INTERROGATING MULTIDIMENSIONAL CRISES IN THE MANAGEMENT AND FUNDING OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION IN NIGERIA: A HISTORIAN’S PERSPECTIVE 95TH INAUGURAL LECTURE BY PROFESSOR EZEKIEL OLADELE ADEOTI Department of History and International Studies Faculty Arts

Protocol

The Vice-Chancellor

Deputy Vice-Chancellors (Academic and Administration)

Other Principal Officers of the University (i.e. Registrar, Bursar and University Librarian)

Deans of Faculties and the Postgraduate School, and Ag. Dean of Students Affairs

Provost, College of Medicine, Schools and Directors of Institutes and Centres

Heads of Academic Departments and Units

Professors of Lagos State University

Members of Staff of Lagos State University

My lovely family members

Distinguished guests

Gentlemen of the Press

Ladies and gentlemen

Greatest LASUITES

1. Preamble

The inaugural lecture is a very important and statutory intellectual assignment for university professors. The tradition of inaugural lectures in Nigeria offers newly appointed professors a platform to engage with both the university community and the general public, sharing highlights of their academic career over the years. This tradition at the University of Oxford, dating back to 1623, serves three main academic objectives: to provide an overview of the professor’s stewardship in the academic community, articulate future directions and analyse the prevailing state of their discipline. The lecturer must explain their beliefs in a simple language, allowing them to speak to the public, the university community and their professional colleagues on research programmes and the progress, issues and problems in the discipline. The inaugural lecturer must therefore engage with three groups simultaneously: the public, the university community and professional colleagues. There, however, remains no unanimity of opinion among scholars about the content of an inaugural lecture. Professor Adiele Afigbo submits thus:

… It is still a matter of debate about what an inaugural address should be about. However, it would appear that taking only content into account, an inaugural lecture can touch on one of three areas. It can, where the lecturer is also the occupant of the chair to which the headship of the department is attached, concentrate on the development of the department –its teaching and research programmes, its orientation, relevance and achievements in the past, ongoing rethinking and adjustments, future trends and tendencies etc. On the other hand where the professor is not also head of department, or where he is but the assessment of the work of the department has been done recently or satisfactorily, the inaugural lecture can be a discussion of the professor’s work within the general framework of his discipline: that is an analysis of the ideas which have guided his work, the techniques he has applied, the results he has achieved, his plans for the future, etc. –in short an attempt by the professor to locate where he stands in the mainstream of his profession. Finally, where neither of the above is attempted for whatever reason, the inaugural lecture could be anything under the sun on which the professor considers that he has something fresh and stimulating to tell his audience.[i]

There are diverse traditions of inaugural lectures, broadly categorized into three: justifying the appointment of professors, soliciting support for the discipline, and systematic exposition on contemporary issues. It is the last tradition, rooted in the British inaugural lectures that I want to adopt. I am an Education Historian with a solid bias for education and social change. It is for this reason that my inaugural lecture is titled “Interrogating Multidimensional Crises in the Management and Funding of University Education in Nigeria: A Historian’s Perspective.”

A defence of the historian’s preoccupation is probably needless and diversionary. It is needless because both traditional and technologically-advanced societies have built a strong fortress for the defence of historical studies through their huge investment of time and resources on the subject. They have wisely not put yesterday behind, unlike some who have pleaded. They also seem persuaded that a tomorrow will never be if yesterday is not carefully examined. It is recognized that yesterday’s study provides the baseline for today’s planning against tomorrow. It is also clear that historical studies inform opinion, shape imagination, nourish the mind, clarify issues and aid decision-making and judgment.

Today is a very significant day in my academic career. In this gathering of scholars, professionals and eminent personalities across all walks of life, I am privileged to be in the caucus of professional historians and academic giants who have successfully delivered their inaugural lectures in the 40-year history of this great university. Not all professors of History have been privileged to present their inaugural lectures. Most first-generation history professors at Nigeria’s numero uno university, the University of Ibadan, did not present any. Professor Tekena Tamuno presented the maiden inaugural lecture of the university in October 1973.[ii] The second inaugural lecture from any Department of History in Nigeria occurred when Professor E. J. Alagoa of the University of Port Harcourt delivered his lecture in 1975.[iii] The inaugural lecture was titled “The Python’s Eye: The Past in the Living Present.” The fourth inaugural lecture from the Department of History, was delivered by the late Professor Olatunji Benjamin. Oloruntimehin. The lecture, “History and Society,” was delivered at the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1976.[iv] The doyen of History, Professor Gabriel Olakunle Olusanya of the Department of History, University of Lagos delivered the fifth inaugural lecture. The lecture, “The Unfinished Task: An Inaugural Lecture”, was delivered on Friday 27th May 1977.[v] This was followed by Professor Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin’s inaugural lecture titled “History and Nation-building” on 20th November, 1977.[vi] Akinjogbin’s successor in the inaugural lecture tradition was Professor Obaro Ikime of the University of Ibadan, whose lecture “Through Changing Scenes: Nigeria History Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was delivered on 26th October, 1979.[vii] Akinjogbin’s and Obaro Ikime’s lectures were the sixth and seventh inaugural lectures from the Department of History in the Nigerian University System.

Madam Vice Chancellor, kindly permit me to provide the list of my worthy predecessors and academic mentors, particularly from the University of Ibadan, University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, who have delivered their inaugural lectures, between 1979 and 2006 when the last inaugural lecture from Lagos State University’s Department of History was delivered.

Table: Inaugural Lectures delivered in Three Nigerian Universities (University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and University of Lagos) between 1980 and 2006.

University of Ibadan

Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

University of Lagos

Inaugural Lectures from the Faculty of Humanities/Faculty of Arts, Lagos State University

Despite its relatively young age, Lagos State University has a rich culture of inaugural lecture. The 94^th inaugural lecture, titled “What God Has Brought Together: Language and Literature at the Altar of Stylistics,” was delivered by Professor Gabriel Ajenifuja Osoba of the Department of English, Faculty of Arts, on 16th January, 2024.[xi] The first inaugural lecture in the university, titled “Inequality in Life and Death,” was delivered by Professor Oladele O. Arowolo, a distinguished Professor of Sociology, on 9th January, 1986.[xii] The second lecture, titled “Of Non-Muslim Cultivators and Propagators of Arabic Language,” was delivered by Professor Isaac Adejoju Ogunbiyi on 13th January, 1987.[xiii] The third inaugural, but the first from the Department of History, was delivered by Professor Gabriel Ogundeji Ogunremi on 10^th January, 1989. It was titled “Nigeria’s Technological Stagnation: An Economic History Perspective.”[xiv] Professor Siyan Oyeweso delivered the 22^nd University Inaugural Lecture and the 2nd from the Department of History on 11th April, 2006. The lecture was titled “The Undertakers, the Python’s Eye, and Footsteps of the Ants: The Historian’s Burden.[xv] This was a span of 18 years. Since 2006, no other professor of History has discharged this all-important academic assignment.

Figure 1: The first inaugural lecture in the university, titled “Inequality in Life and Death,” was delivered by Professor Oladele O. Arowolo.

Figure 2: Picture of the First Professor of LASU, Faculty of Arts to Deliver Inaugural Lecture

Figure 3: The First Inaugural Lecture from the Department of History, LASU delivered by Professor G.O. Ogunremi

Figure 4: The Second Inaugural Lecture from the Department of History, LASU delivered by Professor Siyan Oyeweso

Madam Vice-Chancellor, today, I am here, on behalf of the Faculty of Arts, to deliver the 95^th inaugural lecture of the university. This is the 3^rd from the Department of History and the 15^th from the Faculty of Arts. I would therefore like to pay tribute to all the preceding inaugural lecturers from the Faculty of Arts, particularly those from the Department of History.

This inaugural lecture is coming at the tail end of my academic career at this university. However, I take solace in Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, verse 1: “There is time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.” Indeed, Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, verses 1-8, philosophically captures the importance of time across ages. Today is my time. It is the God-ordained time.

Table 1: Inaugural Lecturers, Titles and Date of Presentation

2. My Journey into History Discipline

Madam Vice-Chancellor, it is indeed a privilege and honour, a significant landmark for me to join my other worthy colleagues who have delivered their inaugural lectures. To God Almighty be all the glory, who has made the academic celebration of today possible. His honour he will not share with anybody. This inaugural lecture from the Faculty of Arts is the third from the Department of History and International Studies.

My journey to becoming a professor was rather fortuitous. In the first place, going by African (Yoruba) traditions, I would have inherited my father’s hoes and cutlasses in the farming profession for which he was famous, instead of going to school. I was eleven years old when my educational career started at St. Johns Anglican Primary School, Efon Alaaye in 1965. In 1971, I proceeded to St. Peters Anglican Modern School, also in Efon Alaaye, which I completed in 1973. I got a Civil Service job as a Messenger at the Federal Ministry of Education in Lagos where I worked for a year between October 1973 and 1974. I was lucky to gain admission to the Christ Apostolic Church Grammar School in Efon Alaaye in September 1974. I only stayed for one term since the application I wrote to become a student of the Federal Government College, Warri was successful. Thus, I was admitted into the Federal Government College, Warri in Form Two aged 21 under the legendary tutelage of our Principal, Mr. Phillip Howard-Davis.

I later secured an admission at UNIFE and graduated in 1983, with Second Class Upper Degree from the Department of History. I observed my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Scheme in the Department of History at the Oyo State College of Education, Ilesa (Main Campus) as an Assistant Lecturer under the headship of Mr. Oluwole Omoni and mentorship of Dr. G. O. Ekemode, my teacher at Ife, who doubled as History lecturer and Deputy Provost of the College.

I enrolled for my Master’s programme in the Department of History, University of Ibadan under the headship of Dr. R. A. Adeleye. There, I first came in contact with Professor J. F. Ade-Ajayi, the doyen of African History, who later played a prominent role in my career advancement as a university lecturer. I also met other leading lights in the Ibadan School of History – Prof. Obaro Ikime, Prof J. A. Atanda, Prof. Wale Oyemakinde, Prof. G. O. Oguntomisin, Prof. G. A. Akinola, Prof Olu Agbi and Prof. U. D. Ayanwu, among others. In 1986, when I completed the MA programme and could not get any financial assistance to proceed for my PhD. It was through the intervention of Emeritus Prof. Ade-Ajayi, former Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, that I picked up a PhD form and register with the department of History, University of Ibadan, with a promise to supervise my work. While I complied, he gave me a job as his research assistant. With his assistance, I got a Dr. Raymond Zard three-year research grant to work on a theme on education and social change in Ibadan.

Madam Vice-Chancellor, this was a clear departure from my initial plan to pursue History of International Relations, which I had begun to nurse during my Master’s programme. Fortunately, I completed the PhD programme in record time (October, 1991-May, 1994) but had to wait for the oral defence in August, 1995. After graduation, my external examiner, Prof. B. A. Agiri, promised me a job in his department at the University of Lagos. As it turned out, the Lagos State University (LASU) quickly offered me one before UNILAG could act. I assumed duty in LASU on 28th February 1996 as a temporary staff. Coincidentally, the following month, March 1996, the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU) declared a nationwide strike until November 1996. The contention of the 1996 nationwide strike was management and funding of university education.

I am an educationist and historian of social change. My contribution to historical knowledge has focused on the History of Education, Biographical Studies, Education and Sustainable Development, Nationalism, Politics of Nation-Building, Inter-Group Relations, Health and Medical History, Sanitation and Environmental Studies, Diasporic and International Studies, as well as aspects of the History of Efon-Alaye.[xvi] My contribution in the field of education and social change started with my Ph.D. thesis titled Western Education and Social Change: A Case Study of Archdeacon Alayande’s Contribution to the Development of Ibadan, 1948–1983,[xvii] supervised by the doyen of history and foremost historian of Africa, the late Emeritus Professor J.F. Ade Ajayi. The thesis, based on written and oral sources, meticulously interrogated the growth and development of western education in Ibadan, South Western Nigeria and the home to Nigeria’s numero uno University – the University of Ibadan.

The thesis was a ground-breaking research because I employed the biographical approach to interrogate the growth and development of western education and social change in Ibadan. My thesis depicts Archdeacon Alayande as not only a product of history but also as a maker of history through the different facets of his career as an educationist, politician, religious leader, trade unionist, philanthropist, and patriot to the core. The research also provided answers to the observed education growth and development in Ibadan between 1900 and 1948 and described the contributions of Archdeacon Alayande to western education and social change in Ibadan in the twentieth century and to the history of Nigeria. With all humility, it is imperative to note that on the strength of my research that the Government of Oyo State immortalise Archdeacon Alayande by naming the Emmanuel Alayande University of Education in the historic town of Oyo, Oyo state after him

Beyond my Ph.D. thesis, I have also examined other significant historical and contemporary issues, among which include “The First One Hundred Years of Western Education in Ibadan, 1852–1952: An Historical Analysis”;[xviii] The History of “St Andrew’s College, Oyo: Pioneer of Tertiary Education in Nigeria”[xix]; The Role of the National Universities Commission (NUC) in the development of university education in Nigeria; and the Lagos State Government Policy on Education (1979–1983)[xx] and Education and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: An Analysis of the Contributions of UNESCO, 1960 – 2018.[xxi]

Madam Vice-Chancellor, my research interests also extend to other areas of Nigerian and African history. As a biographer, I have contributed to biographical studies in Nigeria. I have examined the biographies of great men and women of history, among which include Alli Balogun of Lagos (1840–1933), Chief Michael Adekunle Ajasin, Thomas Adeoye Lambo, Chief Timothy Olajide Oyesina, and Dr. Oguntola Odunbaku Sapara Williams. My research has also cut across the field of politics and nation-building in Nigeria by interrogating topical issues of amalgamation and nationhood in Nigeria, local government reforms in Nigeria, federal-state power and fiscal relations in Nigeria, and ethnicity and national integration in Nigeria. I have conducted admirable study into micro-history of Nigeria with particular focus on Efon-Alaaye. Some of my research in this sphere include the “Oral Traditions and Early History of Efon-Alaaye” and “War and Peace in Eastern Yorubaland: Efon Alaaye and Her Neighbors, 1815–1893, and Socio-Political and Economic Changes in Efon-Alaaye in the 20th Century. ” However, I have chosen Interrogating Multidimensional Crises in the Management and Funding Of University Education in Nigeria: A Historian Perspective as the topic of my inaugural lecture.

3. What is in University Education?

Higher education is widely recognised as essential to the development of nations globally.[xxii] This is often based on the notion that the growth of any community and long-term sustainability depends on the development of highly educated citizens through higher institutions. For a nation to prosper, higher education must aid the development of higher-level skills and competencies, particularly given the present shift towards information economies. Because of its significance, states all over the world still accord higher education the appropriate legislative attention.

Higher education, as defined by UNESCO,[xxiii] is any post-secondary study and research training provided by tertiary institutions or other educational frameworks recognised as higher education institutions by government authorities. It is recognised as a crucial instrument for advancing human capital globally and creating a knowledge economy.[xxiv] Peretomode observes that, as the central mechanism recognised as a resource and human capital-bearing sector, higher education is the facilitator and driving force for a state’s social, political, cultural and economic industrial growth.[xxv] Higher education is, therefore, essential for every growing nation to thrive in the global economy, where knowledge is a crucial area of advantage. Higher education institutions produce high-quality knowledge vital to a nation’s competitiveness and can educate people’s minds to help improve the nation in many spheres of life. People who live in nations that place a high value on higher education are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to be productive, innovative, creative and ingenious.[xxvi]

Like other countries worldwide, Nigeria recognizes education as pivotal to the acceleration of national development. This is enshrined as part of the country’s aims of higher education outlined by the Federal Ministry of Education (2014) which are:[xxvii]

• Contribute to National development through high level manpower training;
• Provide accessible and affordable quality learning opportunities in formal and informal education in response to the needs and interests of all Nigerians;
• Provide high quality career counselling and lifelong learning programmes that prepare students with the knowledge and skills for self-reliance and the world of work;
• Reduce skill shortages through the production of skilled manpower relevant to the needs of the labour market;
• Promote and encourage scholarship, entrepreneurship and community service;
• Forge and cement National unity and
• Promote national and international understanding and interactions.

The goals mentioned above are related to high-quality education. Therefore, higher education must expand to accommodate the growing number of students pursuing degrees in higher institutions each year. However, issues with management, funding, efficiency, and quality frequently impede Nigeria’s higher education system’s ability to fulfil this commitment. The core of Nigeria’s higher education crisis, which has resulted in significant strain and multifaceted issues, has been the twin issue of funding and management. As an education historian, I offer a critical diagnosis of the complex issues about the administration and financing of higher education in Nigeria.

4. Landscape of University Education in Nigeria

The establishment of universities in Nigeria was driven by the rising aspirations of Nigerians to pursue post-secondary education beyond what the nation offered. This was fuelled by the influence of the early educated elite, who later formed the core of nationalist movements. The colonial period witnessed increased demands for post-secondary education, leading the colonial authorities to explore the establishment of higher institutions. The efforts of the nationalists helped the colonial authorities shift their mindset and respond to local demands, particularly after the Second World War (1939-1945). The establishment of universities in Nigeria, such as the University College, Ibadan, was motivated by a Royal Commission’s Report, which aimed to produce needed manpower for public service standards and leadership capacity for independence. The colonial authority established the Elliot Commission to investigate the feasibility and economics of building colleges in British West African Colonies. The commission suggested establishing universities in Nigeria and the Gold Coast, leading to the establishment of University College, Ibadan, in 1948. Although not an independent university, it met Nigeria’s demand for university education and provided human capital after independence.

Nigeria’s five oldest universities are the first-generation, founded in 1948, 1960, 1961, and 1962. The University of Ibadan, established in 1948, is the oldest. The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, was founded in 1960, and the University of Ife in 1961. Both Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Lagos were established in 1962. University of Benin (UNIBEN) was established in 1970. The Muritala/Obasanjo administration superintended the founding of the second-generation universities, established in 1975 as part of the military government’s Third National Development Plan (1975-1980). Seven new federal universities emerged through this: namely: Bayero University, Kano (1975); Usman Dan Fodyio University, Sokoto (1975); University of Ilorin (1975); University of Calabar (1975); University of Port Harcourt (1975); University of Maiduguri (1975); and University of Jos (1975).

Table 2: Nigeria’s First-generation Universities

The third-generation universities were established between 1980 and 1999. Among them are the Federal Universities of Technology in Owerri, Makurdi, Yola, Akure, and Bauchi. After adding seven more states to the original twelve established in 1967, there were nineteen states’ universities by 1976. There were no universities in seven of the twenty-one states. Hence, to placate the affected states, the Federal Government opened a federal university of technology in each of the seven. Also, during this period, state governments got involved in the effort to establish universities between 1980 and 1999. The Federal Republic of Nigeria’s 1979 Constitution, which granted ownership rights to Nigerian institutions of federal and state governments and placed education on the concurrent list, made this possible. Consequently, universities were established by many state administrations, including Anambra, Imo, Ondo, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Ogun, and Edo States. The third-generation institutions comprised the three agriculture universities that were founded in Abeokuta (Ogun State), Makurdi (Benue State) and Ummudike (Abia State). University of Abuja was established in 1988; Nnamdi Azikiwe University in 1992; Benue State University in 1992; Delta State University in 1992; and Imo State University in 1992.

Since the Fourth Republic began in 1999, the number of universities in Nigeria has increased exponentially. During the Olusegun Obasanjo administration (1999-2007), two federal universities were established: National Open University of Nigeria (2002) and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (2007). State universities were also established during this period. Furthermore, this was the first time in Nigerian history that private individuals and organisations owned universities. The first three private universities in Nigeria granted licenses to operate were Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State, founded by Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion (1999); Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State (1999), founded by the Seventh Day Adventist Church; and Madonna University, River State, founded by the Nigerian Catholic Mission (1999). These three private establishments obtained their licences on 10th May 1999. At the end of 2007, thirty-two private universities were operating in Nigeria.

The administrations of President Umar Musa Yar’Adua/Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2007-2011) licenced many universities in Nigeria. It produced the largest batch of federal institutions. There was no rational explanation, other than political necessity, behind the establishment of these institutions. They came when there were already 27 federal, 35 state and at least 40 private universities. The administration intended to create a federal university in a state where none exists to preserve equality in the number of federal universities.

During this time, some state governments established their universities. These included Taraba, Kwara, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto States. Eleven private universities were also established, marking another notable increase in private universities. The Nigerian Police Academy, Wudil, Kano State was also founded. During this period, the governments of Kano, Oyo, Jigawa and Ondo established more state institutions. Sixteen private universities were also added. Oyo State founded the Technical University, Ibadan, despite co-owning the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso with Osun State. The government of Ondo State established another university, Ondo State University Medical Sciences, despite already possessing two universities. In just eight years, the Jonathan administration licenced thirteen federal institutions, eleven state universities, and twenty-seven private universities –making a total of fifty-one.

The number of university establishments increased at an unprecedentedly high rate between 2015 and 2023 under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. In less than eight years, the administration established 11 federal universities, 19 state universities and 87 private institutions. All the federal universities are specialised institutions in technology, health, defence and security, transportation, and agriculture.[xxviii] President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration has approved two private universities: Lighthouse University in Evbuobanosa, Edo State and African School of Economics in the Federal Capital Territory.

Figure 1: Trends in Number of Universities in Nigeria

5. Financing University Education in Nigeria

University education is costly due to complex activities like knowledge production, research, innovation and invention. Financial resources are crucial for a complex academic culture, sophisticated knowledge, expensive tools, infrastructure and logistics. Sub-Saharan Africa faces great financial challenges from rising costs per student, Africa’s labour-intensive education system and labour-saving technologies, the push for increased enrolment in regions with high birth rates, and over-reliance of African universities on government funding.

According to a study by the National Universities Commission, the top three issues faced by Nigerian universities in 2018 were financial challenges (89%), infrastructure (81%) and unstable power supply (71%).[xxix] This is similar to the 2017 situation, where funding and infrastructure shortfalls were 89% and 81%, respectively.[xxx] The number of students enrolling in Nigerian universities has been the primary driver for establishing universities, intending to provide all Nigerians access to higher education. The Nigerian government has argued that the creation of additional institutions was an attempt to provide admission seekers access to higher education. The proliferation of universities, especially private ones, to provide more access to university education has been debated among various stakeholders.

Data from the National Universities Commission statistical report indicated the situation’s complexities. The 2019 National Universities Commission Statistical Digest showed that the total number of full-time undergraduate students enrolled in Nigerian universities was 1, 854, 261. In terms of ownership, federal universities enrolled 1, 206, 825; state universities admitted 544, 936; while private universities only enrolled 102, 500. Also, the total number of part-time undergraduate students enrolled in Nigerian universities was 85, 438. Out of this figure, federal universities enrolled 57, 882; state universities absorbed 25, 761; private universities enrolled only 1 840.[xxxi]These figures show that private universities do not hold the key to alternative space for accessing higher education in Nigeria.

Table 3: Enrolment Statistics of Undergraduates Full-time and Part-time by Ownership[xxxii]

Accessibility in private universities is largely limited by the fees paid and the cost of running a university vis-à-vis income differences, economic growth and development. Figure 2 captures accessing university education from the social class perspective.

Figure 2: Access to University Education in Nigeria[xxxiii]

[i] Afigbo, A. E. The Flame of History Blazing at Ibadan. A Reviewed Work: History and History-makers in Modern Nigeria, an Inaugural Lecture Delivered at the University of Ibadan on 15^th October, 1973. Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, 7 (4), (1975): 715-720.

[ii] Tekena Tamuno, History and History-makers in Modern Nigeria, an Inaugural Lecture Delivered at the University of Ibadan on 15^th October, 1973 later published in the Journal of the Historical Society of Nigeria, (1975) (7(4), 715-720.

[iii] Alagoa, E. J. The Python’s Eye: The Past in the Living Present. An Inaugural Lecture. University of Port Harcourt Press. 1981

[iv] Olutunji B. Oloruntimehin. History and Society.  Inaugural Lecture Series 18. University of Ife Press-Nigeria, 1976

[v] Gabriel O. Olusanya, “The Unfinished Task: An Inaugural Lecture”, Inaugural Lecture, Department of History, University of Lagos, Friday 27th May 1977

[vi] Isaac A. Akinjogbin’s “History and Nation-building”, Inaugural Lecture, University of Lagos, 20th November, 1977

[vii] Obaro Ikime “Through Changing Scenes: Nigeria History Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, Inaugural Lecture, University of Ibadan, 26th October, 1979.

[viii] Note: Other Professor who have delivered their inaugural lecture in the Department of History, University of Ibadan since 2006 include Professor Olutayo Adesina – The Future of the Past, 8^th March, 2012; Professor C.B.N. Ogbogbo – In Defence of Tradition, 6^th September, 2018; Professor Babatunde Sofela, The Burden of History, 7^th October, 2021 and Professor Ademola Ajayi – Who is not Afraid of History, 6^th July, 2023.

[ix] Note: Other inaugural lectures from the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife since 2006 include Professor Akin Alao, History, Law and Society in Nigeria, 14^th August, 2018; Professor Abimbola Adesoji, The Politics of History, 9^th July, 2019 and Professor Emmanuel Olukemi Rotimi, The Odyssey of a Historian of The Police, 12^th April, 2022.

[x] Note: Other inaugural lectures from the Department of History, University of Lagos since 2006 include Professor Rufus Taiwo Akinyele, Lines and space in Human Affairs: Minorities and Marginals, 19^th June, 2013; Professor Abayomi Akinyeye, Clothing Others While Naked: West Africa and Geopolitics, An Inaugural Lecture held at the University of Lagos, Akoka, 3^rd December, 2014; Professor Ademola Adeleke, The Richest Ever and the Cardinal, 1^st November, 2023.

[xi] Gabriel Ajenifuja Osoba, “What God Has Brought Together: Language and Literature at the Altar of Stylistics,” Department of English, Lagos State University, January 16, 2024

[xii] Oladere Olawuyi Arowolo “Inequality in Life and Death,” Inaugural Lecture, Lagos State University, January 9, 1986.

[xiii] Isaac A. Ogunbiyi, “Of Non-Muslim Cultivators and Propagators of Arabic Language,” Inaugural Lecture, University of Lagos, January 13, 1987.

[xiv]Gabriel O. Ogunremi, “Nigeria’s Technological Stagnation: An Economic History Perspective.” Inaugural Lecture, Lagos State University, January 10, 1983

[xv] Siyan Oyeweso, “The Undertakers, the Phyton’s Eye and Footsteps of the Ants: The Historian’s Burden. Inaugural Lecture Series 22, Lagos State University, April 11, 2006

[xvi] Ademola S. Ajayi, Ezikiel Oladele Adeoti: The Career and Scholarship of a Nigeria Historian, delivered at the Department of History and International Studies Colloquium, 28^th March, 2024

[xvii] Adeoti, E.O., “Western Education and Social Change: A Case Study of Archdeacon Alayande’s Contribution to the Development of Ibadan, 1948-1983”. Ph.D Thesis, History Department, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 1995; Adeoti, E.O., Reverend Canon Alayande’s Contributions to Social Welfare Services in Ibadan, 1959-2006. Kashere Journal of Humanities, Management and Social Sciences. Volume 3, Issue 1., 2009: Pp 69 – 82.

[xviii] Adeoti, E.O. ‘The First One Hundred Years of Western Education in Ibadan, 1852-1952: An Historical Analysis’ in Ogunremi, G.O. (ed.), IBADAN: An Historical, Cultural and Socio-Economic History of An African City, Lagos: Modelor Press, 1999, 364-385.

[xix] Adeoti, E.O. and Ade-Ajayi, J.F., ‘St. Andrew’s College, Oyo: Pioneer of Tertiary Education in Nigeria; in Olukoju, E.O. (ed.), A Golden Heritage: Essays in Celebration of St. Andrew’s College, Oyo, Ibadan: Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria) Plc, 2001, 113-120.

[xx] Adeoti, E.O., “Lagos State Government Policy on Education, 1979-1983” in Eko Journal of Educational Research 4, August 2016, pp. 13-16. The Official Journal of the Department of Educational Foundations, Faculty of Education, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria, 2016.

[xxi] Adeoti, E.O. “Education and Sustainable Development in Nigeria: An Analysis of the Contributions of UNESCO, 1960 – 2018.” In Jalingo Journal of Social and Management Sciences. Vol. 1 No. 4 August 2019. A Publication of Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Taraba State University, Jalingo, Nigeria, 2018.

[xxii] Federal Ministry of Education, National Policy on Education, Lagos: Education Research and Development Council, 2004.

[xxiii] UNESCO, Newsletter, Education Section, 5, 2003, http://www.upo.unesco.org.

[xxiv] World Bank, World Development Report, Knowledge for Development, Washington D.C: World Bank, 1999

[xxv] Peretomode, V. F. What Is Higher in Higher Education, Benin-City: Justice Jecko Press and Publishers Ltd., 2008.

[xxvi] Ehiametalor, E. T.  Perspectives on National Development: A Book of Readings, Benin: University of Benin Press, 1988.

[xxvii]  Federal Ministry of Education, National Policy on Education, Lagos: Education Research and Development Council, 2014.

[xxviii] For discussion on rise on specialised universities in Nigeria, see, Siyan Oyeweso, Rethinking 40 years of Specialised Universities in Nigeria and their role in National Development, in Akinrinade, S.   Oyeweso S. Samuel G.O, Kola-Olusanya, A. Pivotal Issues in Higher Education Development in Nigeria, University Press, PLC. 2020, 530-550

[xxix] See, Olanrewaju A.F.  Excellence, Academic Leadership and Governance of Higher Education: Themes and Praxis of Peter Akinsola Okebukola in Akinrinade, S.   Oyeweso S. Samuel G.O, Kola-Olusanya, A. Pivotal Issues in Higher Education Development in Nigeria, University Press, PLC. 2020, 174.

[xxx] Adetunji, Ogunyemi. Funding of Nigerian Federal Universities: The Myth and Reality of Budgetary Allocations, 1999-2020 in Akinrinade, S.   Oyeweso S. Samuel G.O, Kola-Olusanya, A. Pivotal Issues in Higher Education Development in Nigeria, University Press, 2020, 579-597. See also, Ayo Tella, Higher Education Funding in Nigeria, in Akinrinade, S.   Oyeweso S. Samuel G.O, Kola-Olusanya, A. Pivotal Issues in Higher Education Development in Nigeria, University Press, PLC. 2020, 598-610.

[xxxi]National Universities Commission 2019 Digest. Available at: https://www.nuc.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2019-NIGERIAN-UNIVERSITY-SYSTEM-STATISTICAL-DIGEST-CONDENSED-VERSION-FINAL-2_compressed.pdf

[xxxii]National Universities Commission 2019 Digest. Available at: https://www.nuc.edu.ng/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2019-NIGERIAN-UNIVERSITY-SYSTEM-STATISTICAL-DIGEST-CONDENSED-VERSION-FINAL-2_compressed.pdf

[xxxiii] Bamiro, O. “Sustainable Financing of Higher Education in Nigeria: Funding Models.” The Future and Relevance of Nigerian Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions (2016): 48-80.