CU holds Public Lecture on the Soccer Pitch and the Political Arena in Nigeria

As electioneering campaigns for April 2007 elections gather momentum across the country, an in-depth and intellectual analysis of the nation’s politics from the platforms of the rules of the game, the character of the player, and the configuration of the playing field as well as some challenges and prescriptions towards democratic consolidation in Nigeria, will be the main focus at Covenant University’s tenth Public Lecture on Thursday, February 22, 2007.

The lecture, titled, "The Soccer Pitch and The Political Arena in Nigeria", will be delivered by a renowned political scientist and expert in democratization, Professor Mathew Ola-Rotimi Ajayi.

Professor Ajayi is currently the Dean of College of Business and Social Sciences and Head of Department of Strategic Studies, Covenant University.

A Fulbright scholar and Federal Government Merit Award winner for Academic Excellence, Professor Ajayi is also the Chair of the University Parley, an innovative and creative forum periodically organize by the University to enable its faculty and students contribute ideas to "guide public policy formulation and implementation". He is also the Chair of the Standing Committee on Examinations as well as the Chair of the Senate Journal and Publication Committee among others.

Before joining the faculty of Covenant University, Professor Ajayi had worked in the Department of Political Science, University of Ilorin for seventeen years where he began in 1989 as an Assistant Lecturer and a Senior Lecturer in 1996.

Professor Ajayi has published widely in reputable outlets across the continents of the world. His research interests span across the fields of comparative politics, political economy, especially labour politics, democratization and civil society.

The Public Lecture will be chaired by the Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr David Oyedepo, and the venue is the University Chapel, Canaan Land, Ota.

Detailed Citation on PROFESSOR, MATHEW OLA-ROTIMI AJAYI