Tag: Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji

By Taofeek Alhassan,

The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics (ASE)  (The Pan-African University of Excellence), Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has been conferred with the Life Fellowship award of the Africa Information Technology Consultancy (LFAITC) by the Council and International Academic Board of the body.

Adedimeji was also decorated as a ‘Most Notable and Top Distinguished Encyclopedist of the 21st Century with Five Stars’ for his outstanding contributions to higher education just as he was invested with a Life Fellow of the Chartered World Institute of Encyclopedia of Books as a Chartered Encyclopedist by the Chartered World Institute of Encyclopedia of Books. 

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Presenting the awards on Tuesday in Abuja to the Vice Chancellor on behalf of the council members, including Prof. Sir M. Howard Pilley representing Europe and Prof. Sir Luis Emilio Abad representing Americas and the Registrar, Prof. Sir Abhiram Kukshreshtha, representing Asia, the President of the institute, Prof. Sir Bashir Aremu, noted that the councils of the organisations decided to present the awards to Adedimeji as a way of appreciating his immense contributions to higher education and advanced learning.

 Aremu, who is also the Vice Chancellor of Crown University Int’l Chartered Inc., Santa Cruz, noted that the institute had been observing Adedimeji’s exploits from a distance, remarking that he had served creditably as a pioneer vice chancellor of a private university in Kwara State before his current assignment.

The president added that during the period, the honoree  laid a good foundation for the university and was able to leave indelible footprints and lasting memories in the students, staff and the hosting community.

Aremu stated that  Adedimeji hit the ground running immediately he resumed in Abuja, stressing that his activities since last year are now positioning ASE as a major player among the 21st century universities in Nigeria. He urged the honoree not to rest on his laurels but to continue impacting the global society with his excellence in scholarship and service.

In his response, Prof. Adedimeji thanked  the Boards of Africa Information Technology Consultancy and Chartered World Institute of Encyclopedia of Books for the awards, remarking that he considered them a mark of appreciation to ASE.

The Vice Chancellor of the African School of Economics – the Pan-African University of Excellence – Abuja, Prof. Mahfouz Adedimeji, has called for collaboration among universities while tasking them on the need to confront global challenges.

Adedimeji made this call in his address:  “Ideas Rule the World”, delivered at the 4th Public Lecture of the uiversity.

The lecture: “The 21st Century Nigerian University: Pitfalls and Pathways”, was delivered by Prof. Moses Ochonu of Vanderbilt University, USA.

Citing a study by the University of Lincoln, Adedimeji identified the 10 grand challenges of the 21st century as changing economic powers, living in a global society, void of vision and foresight, technological disruption, migration and mobility (which manifest in what we call the Japa syndrome in Nigeria), conflict and war, civic disaffection, increasing inequality of wealth and income, mitigating environmental and ecological damage as well as identities and changing norms in the society.

He noted that addressing these challenges requires functional university education and urged universities to come together to overcome those challenges as well as the national ones. Alluding to the eagle, which he said would fly high when it catches a tortoise and drop it knowing that the impact of the fall would break its hard shell and then eat it, he urged Nigerians to accept challenges. An obstacle, he stressed, would therefore be converted by an eagle to an opportunity to use its full strength to fly high. The VC counselled that, unlike the eagle that hunts alone, universities should synergise. “I, therefore, call for concerted efforts of the Triple-Helix, the government, the academia and the industry/society in according the university its pride of place by doing what is right at the right time. It is said that one can travel fast alone but can only travel far together,” he said.

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In his lecture, Ochonu identified the challenges facing Nigerian universities,  while condemning what he referred to as the subversion of the cosmopolitan ethos of higher education that has given room to provincialism and inbreeding. He advocated for the introduction of Student Bill of Rights and called for the recognition of excellent teachers in the system as a way of enhancing quality teaching.

The lecture was attended by critical stakeholders in the university system, including the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Abdullahi Yusuf Ribadu; the Secretary-General of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU), Prof. Andrew Haruna, both of whom delivered their goodwill messages, and Vice Chancellors and representatives of universities, academics and the public, who contributed to the discussion.