LAUTECH VC restates importance of African Studies to World Affairs

Vice Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu, has for the umpteenth time emphasised the importance of studying Africa as a prerequisite to understanding World Affairs.

He gave the charge yesterday while declaring open the Maiden public Lecture of the University's Institute of African Studies.

The event, held yesterday at the Great Hall of LAUTECH and was witnessed by participants from sister Universities and was addressed by the former Director of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ibadan, Professor Dele Layiwola. It was titled: African Studies in the 21st Century: Golden Past, Confused Present and Uncertain Future.

Professor Kalilu said the Institute of African Studies was established in LAUTECH, with a mission to continue to be relevant in World Affairs.

He explained that the Institute at LAUTECH, established two years ago, has three Centres- Centre for Material Culture Studies, Centre for Non-Material Culture Studies and the Centre for Ogbomoso Studies.

In his presentation at the event, Professor Layiwola said African Study is conceptually represented in five of the seven continents of the World.

He added that Africa is reflected by the Secondary activities and influence of our shared planet in the other two-Antarctica and Oceania.

He pointed out that Africa can be seen to exercise an unusually broad based influence on the rest of the world trade and economic interaction.

According to Layiwola, "Africa had been the greatest supplier of labour and natural resources to the rest of the inhabited world".

"This is why it has always been conceived and conceptualised as the extractive epicenter of world civilization and perhaps the same reason it is geographically situated in the middle of the world".