Erudite scholar and foremost historian, Professor Toyin Falola, received yet another recognition for his scholarship and humanity on Thursday when the University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, conferred on him the prestigious honorary Doctoral Degree of Letters (D.Litt) at the institution’s 54th convocation ceremonies.
Falola, who was one of three given the recognition (Professor Attahiru Jega, Nigeria’s former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and Phyllis Kanki of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston)—said every Nigerian should contribute significantly to the project of decolonization of Nigeria and other African countries by extension.
He pointed out that Africans are resilient, as they have survived every stage of hardship and misfortune, such as the pre-colonial and colonial eras, the outbreak of the Ebola virus, and lately the coronavirus.
He said Africans with rich values have huge strength for survival at any level, urging them that such dispositions should be used to the advantage of the continent.
He noted that Nigeria’s huge population could equally be used as an asset to bring about reasonable socio-economic development in the country.
He advocated that women should be given opportunities to occupy leadership positions not only in academia like UNILAG, where women dominate leadership positions but also in political and other sectors of the economy.
Professor Falola, who is the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair at the University of Texas at Austin and honoured with a Doctorate Degree in Literature, thanked the university for the honour done to him and the two other recipients. He said they would continue to contribute to knowledge sharing and the development of humanity in all ways that they could.
Also speaking at the event, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mammam, reassured Nigerians of his government’s determination and commitment to ease the pains brought upon them by the removal of the fuel subsidy when he assumed office about eight months ago.
He also promised that his government would not in any way compromise the delivery of qualitative education at all levels to Nigerians.
At the ceremony on Thursday, a total of 6, 886 postgraduate students, including seven with 5.0 CGPA perfect scores and 31 international students in Masters programmes, graduated.
Two days earlier, a total of 10, 578 undergraduates, with 340 of them graduating with first-class honours, had their convocation ceremony.
Tinubu, who is a visitor to the university, explained that the loan policy for tertiary school students as well as the school feeding programme for primary school pupils under his administration are geared towards qualitative education.
He, however, congratulated all the graduates as well as the three eminent honorary doctoral award recipients on their various accomplishments.
While acknowledging the strong contributions of the three honorary awardees, he urged the fresh graduates at various levels to come up with ideas and innovations that would help move Nigeria forward appreciably.
He also commended the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, and her team, as well as the entire university community, for their commitment to the production of well-rounded graduates every year.
He assured the university that his government would continue to support and invest in all ways possible in the development of the university.
Earlier, in her welcome address, Professor Ogunsola noted that the university produced 340 first-class graduates this year and that the number was the highest in a single convocation event in the history of the university.
She also noted that the university’s Business School, which is functioning as an autonomous entity, produced its first set of graduates, totalling 62 at the event.
She, however, explained that the university would not relax in producing fit-for-purpose graduates and would also sustain its global brand status in research and community services.
Among dignitaries in attendance were Pastor Tunde Bakare; Shehu Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, who is the chancellor of the university; Dr Chris Maiyaki, acting executive secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC); and the immediate past vice chancellor of UNILAG, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.
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