An African intellectual legend and Professor of History, Toyin Fola, has advocated the study of Ifa and witchcraft as courses combined with science and economics, leading to the award of degree certificates in Nigerian universities.

He also recommended the use of indigenous languages to teach and interact among lecturers and students, irrespective of their courses of study in the universities.

Prof Falola, the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair at the University of Texas at Austin, made these recommendations at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, where he delivered the 54th Convocation lecture on Monday. He spoke on “Decolonising African Higher Education for Transformational Development.”

According to him, the African educational system, as created by the colonial authorities, was not orchestrated for enlightenment nor the advancement and benefits of the colonies but to achieve colonial masters’ economic and governance ambitions and aspirations. He noted that even after political independence, African education is still designed to perpetuate and advance the economic and political objectives of European countries, using the elites to facilitate such.

He said that since African education, both in curricular design and administrative frameworks, largely depends on Western academic norms and practices, the knowledge and information received from such a system would be challenging to substantially develop the African continent. According to him, information, knowledge, and ideas acquired from the school system rooted in colonial ideology would need to be decolonized before leading to a process where people-focused development that transforms life meaningfully could be achieved.

The don pointed out that there have been a series of discussions and efforts in Africa channelled towards the decolonization of African education, such as Afrikology theory challenging Western epistemologies and methodologies, but they are yet to take the continent to a place of prominence globally.

While referring to both minimum academic benchmarks, BMAS and CCMAS, for Nigerian universities as designed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2004 and 2023 respectively, the guest lecturer said it was not as if both minimum benchmarks are not relevant, but they advance neoliberal standards in Nigerian education. He urged NUC as a regulatory body to give more freedom to universities to design their curricula based on their peculiarities.

He also urged relevant governments to pay university workers salaries that will enable them to live decent lives. He said university workers who are on the same grade level don’t need to earn the same salaries nationwide, arguing that their salaries could vary based on the cost of living in their locations.

The don also asked UNILAG specifically to run courses that will lead to the award of degrees in Lagoon and Sea Economies and also create a centre of creative economies and African vocabulary development and enlightenment bank. He emphasized that the decolonization of African education would certainly bring about meaningful transformation in Nigeria and other African countries. “And the time to scale up the process is now,” he concluded.

Earlier, in her welcome address, the vice-chancellor of UNILAG, Prof Folasade Ogunsola, said the convocation lecture aimed to bring into focus how achievable Nigerian universities can move away from colonial orientation and perception to bring about desired socio-political and economic transformation, particularly for Nigeria and its people.

According to her, it is high time Nigeria started to think right to reach its full potential across spheres of life. Ogunsola pointed out that it is who Nigerians think they are that will determine their choices and guide their actions collectively to make Nigeria what we all desire.

She said the present narrative about Nigeria is all about negatives, even among Nigerians. She said this narrative and mindset called for serious concern if any meaningful development would ever take place in the country. She thanked the convocation lecturer, Prof Falola, for accepting the role, saying he is truly an African who loves to see Africa genuinely attaining its greater heights globally.

She said UNILAG is a brand that is producing fit-for-purpose graduates, conducting cutting-edge research, and engaging in relevant community services. The former Chairman of the Governing Council, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, chaired the event that had the former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, and others in attendance.