African American University honours Filani, Akindele, others at maiden convocation -

Left to Right: Prof Kayode Oseni; Prof N. O. Adebowale; Dr Jacob Akindele; Prof Adams O. Itoya; and Prof Ben Ezeohagwu

By Banji Ayoola

Renowned Art scholar and ex-provost of the Federal College of Education (FCE) (Technical), Akoka, Lagos, Dr Kunle Filani and an editorial board member of the flagship of the Nigerian media, The Guardian, Prince Jacob Akindele, among others were honoured last week by the African American University, AAU, at its maiden convocation and 2022 award ceremony.

While Filani was conferred with the institution’s Professor of Visual Arts, Akindele bagged the university’s PhD Honoris Causa in Creative Writing.

Also, eleven other distinguished Nigerians were conferred awards.

There are thirteen awardees in all, out of whom we have nine PhD (Honoris Causa) awardees and four professorial awardees.

Reacting to the honour, Filani appreciated AAU which he described as an international university, for recognizing his humble contributions to Visual Arts and Education.

He said that looking at the quality of the institution’s academic staff, and especially the lecturers, one would know that it is an international university with focus, integrity and prospect.

Noting that the university runs full academic sessions uninterrupted by strikes, he encouraged candidates to enroll in the University for their Studies.

In his own reaction, Akindele described the award as unique, saying that it would encourage him to compile all his writings spanning decades in The Guardian into a publication.

His words: “This award stands on its own. For me it’s very special. At a time you feel you’ve seen it all, you’ve done it all and people come and dig you out and say let us give you an award. It’s very touching.

“The award will help me perhaps to do what people have been telling me to do for a long time which I haven’t done, which is to put all my writings in one publication.”

At the ceremony, nine graduates who have completed their four year studies successfully in the university were awarded their degrees in various disciplines.

Prof Kayode Adebayo delivered the Inaugural Lecture titled “Capacity Building In-House Seminar: A Prescription for Teacher Development in Teacher to Teacher Communication.”

In his lecture, he called on government to inculcate capacity building in-house seminars into the school calendar, advising that the suggested seminars should not be less than three per academic term.

According to him, school administrators should be made to report on the subjects treated in the seminars in their various schools.

Also, he suggested that school administrators should be made to identify the teachers who have made the greatest improvement in service delivery in their schools; and that “such teachers can be recommended for awards from government.”

The Chancellor and Founder of the university, Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, who presented the awards and degrees personally, described the first set of the institution’s graduates as adults and of the working class.

He said: “The graduates are adults; they are working class. They asked questions in the class or online. They interacted with their lecturers, with their professors and they found it easier learning in that manner.”

Ezeohagwu said that for now, the programmes of the institution are run online mainly. However he assured that the institution would soon resume its physical contact lectures.

In his words: “Our programmes are virtually online. For secondary school leavers, most of them prefer going for physical contact lectures in particular locations.

“But for now we have not reverted back to our physical contact lectures. I believe in few months time, we will start doing that.”

Notably, the award ceremony coincided with the 65th birthday anniversary of Filani, who has made tremendous contribution to the development of art education, theory, criticism and practice in the country.

He is the founding president of Culture and Creative art Foundation, CCAF, a non- governmental and non-profit making body, which seeks to sensitise the world on the richness and diversity of African culture.

The group, which organises conferences, lectures, seminars, workshops, exhibitions and other activities on creative art and culture also celebrates well-deserving artists and art scholars.

Filani, who is a fellow of Pan-African Circle of Artists, PACA, a group concerned with the task of engineering an indigenous voice for the propagation of African art, has also been playing leading roles in the running of the Society of Nigerian Artists and other art related societies.

African American University: Profile
A world-class university, African American University, AAU, with global network, having its international foreign headquarters in Atlanta Georgia, USA, and its African headquarters in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin, took off in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin on October 16, 2018.

Affiliated to Escae Benin University, Porto-Novo, among others as required to maintain needed collaborative advantages, the university has as its vision: “Commitment in nurturing academic and professional community of men and women through qualitative research, teaching, service and development.”

Its mission is to “be the most preferred university of first-rate wealth of human and non-human resource for development of entrepreneurial manpower.”

On the thoughts culminating in the establishment of the institution, the Chancellor and Founder, Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, said: “The thought to establish a world-class university has been one of my dreams, not just a university, but a world-class university of choice for the youths and adults alike; bringing qualitative and technologically-driven education to the doorsteps of teeming population of Nigerians seeking admission to higher education as well as other people and adults of the world.

“The thought and the need to come up with a university came like a call of duty on Friday 5th October, 2018. On Thursday 16th October, 2018, the name “African American University” was chosen and became incorporated on Tuesday 11th December 2018 in Nigeria.

“In other words, African American University was born on 16th October, 2018 out of passion to bring quality education to the youths and adults.”

The Faculty Members are: Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, Chancellor and Founder; Prof N. O. Adebowale, Vice Chancellor (Africa); Dr Victoria L. White, Vice Chancellor (America), AAU, Atlanta Georgia, USA; Prof Kunle Filani; Prof I. O. Adams; Dr Augustine Onyembi, Foreign Partner Representative, Atlanta Georgia, USA; Prof J. A. Olajide; Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, NNOM, Advisory Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Humanities; Dr (Mrs) Lilian Onyembi-Akinloye, Director, Public Relations and Students’ Academic Affairs; and Mrs Grace Ezeohagwu, Registrar.

The university’s main campus is located at Maison Obe Sidicatou, Quantiei, Vekpa, Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin. Its liaison office is at 30, Zone 2, Paradise Estate, Itamaje, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. The telephone numbers are: +234 817 317 5540 and +229 630 511 49. The Email address is: afamuniversity@gmail.com.

It runs at least 39 first and post graduate degree programmes in six faculties. The six faculties are: Faculties of Sciences; Education; Arts and Humanities; Engineering; Management Sciences; and Social Sciences.
The approved courses in the faculties are as follows:

Faculty of Sciences (Bsc, Msc, etc)
Computer Science
Statistics
Mathematics
Management and Information Technology
Estate Management
Microbiology
Biochemistry
Healthcare Management
Faculty of Education (Bsc. Ed., Msc. Ed/B. Ed., etc)
Science Education
Educational Management
Physics Education
Chemistry Education
Biology Education
etc

Faculty of Arts and Humanities (B.A/B.A.Ed., M.A/M.A.Ed., etc)
English and Literary Studies
Visual Arts
Mass Communication
French Language
African Studies
Journalism
Linguistics

Faculty of Engineering (BSc., MSc., etc)
Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Computer Engineering
etc

Faculty of Management Sciences (BSc., MSc., etc
Accounting
Business Administration
Banking and Finance
Insurance
Economics
Secretarial Administration
Hotel and Catering Management
Human Resources Management
Marketing, Transport and Logistics Management

Faculty of Social Sciences (BSc., MSc., etc)
International Relations and Diplomacy
Political Science
Economics
Sociology
Psychology
Public Administration
Graphonomy

The Faculty Members are: Prof Ben Ezeohagwu, Chancellor and Founder; Prof N. O. Adebowale, Vice Chancellor (Africa); Dr Victoria L. White, Chancellor (America), AAU, Atlanta Georgia, USA; Prof Kunle Filani; Prof I. O. Adams; Dr Augustine Onyembi, Foreign Partner Representative, Atlanta Georgia, USA; Prof J. A. Olajide; Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, NNOM, Advisory Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Humanities; Dr (Mrs) Lilian Onyembi-Akinloye, Director, Public Relations and Students’ Academic Affairs; and Mrs Grace Ezeohagwu, Registrar.

The Chancellor and Founder of the University, Prof Ezeohagwu, is the first black African professor of Graphoanalysis (UBUT, Edexel, 2015), and formerly Dean of some universities in Porto-Novo, Republic of Benin.

He is the first Nigerian professor of Onigraffiks (Occupational) Graphoanalysis (Jide-Oni Charles, 2014), and the first black African writer winner of Onigraffiks Prize in Literature (2017).

He is a regular columnist, researcher, an expert guest to several media, and a Faculty Member of several institutions in Nigeria and overseas. He is listed in BLERF’s “Who is Who in Nigeria (2018).”