Women Academics From Nigeria

"Secondly, while destroying this myth of the African past, African historians have also the responsibility of undertaking the scientific investigation of human development in Africa; the reconstruction of the African past with the attendant problems of writing the history of non-literate peoples posed for them a particular challenge. For this purpose, many African states, on becoming independent, established Institutes and Centres of African Studies which adopted a multidisciplinary approach to the study of African history and culture."

"First, African historians have the uphill task of eradicating the prejudices and misconceptions about the African past which have been perpetuated by many western writers, such as G. W. H. Hegel, Reginald Coupland, C. G. Seligman, Hugh Trevor Roper, and others who have claimed that Africa and Africans had no past to speak of, and that the only viable African history is the history of the invaders of Africa, notably, the Europeans."

"The writing of women into the history of Nigeria, indeed into African history, has hardly begun. Compared with the history of many other parts of the world, the writing of the history of Africa itself is a fairly recent development. Efforts in this direction have had to contend with two difficult problems which are bound up with Africa’s historical experience."

"I will suggest to ASUU to come together and fight for its members. You know things have changed. When we were there, ASUU members would decide whom they wanted as president, and that would be final. Then, once you become president, you have a responsibility because you are now the spokesperson and you speak with one voice, and the powers that be will respect you and listen to you regularly."

"I think it is unfortunate that ASUU should be proscribed because my own belief is that ASUU is the spokesperson for academics. They should be the ones who should be regarded as the spokesman and be respected for that purpose. There should be one ASUU. It is unfortunate if ASUU itself has a problem of being divided into three or four or being proscribed."

"I think the VC is a potential person who could be an asset. He has to be an asset in the university. He ought to be somebody that will be respected by all within the university, not only because he has got to the top, but also because he is honest, truthful and he is able to speak out when he needs to speak out. He is not looking for anything. He must not be partial."

"Appointing a VC is not necessarily the responsibility of the people in the university alone. The people who are in charge of university system, the ministers and so on also have a say. They also have a responsibility to see that there is law and order and ensure they themselves appoint responsible people."

"Some people will go around looking for people to support them, and promising heaven and earth when they become the vice chancellor, but that is not the idea."

"I do not know what has happened that people are struggling to become vice chancellors. It looks as if law and order are no longer there. It looks like the respect is no longer there. People struggle to gain this high position not necessarily because of what they have achieved, but because they also want to be there to be able to call the shot and so on."

"We are celebrating a female activist. Sometimes Mama was chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) here in UI. She was also a champion of women rights. To so many of us, she has touched our lives. She practically mentored many of us. Even in old age, she has continued to publish."

""Professor Bolanle Awe is the quintessential ‘Omoluabi’ whose name, character and conduct has been nothing less than extraordinary.”"

"“She is an acclaimed scholar, author, teacher, development specialist, administrator, leader, and mentor. The list of her achievements is endless, and she has a solid legacy of excellence as evidenced in everything she has been involved in throughout her illustrious career,”"

"With her focus on women, women’s rights, and women’s capacities, Professor Awe led the nation, the continent, and the world at large to an altar of enlightenment about the meaning of gender justice and gender equity."

"On the intellectual front, she corrected the erroneous notions that Africans did not have recordable history, projected by a chain of European generations who even manipulated scientific evidence to substantiate their racist claim. by Toyin Falola."

"“At the time when she was born, Africans still suffered the stigma that they were intellectually inferior to the extent that they were considered subhuman and could not understand the gravity of intellectualism, much less talk of contributing to the debate,” by Toyin Falola"

"Emerging scholars must mesh multiple ideas,grind them to create new intellectual product."

"Women have always been an exclusive part of the African civilisations, representing themselves and the larger society in moderate percentage, making great economic strides that helped solidify their place in the society, taking a very important position in their societies to the extent that they are indispensable, etc."

"African history, to this extent, has nothing to fear, for it can survive situations as long as humans, who are the preservatory instruments, survive. In fact, instead of them to express fear, Africans should accept that their history itself is a force that had the power to survive difficult times, and the fact that it survived every layer of inordinate machinations of the past means that it would survive the future no matter what happens in it."

"The primacy of development is that humans can retain their intellectual properties and coordinate their activities as long as they exist in their world. This means that it is a fact that humans exist and that their history also would survive with them."

"Africa is a geographical landscape, and Africans are the human resources deposited into it. Meanwhile, the digital community and preferences are technology, and technology is a tool. This suggests that African essentialism is not only powered by the existence of technology."

"African traditions are kept and archived in oral medium, and since they are used to that system of historic preservation, the documentation of their existence, history, and accomplishments in that format continued for generations."

"Creating a passageway for the females to come into the system so that they would correct the wrong values carefully instituted by the Europeans and their African allies after independence."

"Africans still suffered the stigma that they were intellectually inferior to the extent that they were considered subhuman and could not understand the gravity of intellectualism, much less talk of contributing to the debate."

"The current increase of prostate cancer among men as well as cervical cancer in the women were mostly caused by Soot particles due to the bombardment of the atmosphere."

"I commend the GOC and his officers for their great efforts so far."

"The inclusion of security agencies and International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Civil Society Groups on the Committee by Governor Nyesom Wike during the inauguration was a deliberate attempt by the present administration to end the menace."

"Collaboration with relevant stakeholders, multi-national oil companies and security agencies is key in the fight against Soot in the State."

"It is apparently obvious that the state government cannot decontaminate the airspace, but it can put a stop to this pollution if the source of the soot is located. Consequently, the public is hereby urged to complement the effort of the state government by assisting to look for the source of this strange soot."

"It has come to the notice of the state government of the sudden appearance of strange black soot deposit noticeably seen on cars and rooftops in our environment especially in Port Harcourt and its environs. The public is hereby advised not to panic as the Ministry of Environment has duly dispatched its officials to different locations in the state to monitor and locate the source of the black soot for prompt action."

"Economists, as parts of their contributions, are developing ways to measure the multi-trillion-dollar worth of many so-called ecosystems services, the ministry was reviewing and updating its extant laws for the enforcement and achievement of best environment practices including green economic policies."

"Nature’s gifts were hard to value in monetary terms. Like clean air, they are often taken for granted at least until they become scarce, such levity had resulted to the environment’s degradation at the detriment of the rural people."

"They are among the first to suffer when ecosystems are threatened whether by pollution, climate change or over-exploitation."

"Billions of rural people around the world spend every working day connected to nature and appreciate fully well their dependence on natural water supplies."

"Rural dwellers are the first to suffer from threats of ecosystems either by pollution, climate change or over-exploitation."

"The State Executive Council went ahead and appointed members of the Technical committee for purpose of the implementation of the report of the scientific committee."

"The State Government arrived at the decision to set up a technical committee to address the sources of soot. after a detailed consideration of the report of the Scientific Committee."

"I advice the people of the state and Ogoni to plant more trees in the environment, it helps in redeeming the environment. I also propose a collaboration of the scientists and toxicologists."

"There is lack of sound chemical management in Rivers state, especially Ogoniland. Oil management is taken for granted. As oil creates jobs, so also it has caused pollution by throwing toxic material into the environment."

"The chemicals inappropriately disposed into the environment have an irreversible effect and Ogoni communities are disposed to this."

"Ogoni communities were very susceptible to the precarious toxins."

"The sources of soot are; refineries, fertilizer companies, illegal refineries, setting ablaze of illegally refined petroleum products by the military, tire burning, gas flaring, meat roasting with used tires, asphalt plants refuse to burn among others."

"Toxicologists are not supposed to come into work when the damage has been done to the environment, rather they should be actively involved to work alongside the oil explorers so that all chemical wastes would be handled appropriately."

"Several harmful chemical go into the environment on exploration. I encourage the toxicologists to be proactive. If we do not do something now, soon our waters may become lifeless."

"The fight against oil pollution cannot be won except toxicologists are actively involved, they develop safer chemicals that will control pollution."

"There are several toxins that come from oil exploration activities that devastate the environment."

"Life is not a ten-speed bike where you can change to different gears and request for a spare."

"Global challenges like the coronavirus pandemic are real and should not be seen from a nationalistic perspective. While the coronavirus reminds us how fragile and unprepared we might be, the efforts deployed on a daily basis serve as a reminder of what we’re capable of when we work together towards a common goal."

"Everything happens for a reason, and there is a premeditated arrangement for things that are and things that shall be."

"Life is like a relay race; visions and dreams don’t die. They are handed down to the next generation to run with..."

"Always keep in mind that some fellows will hold you in derision on your march towards progress, but don’t let it sway you...."