Eulogical Tributes to the late Dr. Edward Yakobo Momo, Dean of College of Education, Juba University
By Abraham Mabior Rioc, Juba, South Sudan
Friday, February 19, 2021 (PW) — It is with a feeling of deep sorrow to have learned the demise of my former Dean of the School of Education, professor, mentor, vibrant scholar, and down-to-earth human fellow, who is none other than Dr. Edward YakoboMomo. According to the close source, Dr. Momo was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Tuesday 16th February 2021 and succumbed to death on the last night of the following day.
Upon hearing the saddest news of his death in the early morning of February 17th, 2021, I was completely demoralized and dehumanized. Of a sudden, I was mind-bogglingly over showered with the uncontrollable flow of sorrowful tears, unhappiness, and loneliness when considering the precipitous loss of a great national asset at the time when the nation and the University of Juba could need him most.With such great loss of one of the academic and professional giants, the whole nation, the entirety of the leadership, membership, studentship of the University of Juba, and the bereaved families are left with uncontrollable shock regarding his premature departure.
As I write this eulogistic attribute, I am in sorrowful tears of the passing on of the great mentor, however, I have to take courage and hold my breath tightly to underscore his professional dedication to this nation. Though saddened by the loss of a great scholar, I would like to stand straight to describe him with few words, which characterized his whole professional and intellectual life, while physically present at the University of Juba as a scholar and lecturer one-to-one basis.
In eulogizing a special tribute for a great man and scholar who had shown a business-centered leadership style in his tenure as the Dean and Assistant Professor of the School of Education, University of Juba. To be sure, late Dr. Momo died as a true and an indubitable academic hero of all intellectual times and professional spaces, both in his country and abroad.
From the professional angle, he had left behind a scholarly legacy with regards to initiating and structuring the continuity of some career pathways within the school of Education, University of Juba. He is a great analytical thinker and quick problem-solver in his professional and academic realms. He was more of a professional innovator who was quick in making and taking concrete decisions professionally and responsibly.
Late Dr. Momo led a wonderful lifestyle and unique intellectuality altogether. From his social background, he had never worn a tribal face with his staff and the students alike. Given the tribal differences in South Sudan, he had never segregated and attempted to discriminate against his learners and staff on a demographic, geographic, and tribal basis. He had a professional vision and social aspirations for both staff and students to lead undivided professional career pathways at the School of Education.
By then in his wonderful life and now in his spirit, he had never been seen or heard lecturing his allotted course units with a tribal tone and discriminative mood. Undeniably, late Dr. Momo was a genuine academic hero, seasonal professional teacher, and distinguished scholar who would be missed by a hundred thousand scholars and students across the globe.
In a similar vein, late Dr. Momo was a great man who dedicated his entire professional and academic life to serve South Sudanese with his own unique capacity as a distinguished scholar. He was able to leave the comfort of the United Kingdom, his refuge residence, purposely to come back to his home country to serve his people from all walks of life, with the professional knowledge and competencies he had acquired while abroad.
In a different note, late Dr. Momo was one of the professors who wholeheartedly supported Prof. John Akec, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba, in the rapid transformation of the University to this current level, through inventing the future, transforming society. Indeed, such unmeasurable contributions he prevalently made did not happen out of the blue but through the guidance and direction of his immediate supervisor and his staff from the school of Education, university of Juba.
His personal contribution in uplifting the face of the University of Juba to the current face made him be one of the outstanding and resourceful citizens in the course of carrying out his unchallengeable duties. Definitely, he was one of the role models in the physical, professional, and academic transformation of the University of Juba. He was genetically brought on us by his parents to live and thrive physically and intellectually for the benefit of all south Sudanese countrywide. In his own personality, Late Dr. Momo was a giant scholar because his excellent mind was full of professional excellence and academic relevance.
As I emotionally mourn his departure on earth, I look back reverentially on the brilliant lifestyle of the late Dr. Momoespecially when I reflect back on his mastery of English and articulation of ideas. Dr. Momo could speak fluently and articulately like one of the world inventors of the English language. He could speak and write fluently in a very convincing tone and sweet voice that can make a person to conclude that his communications of all sorts could not even carry a single lie.
While on earth, Dr. Momo was approachable and could readily help when called for. In the course of writing up my book entitled: “Scaling up Education in Emergencies in the Protracted Crises: Perspectives from South Sudan”, he was so much instrumental in terms of advice and content realignment. He would give a listening ear in a very welcoming mood. Whenever I could approach him in his office, he could put all aside what he was doing. This substantially implies that he was a developer of young people to see their professional potentialities.
Throughout his professional and intellectual life, Dr. Momo lived a scholarly life as an outstanding specialist in the field of education. For those who lived together and worked with him in the academic lines and professional circles, one may conclude that he was a rare human creature on earth and none of his class would fit to his intellectual shoe. He is irreplaceable and would take a thousand years for a country like South Sudan to get a people-centered leader like him.
From the political point of view, he had never been captivated to lead people through the political appointments. As a unique scholar of his own class, Dr. Momo had been busy advocating for operationalizing universal educational opportunities to cover wider geographic localities in South Sudan. He had a belief that if all people are educated; the chances of ethnic hatred and political destructions would be minimized, both at our social scales and political margins.
From his character-based description, Dr. Momo could walk like a leader, could talk like a scholar, and could listen like a champion. Definitively, such distinctive charismas that are practically noticed in him, inevitably made him a unique scholar in his own class. Throughout his lifetime at the University of Juba, you could see him sitting idly or walking unprofessionally. He was time conscious personality and could walk as fast as he could to make sure his assignments are accomplished on each hour, in a given day.
In his time as my favorite lecturer and towards the end of his death as my technical partner in the implementation of the Teacher Professional Development component (TPD), I was able to conclude that Dr. Momo is one of the 21st Century scholars if given the chance to lead an independent educational institution. He was one of the types of scholars who could not shy away from delivering his professional obligations, despite low pay and delay in salaries.
Without a doubt, he was a great servant to his country and an extremely fast proactive academician with a wonderfully made strategic mindset. To those who knew him, such qualities are reflected in his tone, manner, and the bold speech he could give once given chance at the podium. He was meticulously industrious, and could easily be bored with small issues. He could exceptionally focus on details of any matter and always sought to convincingly win over the discussion with the power of his argument and quick actions.
At his personal level, Dr. Momo had led a simple and exemplary life. He had never aimed either at taking a lunch or dining in the expensive hotels and restaurants. He would eat where his staff and students eat. He could take tea anywhere being at the university campus or within the tea stakes.
By imagining and looking back deliberately now into the foreseeable future in the education system of South Sudan, I believe that late Dr. Momo was willing to sacrifice his professional knowledge and skills. The certified intellectualism in the context of his professional sacrifice, the readiness to give his piece of mind for a country’s human resource development, all made his professional mission a reality in South Sudan, here and now.
He was, still is, a renowned scholar who loved his students and teaching profession to the last drop of his blood. Ustaz Dr. Momo, you have gone physically, but in spirit, your professional legacy will reign and live on forever.
At this juncture, I would like to send my heartfelt condolences and dignified console to his bereaved family, community, School of Education, the University of Juba, and indeed to theentire South Sudanese. May his precious, glorified, and intellectualized Soul RIP!
The author, Abraham Mabior Rioc, is his postgraduate Student of Master of Education in Emergencies. He holds dual Master’s Degrees in the field of Education. He is also the author of the forthcoming book entitled: “Scaling up Education in Emergencies in the Protracted Crises: Perspectives from South Sudan”. He is electronically reachable at mabiorrioc@gmail.com
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