The Lead City University (LCU), Ibadan, has proclaimed globally celebrated African historian, Professor Toyin Falola, emeritus professor in recognition of his sterling research and teaching accomplishments in the last 50 years.
This was the high point of the university’s 15th convocation ceremonies held on Monday, December 12, 2022, at the institution’s Adeline Hall. The event had in attendance notable university scholars and administrators, politicians, public officials, politicians, and the university community. It was the third and final day of the three-day convocation ceremonies with the final day having a convocation lecture, postgraduate college graduation, proclamation of emeritus professors and honorary awardees.
In his address, the Chancellor of Lead City University, Professor Gabriel Ogunmola praised the immense contributions of Professor Falola to knowledge production globally, describing it as critical to underscoring the essence of knowledge production in solving societal woes.
Toeing the same line, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor K.A. Adeyemo remarked that Professor Falola deserved the proclamation considering his devotion to knowledge production and African history.
Falola is Africa’s eminent Professor of History, a University Distinguished Teaching Professor, and the Jacob and Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities, the University of Texas at Austin. He is an Honorary Professor, University of Cape Town, and President of Pan-African University Press. He has received three Yoruba chieftaincy titles, over thirty life-time career awards, and more than fourteen honorary doctorates.
While reading his citation, the university orator, Dr. Donald Odeneye, told the assembly that: “This award is to mark the 70th birthday of Professor Toyin Falola and celebrates his transition to a professor emeritus in the humanities. Toyin Falola, born of Nigerian parents in the ancient city of Ibadan, is today an iconic figure in the humanities, not just in Nigeria or Africa but all across the globe. After earning his degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, he set off on several scholarly excursions that supported his research interests to become the recognized historian he is today.Today, he is the most eminent historian in Africa and one of the most recognized African scholars of humanity,a global figure and a man of letters who has received numerous honours and made invaluable contributions to academia, public policy, organizations, and the transformation of Africa.He has changed people’s lives, pushed the boundaries of knowledge, fought for the survival of intellectualism in Africa, and maintained a laser-like concentration on the continent’s growth.
“African history, African religion, sociology, economic history, public administration, international relations, and political science are among the areas where the eminent Professor has shown scholastic respect and made enormous contributions. In addition to being a prolific educator, he has sparked fresh interest in African history studies with his never-ending quest for knowledge. In academia, Falola has collaborated with over 20 African university presses and overseen over seven monograph series in his never-ending mission to expand the boundaries of knowledge, aiding in disseminating scholarly works throughout the continent. These academic works have significantly contributed to Africa’s intellectual and solution-based discourse. He played a significant role in the revitalization and dismantling of colonized educational curricula as well as the introduction of cutting-edge courses in various African universities. Falola served in the field during a time when the teaching of history was under attack and made sure that it was not only sustained but also taught without undermining the African perspective.
“Professor Falola has written many books highlighting Africa’s exciting nature, supplying his always attentive audience with knowledge that has gone unstudied due to what is thought to be a lack of interest in them. Falola is a specialist in the African humanities and has performed incredibly well as a teacher in various subjects, including but not limited to the method of history, African history, the history of the African diaspora, and historiography. The enormous number of people who have benefited from this man’s knowledge through mentoring, supervision, recommendations, guidance, and his overall positive attitude toward people is evidence of how far his influence has spread.
“Toyin Falola’s intelligence has earned him unmatched awards from various organizations and academic institutions, which he has used to develop his career and cultivate a strong network of relationships while also receiving compensation for his tireless efforts. This giant, who has an ever-growing list of honours to his name, has travelled to nearly every African nation, establishing his name in the intellectual sphere there. Because of this, he is well-known throughout the continent, and his impact reaches far beyond the confines of the African continent.”
While speaking on the proclamation, the new emeritus professor told newsmen that “It is the first time in the history of the Lead City University tradition that this will be done. I have to see the proclamation both in its metaphor and symbolism to honour a history of productivity of close to 50 years now. This is a pioneering effort by the university and I am sure they will continue to keep it meritorious, and unblemished.
“I had this nostalgia as I looked at the congregation with some of them bagging their PhD. I bagged my PhD in 1981. I was also imagining a very bright future for all of them. I was also praying for them in my mind that they will succeed, and that the contributions of their parents will not go wasted.
“The Yoruba concept of destiny could be applied to me. If I had remained in Nigeria, perhaps I would not have produced that number of research efforts. The comparative intellectual output would not have been possible with the limited facilities here in Nigeria, the strike actions, the lack of electricity. Location does affect what you do and what I do. You will be more productive if you are not thinking about electricity, generators, water, and bad roads. These will affect every job everywhere in the world.
“The founder of Lead City University, Professor Jide Owoeye and I were lecturers at the Obafemi Awolowo University together. The impressive Lead City University that you see today was built without corruption; it was built without any stolen money; it was built without any state funding and it is better than the majority of state universities built with state funds in Nigeria. My life is also like that. Everything I have achieved is without blemish, without corruption. My message to all my mentees is that they should not be tempted; they should not get involved in corrupt practices. If you have an opportunity to work for a day, do your work to the best of your abilities. Ask God to bless you in his way; we are not all going to be blessed the same way. For it to be glorious, for that glory to last, we cannot control it. There is no god that will bless everybody the same way. Some people may be blessed with good health but without wealth. For others, it may be with successful children. Why don’t you allow God to bless you in his own way? It is more rewarding, more enduring, more lasting, and more glorious.”