Falola becomes professor emeritus in humanities at Lead City University

Toyin Falola, a professor of history at the University of Texas, has been honoured as professor emeritus in humanities at the Lead City University (LCU) in Ibadan.

The honour was part of activities at the 15th convocation ceremony of LCU, which concluded on December 12.

The honour was said to be in recognition of Falola’s accomplishments within the academia, and in celebration of his achievements within and outside Africa.

Speaking at the event, Gabriel Ogunmola, chancellor of LCU, commended Falola for his significant contribution to societal development through knowledge sharing and scholarly discourse.

On his part, Kabiru Adeyemo, vice-chancellor of the institution, said Falola deserves the honour considering his expertise as a renowned historian and an academic.

In his remarks upon receiving the honour, Falola expressed appreciation to LCU, adding that he felt honoured since it was a first in the history of the institution.

“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 close to 50 years now,” he said.

“This is a pioneer effort by the university and I am sure they will continue to keep it meritorious, unblemished.

“I had this nostalgia as I looked at the congregation with some of them bagging their Ph.D. I bagged my Ph.D. 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. 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.”