Open University revamps OBJ centre to research, showcase Africa

The Vice-Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, has said the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Good Governance of the university has been revamped and renamed Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for African Studies (OOCAS). He said the measure was to widen the scope of the centre to meet with happenings in contemporary […]

The Vice-Chancellor of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, has said the Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for Good Governance of the university has been revamped and renamed Olusegun Obasanjo Centre for African Studies (OOCAS).

He said the measure was to widen the scope of the centre to meet with happenings in contemporary society and also create more avenues to research more on Africa.

This was contained in a statement signed by the director, Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Sheme, which quoted the VC as saying that the centre was open to collaboration with local and international scholars to dissect Africa for the goal of producing cutting-edge research that would showcase the African story.

Also, the director of OOCAS, Professor Stanley Naribo Ngoa, said the centre has already swung into action, with various collaborations with research bodies within and outside the country.

Ngoa said the key areas of focus for the OOCAS included African Leadership and Development, Food Security and Agricultural Research, Health in Rural Nigeria; Infant and Maternal Mortality, among others.

Those involved in the centre include former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom the centre was named after, as a visiting scholar, veteran journalist Mr. Ray Ekpu and a former minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman.

Others are Professor Baz Dreisinger, founder of Prison to College Pipeline in the United States; Prof. Toyin Falola, a reputable authority on African studies, and other notable scholars in different fields of endeavour.