‘Demagoguery has established a foothold in the Nigerian political space’
Afejuku, Usman, Ejiro, Okediran, others become NAL fellows
By Editor
THE Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) has inducted 29 academics into its fold just as others were conferred with Honorary Fellows which include Overseas, Honorary and Awards of Excellence in Humanistic Practice at its 26th convocation and investiture ceremony held at the University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. The Honorary Fellow is the highest honour the academy bestows on deserving non-members who have made significant contributions to the development of the arts and humanities generally in the country. The ceremony which had as theme ‘Demagoguery and Democracy’, entitled ‘The Challenge of Nigerian Democracy: Problem of the System or Its Managers?’ was delivered by Prof. Alkasum Abba.
The fellows are Professors Anthony Afejuku, Afis Oladosu, Asabe Usman, Florence Orabueze, Olukoya Ogen, Olatunji Oyeshile, Olusanjo Daramola, Emmanuel Emasealu, Cecilia Eme, Lendzemo Yuka, Abiodun Salawu, Omofolabo Ajayi-Soyinka and Hakeem Tijani. Others are folklorist and President of Nigerian Folklore Society (NFS), Dr. Bukar Usman, filmmakers Zeb Ejiro, Emem Isong, writer and SEcretary, Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), Dr. Wale Okediran, visual artist Chief Nike Okundaye. Prof. Anthony Afejuku who retired from the Department of English and Literature, University of Benin, Benin City last year, is a columnist with The Guardian while Prof. Afis Oladosu writes Friday Worship for the same paper.k
In his remarks, Prof. Afejuku, commended NAL for the merit, saying the honour is a testament that hard work pays, adding, “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.”
In his remarks, Prof. Oladosu expressed gratitude to the Academy for finding his contribution to humanity worthy of recognition. 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 10 years, among others.
Newly honoured fellow by Nigeria Academy of Letters (NAL), Mr. Zeb Ejiro, OON in warm handshake with immediate GM/CEO of National Arts Theatre, Lagos, Prof. Sunny Ododo
According to him, “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.”
Dr. Bukar, 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 are now from the sciences.
Filmmaker Ejiro said he was beyond pleased to be honoured, saying how much the award meant to him. He promised to take the honour to his industry and continue on the trajectory of hard work that fetched him the honour, just as he commended and prayed for the academy for its good work.
“Thank you. Thank you,” an excited Ejiro said, “in fact, I just came back from London where I was given an award. But this award is special. Thank you, NAL. I will take this to my industry and show them how hard work pays. God bless this body!”
While welcoming guests, the President of NAL, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, noted that the academy, unlike other academies in the country, exists to assist in driving agenda in certain critical sectors of national life, adding, “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 was high time Nigerians began to demand accountability from their leaders, lamenting over the monumental corruption that has 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.”
