A lecturer at the faculty of education, Dr.
Adesoji Adeolu Oni recently won the “Educational Research in Africa Award”
(ERAA), A Project of the Korea Trust Fund (KOAFEC) as the “Best African
Accomplished Educational Researcher Award for 2011-2012” on May 14, 2013 at the
International Centre for Education, Severs Cedex, Paris, France.
In this interview with Temitope Ojedele and
Taiwo Ekeleme; the accomplished scholar reveals his works and how the award has
reinforced his commitment to work harder. Excerpts:
UG: CAN WE MEET YOU SIR?
My name is Soji Oni. I am a lecturer in the
Department of Educational Foundations, University of Lagos. I had my 1st degree
from the Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U) where I
studied English Studies
Education. Then, I proceeded to the University of Ibadan to study Sociology of
Education; my Ph.D. is also in Sociology of Education.
UG: HOW HAS LECTURING BEEN?
It has been very nice and cordial. I
believe in teaching, doing research and community services. I don't miss my
classes because anything, apart from research is secondary, that is why I do
research and even if I miss classes, there
would be make up classes.
UG: WHAT WAS THE MAJOR RESEARCH WORK THAT
WON THE AWARD?
There was no major one that prompted the
award. I was asked to bring my Curriculum Vitae and they went through it and one
of the conditions for that award was that, the person must have carried out
research across the world. To God be the glory, I have been able to publish
outside the shores of Nigeria.
I major in Sociology of Education,
especially in deviance behaviour narrowed down to students' occult behaviour as
highlighted in my Ph.D., I also work on social change in education as well as
teacher education. My thesis won the best in the faculty of education.
UG: WHAT INSPIRED YOUR RESEARCH WORKS?
A lot of things inspired me. You look at
your society, you look at the way your research can impact the immediate and
larger society. Well, some years ago while working on my Ph.D., I wanted to
work on secondary school students, but my supervisor advised me to focus on
Universities which I've have been able to do a lot of research on, gathering
articles and doing various criticisms.
My challenge was that I wanted to be well
known, as my colleagues who were not only scholars in America, but had works
that were well read. I have some academic mentors like Professor Dayo Banya
(retired from University of Ilorin) and Professor Joel Babalola (prolific
researchers). They have been encouraging and have been interested in my
academic work.
UG: ABOUT THE TWO TIER EVALUATION PROCESS,
DID YOU KNOW ABOUT IT BEFORE HAND?
No. I wasn't exposed to it before hand; it
was at the point of receiving the award that I became aware of the process of
the screening. The association that gave me the award (ADEA) consists of 54
ministers of Education in Africa and some other developmental organizations
that are partners with them. This award is in four (4) categories namely:
1. The
imagined educational research in Africa – (a person who is a burdened scholar
and carries out specific/important research
2. The
Best accomplished African education researcher
3. The
outstanding mentor in Africa
4. Enabling
institutional development
UG: HOW HAS WORKING IN THE UNIVERSITY OF
LAGOS BEEN?
I appreciate the immediate past management
and the present management for trying to create an enabling environment
particularly for lecturers in the University of Lagos to do research. Though,
it is not very easy to conduct research in Africa.
As a researcher, we face a lot of
challenges, one of it is poor electricity supply; I know how much I spend to
fuel my generator every month and the problem I face at times when the modem I
use to browse the internet is not working, I had to rush down to the
University.
I doubt if there is any lecturer in the
University of Lagos that is not connected on the internet in his office and
apart from that, there is also the research grant that we apply from the
University to conduct research. I am working on a research with a team that we
won the grant to conduct a research which will be presented to the University
very soon.
Also, if a lecturer does not have the means
to attend an international conference, the University will sponsor him/her.
This I have enjoyed on several occasions and the same applies to the faculty of
education who have also created the enabling environment for lecturers to do
their work.
For example, immediately you get an
appointment, the Faculty, the Dean, strive to ensure that you have a very
comfortable office to operate, making you comfortable to work, attend to your
student and carry out research work.
In other words, if the University continues
and improve on this, i won't be surprised that between five years, the
University of Lagos would be ranked between the first ten in Africa and first
one hundred in the world. So, the University of Lagos is doing quite good in
making lecturers enjoy an enabling environment to do their work.
QUESTION: SO HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE
AWARD?
Well, I feel fulfilled and it also serve as
a prompt, as it motivates to do more and also a challenge that whatever you're
doing, it can never go unrewarded. I never knew that some people were noticing
what I was doing. In fact, sometimes during the course of the award, I stumbled
on someone from the World Bank, and another professor from South Africa who told
me they have read my works requesting for the questionnaires in other to
replicate the work at South Africa which I gladly sent.
So, whatever you're doing in life which is
on the good part, can never go unrewarded. So it's a challenge that you
continue to do more in other to have more laurels. There are a lot of things
that some of us are aspiring to get. This is not the first one.
When I was doing a Ph.D., I got a full
bright award which is the most prestigious academic fellowship award in the U.S
and on completing the Ph.D., I also won an award as the best thesis. I think
this is just the beginning for other higher attainment.
UG: YOU'VE READ THE “UNILAG GONG”, WHAT ARE
YOUR OBSERVATIONS?
Yes, as I told you earlier on, I started
like that some years ago and went into it until somebody accosted me that here
is something like that; there was a time I discussed with a colleague in the
language department that in the University and College of Education I attended,
each faculty, each department do have a press club, the student always enjoys
going to the board to read from them. I asked her; does it mean that the spirit
of scholarship is dying in our students that they seem not to be enthusiastic
about this kind of culture anymore.
So until one of your colleagues stumbled on
me and I said look – this is nice and I think you students are doing quite
well. I won't be surprised if you can go about to look for sponsorship in the
nearest future to ensure that it becomes a very bulky journal or magazine that
will capture nearly every aspect of the University life in terms of academic,
social, religion, convocation, anything so that it would go a long way to
launch the image of the University and to make the University rank high in the
Webometrics.
UG: ANY MESSAGE FOR THE STUDENTS,
MANAGEMENT AND COLLEAGUES?
The management of the University of Lagos
is doing quite good but the authorities should not relent; we should all
strive, join hands with the management to ensure that the University leads to
that thing: “the pride of the nation and the University of First Choice” and
how is this achieved? By doing what we're supposed to do. Lecturers should go
to the lecture room, do the research the way it ought to be done and the
student should attain to do their best.
For instance, if students of University of
Lagos are also ranked among the best in the world, then it would shoot the
image of the University. So the students should develop that culture to strive
for scholarship. As an undergraduate, we inspire to read novels by exchanging
with friends both within and outside the school, which is evident in the way we
put them in our pocket.
Wow, you inspire a lot
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