to mix with the public. A few weeks ago, he moved from his former residence to the Ilaje quarters. It was gathered that when the Chapel Church got wind of the move, it made an effort to relocate him from the area, since it is associated with endless violence among rival street gangs.
"The church was ready to spend about N2m to secure another accommodation for him and his family, but he politely declined it," a source said.
Prof. Theo Vincent’s situation begs some questions.
1. What happened to the man’s earnings, while in service and his retirement benefits and why he would not live to talk about his condition.
2. How can a man, who has occupied key positions before retiring and acted as a consultant to a multinational company like the NLNG, could possibly spend the rest of his life in need.
The questions have, for want of answers, continued to fuel more suspicions and the theory that there could be more than meets the eye.
Source: Punch
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