By IBUKUN EMIOLA

Prof. Idowu Olayinka, a former Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, has underscored the importance of adjunct lectureship to the development of departments in the Nigerian university system.

Olayinka made this assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Monday.

According to him, people speak at times, either out of ignorance or mischief and there is often the temptation to over generalise this issue of adjunct or visiting lectureship.

“I am amused when I read some comments which suggest an attempt to criminalise the matter of Adjunct or Visiting Lectureship in our universities.

“A fundamental question to ask is how many academics are engaged in this.

“The truth is that when an Academic Department is first established, it is not likely to have the full compliments of academic staff.

“It is natural for such a new Department to rely on outstanding scholars from sister universities for assistance.

“The Department can then start to gradually build up her own crop of full-time Faculty. Over time the need for Adjunct/Visiting Faculty would decrease gradually,” Olayinka said.

He said, even at that there might still be need to invite reputable scholars from other famous sister institutions to spend some times as visiting scholars in a bid to ground the established department and set it on proper footing.

For example, the New York University Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirate, has just appointed Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka as Arts Professor of Theatre.

“The Laureate is expected to play a key role in building the university’s deep strength within the arts and its growth as a preeminent research and teaching university and a world-class leader in global higher education,” he said.

Citing his personal experience, Olayinka recalled how he assisted a sister Federal University in the early 1990s.

“I was approached to serve as a visiting lecturer and I accepted the offer. I did that to the best of my ability for about three years.

“As we speak, the Department can boast of at least seven full professors, most of whom I had the privilege to teach during the period under reference.

“They are happily now established academics in their own rights. Reality is that the department doesn’t need me as a visiting lecturer again,” Olayinka said.

The former VC said that the country could also learn from other jurisdictions.

“I pursued my MSc Geophysics at the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College, and London in the early 1980s soon after the completion of my BSc from the highly regarded University of Ibadan.

“As of that time, the Geophysics programme at Imperial College was considered to be the largest of its type in Western Europe in terms of academic staffing and students’ enrolment.

“Yet, among the Faculty that taught my Class some highly specialised courses were about four drawn from some other University of London colleges and oil companies. That is the best of academic traditions.

“We do not have to throw the baby out with the bath water. This sad phase shall soon pass.

“In spite of our problems, we should not take the universe out of our universities,” Olayinka said. (NAN)

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