Inaugural Lecture Series

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    Open Access
    The Amazing World of Insects
    (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Ltd., 2023-08-23) Kemabonta, K.A
    The world of insects is all around us. They epitomize the phrase ‘small but powerful’. They impact several decisions that we make. For example, no one wants to buy grains infested with beetles or weevils, or vegetables that have been perforated by insects. Neither would you want to live in a house infested with ants or cockroaches or bedbugs. Insects have the capacity to make or destroy an economy. An infestation of insects on a farm is capable of destroying hundreds of hectares of crops. Conversely, the greater the number of bees a honey farmer has, the better the chances of business growth. Insects are prolific and impact all areas of our lives from the food that we eat to the disposal and or breakdown of our wastes. They are so integral to humans that they have been woven into the very fabric of our society, for example, our languages, manifesting in aphorisms and lessons about life. They serve as a testament to the interconnectivity of all things and the significance of fostering sustainable living, exemplifying the importance of preserving biodiversity. ‘If you think that you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent the night with a mosquito.’ (African Proverb). Indeed it may be said that we live in the world of insects and not them in ours. They have whole communities and colonies, some have queens, with well-defined organisational structures and systems that have operated effectively for millennia. They are so amazing that the Bible in Proverbs 6:6-8 encourages us to learn from the ants. ‘Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Today, we will take a peep into this “Amazing World of Insects”.
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    Open Access
    Is it all in the Genes?: A Reflection of a Geneticis
    (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Ltd., 2023-05-10) Adekoya, K.O
    This topic highlights the living being and all the features, traits, and characters that they exhibit. From unicellular organisms to complex multicellular organisms, the genes (hereditary factors) in all its ramifications is the centre of all things. All biological studies have the fulcrum/crux of what they exhibit or the reaction they give to their environment is based on what is in their genes. In Biology, a gene is a sequence of nucleotides in Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) or Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) that encodes for the synthesis of a gene product, either RNA or a protein. The RNA can be directly functional or be the intermediate template for a protein that performs a function. The genes are a set of instructions that determine what an organism is like, its appearance, how it survives and how it behaves in its environment.
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    Open Access
    Valuation accuracy: the Myth, Reality and Expectations
    (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Ltd, 2023-05-24) Babawale, G.K
    The topic of my inaugural lecture is “VALUATION ACCURACY: THE MYTH, REALITY AND EXPECTATIONS”. The lecture centres on the uncertainties inherent in real estate valuation and the coping strategies adopted by real estate valuers. A real estate valuer, formally referred to in Nigeria as Estate Surveyor and Valuer or Appraiser, in other climes) is a person who has undergone relevant academic training, acquired practical experience and is recognised by the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) to carry out valuation of proprietary interests in real estate and related assets for various purposes.
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    Open Access
    Ofe Nne Ka Uto ( A Mother's Soup is More Delicious): Our Mother-Tongue and Literary Tradition Must Not Die
    (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Limited, 2023-02-15) Ikwubuzo, I.R
    Any time I reflect on my career as a scholar in Igbo Studies, two memorable experiences pop up in my mind. First, one day while I was in Primary 3, my two elder cousins in Primary 5, who could not read their Igbo examination paper well, decided to fetch me after my examination. They treated me like the Cricket whom the Tortoise, in an Igbo folktale, hired, concealed in a bag, and took to his father-in-Iaw's funeral ceremony to render melodious tunes to entertain the people while he (the Tortoise), feigning to be the singer, took the credit. My elder cousins had me sit quietly beside them (in a combined class examination hall) to read Igbo language questions for them, and they were very confident in my iv 1 --- ------ ---- ability to deliver. But why they had such confidence, I didn't know. Second, while in high school, my classmates sitting behind me would always point in my direction whenever our Igbo teacher wanted someone to read Igbo texts in the class as if it were my exclusive duty to do so. I did not know whether it was by design or destiny that I ended up studying Igbo at the university because I never at any time contemplated doing so.
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    Open Access
    Alternative Urbanisms: Beyond Utopian Visions of the 'Emerging' African City
    (University of Lagos Press and Bookshop Limited, 2023-06-21) Lawanson, T.O
    MY CAREER TRAJECTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL INTIMATIONS My initiation into the field of urban studies with a focus on propoor development was by Professor David Olanrewaju, who supervised my Bachelor's Dissertation titled: 'Informal Activities in the Survival of the Urban Poor'. While traversing the slums of Amukoko and Ajegunle in 1998, the question that intrigued me was: 'How do the Poor survive in the City? I, therefore, made it my business to attempt to comprehend the inscrutable survival tactics of the urban poor. The focus of my master's dissertation (The Urban Poor: A Comparative Analysis of their Survival Strategies in Southwestern Nigeria) and doctoral thesis (Assessment of Economic Activities of Home-Based Enterprises in Residential Areas of the Lagos Metropolis1 ), as well as output of subsequent scholarship, advocacy and activism attest to this. Twenty-five years later, the questions have to a large extent re~ained the same: How do everyday urban citizens cope wIth and/or respond to urban life? What can we learn from their lived experiences? How can these be leveraged for sustainable urban development?