An Address Delivered By The Vice-Chancellor Professor Nurudeen Alao, To The Congregation For Conferment Of First Decrees and Award of Non-Degree Diplomas and Certificates. (1990 Matriculation and Convocation Speeches)
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Date
1990-03-13
Authors
Alao, N.
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Publisher
University Of Lagos Press
Abstract
This article critically examines the convocation address delivered by Professor Nurudeen Alao on March 14, 1990, during the conferment of degrees and diplomas at the University of Lagos. The speech presents a snapshot of the university’s academic achievements amid Nigeria’s resource-constrained educational environment. In addition to celebrating the graduation of 3,859 students across undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma programs, the Vice-Chancellor used the platform to reflect on structural and systemic challenges facing Nigerian universities—particularly the rising wave of campus violence. Professor Alao links the phenomenon of university unrest to broader socio-economic factors, including resource scarcity, societal decay, and institutional underfunding. He underscores the complex, multidimensional roots of violence, cautioning against superficial solutions uninformed by deeper understanding. Violence, according to Alao, constitutes a triple tragedy: it undermines reason and academic discourse, fuels deviant subcultures such as cultism and gangsterism, and increasingly becomes a default mechanism for conflict resolution among youth. The address also acknowledges recent federal interventions, such as the allocation of ₦20 million per university for infrastructural rehabilitation and equipment, as a positive but partial response to broader structural deficiencies. Through this convocation address, the Vice-Chancellor presents a compelling case for comprehensive reforms in the university system, advocating for peaceful engagement, critical thinking, and the restoration of the university as a sanctuary for intellectual inquiry. His remarks balance celebration with introspection, calling for a collective effort among stakeholders—government, educators, students, and society at large—to address the root causes of unrest and revitalize the educational landscape in Nigeria. The address serves as both a documentation of institutional resilience and a clarion call for sustainable peace and academic integrity.
Description
An Address Delivered By The Vice-Chancellor Professor Nurudeen Alao, To The Congregation For Conferment Of First Decrees and Award of Non-Degree Diplomas and Certificates. (1990 Matriculation and Convocation Speeches)
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Citation
Alao, N. (1990). An Address Delivered By The Vice-Chancellor Professor Nurudeen Alao, To The Congregation For Conferment Of First Decrees and Award of Non-Degree Diplomas and Certificates. (1990 Matriculation and Convocation Speeches), 15-22p.