National President of Nigerian Folklore Society (NFS), Dr. Bukar Usman; Professor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies, Abiodun Salawu and General Secretary of Pan African Writers Association, Dr Wale Okediran were among 14 new fellows inducted into the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) at the academy’s recent 26th convocation and investiture ceremony.
The ceremony, themed ‘Demagoguery and Democracy’ was held at the University of Lagos on Thursday. The key lecture, entitled ‘The Challenge of Nigerian Democracy: Problem of the System or Its Managers’ was delivered by Prof. Alkasum Abba.
The fourteen fellows which include Overseas, Honorary and Awards of Excellence of Humanistic Practice are: Profs. Asabe Usman, Florence Orabueze, Olukoya Ogen, Olatunji Oyeshile, Olusanjo Daramola, Emmanuel Emasealu, Cecilia Eme, Lendzemo Yuka, Abiodun Salawu, Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka, Hakeem Tijani, Prof Afis Oladosu, Prof Anthony Afejuku and Zeb Ejiro.
Salawu is a Professor of Journalism, Communication and Media Studies and Director of the Indigenous Language Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity at the North-West University, South Africa. He has taught and researched journalism, media, and communication in Nigeria and South Africa for nearly three decades. Prof. Salawu is also rated by the NRF as an established researcher at the level of C1 (with international recognition).
In his remarks, Prof. Afis expressed gratitude to the Academy for finding his contribution to humanity worthy of recognition. “When you belong to an academic settings, there are preferment and situations when your colleague would acknowledge your productivity and what you have contributed to humanity in terms of knowledge generation, dispersion and consumption. This is one of such occasions when our academy would subject people’s productivity over the years,” he said.
He noted that becoming a fellow of NAL is a peak of scholarly endeavor for academics, saying it is beyond merely the title as it combines a lot efforts which include being a professor in the last ten years among others.
Prof. Afejuku thanked the NAL for the merit, saying the honour is a testament that hardwork pays.
According to him, “It shows clearly that the little and much I have done over the years, everything is being recognised in ways that mean so much to me. My patriotic journalism, scholarship, political and cultural activities have proven right today.”
Dr Bukar Usman, former permanent secretary in the presidency, who spoke on behalf of the honorary fellows, commended the screening process of the academy, which led to their emergence.
He also spoke on the Nexus between the two academies, letters and science saying it is glaring, as a lot of writers now are from the sciences.
In his welcome remarks, the President of NAL, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, noted that the Academy unlike other academies in the country exist to assist in driving the agenda in certain critical sectors of national life.
He said: “Our interventions during the year have revolved around the theme of democratic development in the country and the role of the Humanities in the process. A principal question we have asked ourselves is this: “Has democracy, as practised in this country during the past 25 years, benefited the lives of Nigerians?”
He noted that the theme of the event was two interconnected yet contrasting aspects of political systems that have played significant roles in shaping the fortunes of societies throughout history.
He described Democracy as the principles of fair representation, rule of law, and accountability, explaining that demagoguery, on the other hand, is a manipulative approach to politics, often characterised by appealing to emotions, prejudices, and instincts rather than rationality and logic.
He said: “If we look around us carefully, we will admit that demagoguery has established a foothold in the Nigerian political space all the years of its post-independence existence including even under military rule.
“Nigeria has had a chequered history with democratic practice. The Fourth Republic has witnessed 25 years of continuous experience with civilian governance. However, it is difficult to assert that the nation has succeeded in building democratic resilience given the constant manifestation of anti-democratic practices and lack of respect for the rule of law by various administrations since 1999.”
Speaking on the convocation topic, the guest lecturer, Prof. Abba, said it is high time Nigerians began to demand accountability from their leaders, lamenting over the monumental thefts that have been going on in the country since 1999.
He said: “Government after government organized cover-ups for their predecessors. Now, we have reached a dead end; no fuel, no power, no jobs, no security, no food etc. everyone is desperate.
“What we need to focus on is the dismal failures of the people we elected to run our governments. We need to demand for accountability from them and stop diverting our attention on this crucial issue; people who have denied our country electricity, good roads, vibrant economy, which are the essential ingredients for economic development by betraying our trust. They must be made to refund all monies stolen over the past 23 years.”
