The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS) the University of Lagos, says it has broken new grounds with its ability to disseminate research findings by adopting documentary making.
It says it has demystified the traditional academic method of publishing such findings in journals.
The Director of the centre, Prof. Muyiwa Falaiye, said these in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, on Wednesday.
He spoke on the sidelines of the fifth-anniversary celebration of the centre.
According to him, as the foremost institute of African and Diaspora Studies in Africa, the centre has in the past five years, also recorded other giant strides.
He said it had done so in human capacity building, attracting commendation to the university and Nigeria at large.
“Today, we are celebrating our fifth anniversary as an institute.
“The IADS is five years and we decided that we should mark it, not in a very big way, but just to remind ourselves of the task ahead and to look back to see some of the things we have done and what we can do better in the next five years.
“This institute is the foremost in African Studies, in the continent today. we have been able to do research that has real cutting-edge innovations for Africa and Nigeria, and as I speak, there are 30 ongoing research activities here in this institute.
“It may please you to also know that in the five years of existence as an institute, we have come up with innovations that are far from the way things used to be done, especially in the area of research, learning and advocacy.
“One of such ground-breaking innovations is the fact that we have created a new channel of disseminating research findings.
“We have now demystified that by making our research findings available on Youtube, through documentary.
“This is nouveau and this is being copied by several other institutes globally, and we have also been able to find the right mix between research, teaching and advocacy.
“In five years, we merged the PhD programme, which is also unprecedented, and a few other things that we have done.
“We are one of the first institutes in the world to adopt documentary making as an avenue to disseminate research findings, which was not the case before,” he stated.
Falaiye noted that the development was contrary to most traditional academic methods, which were to publish research findings in journals that many people do not have access to.
The director stated that starting fellowship programmes, as well as attracting several research grants and creating an opportunity to bring in foreign scholars, had further put the centre on the right track.
He added that the institute had also brought in researchers, both old and young, to advance its course.
According to him, the potpourri of activities and events going on in the last five years in the institute spanning areas of research, teaching and advocacy, have also seen it mentor young researchers across the country.
The director noted that the entire achievements had impacted the image of both the university, scholarship and the country at large.
“You will be surprised that several visiting scholars have now found home here.
“Those who otherwise, will not like to come to Nigerian universities, now struggle to get access to our institute here, as either visiting fellows, visiting researchers or visiting young scholars.
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“This again is nouveau and unprecedented in the history of this country,” he stated.
He, however, said the institute had had its fair share of challenges, especially in the area of funding.
“Our mantra here is, no research without funding. Sometimes, we do not get the kind of funding we need.
“Sometimes too, the challenges confronting Nigeria affect us, we still have issues of power sometimes too, internet connectivity, and issues of the general image or perception of our country out there.
“Few scholars will not want to come this way because of the image of our country outside, thinking it is not a safe place to come to and more.
” All of these sometimes, affect our perception out there, but luckily, those of them who had managed to come here and have been with us for a while, had gone back with beautiful stories to tell.
“They have been able to carry an encouraging message about what we do here,” he said.
Speaking further on funding, he said research funding should be left to those outside government, which cannot do everything.
He emphasised the need for institutions to look outside for funding of research, from the industries and from individuals who believed such research could change the perspectives or direction of the industries.
According to him, relying on the government for funding research will not serve anyone any good.
Also speaking, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe expressed satisfaction about the achievements recorded so far by the institute, in its five years of existence.
He said attracting research grants both locally and internationally was a key achievement that had engendered the much-needed focus of the centre.
“I want to say that I am highly impressed with what they have done so far within the last five years.
“Attracting research grants both at the local and international levels, as well as bringing in scholars from outside the country and even within, is, to say the least, heartwarming and worth commending.
“The centre has always been able to sponsor research, PhD research works and you cannot believe it that even someone from outside the university once got research grant support for the PhD students.
“We have their postgraduate students that are ongoing. So, they have done excellently well but I know we can still do better. In the next five years.
“I want to see a centre that will bring in more scholars from outside the country to come and interact and learn about our culture.
“I want them to also interact and learn in the area of migration. It is not only about physical migration, but we also have the social migration, as well as economic migration, but that will also lead to development,” Ogundipe stated.
Prof. Rahmon Bello, immediate past vice chancellor of the university, on his part, said that the centre project came up during his tenure in the institution.
“I am happy with what I have seen within its five years of existence. We came up with the theme of the concept at the time, with the University of West Indies, after a lecture here in Lagos.
“It came up with this idea and I am happy today that this centre has transformed into reality and it is doing very well.
” What it has been doing in the past years, I want to give kudos to the director and members of the centre and to the current management of the university of Lagos, for keeping the idea afloat and ensuring that they support the centre to make it viral.
” The centre is making waves and I believe in the next five years, it will reach the top of its pinnacle in Africa, and I want to say congratulations to the centre,” Bello said.
