PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
Related Articles
By Young E. Freeborn
Professor Sunny Awhefeada, a renowned Professor of English and Literary Studies of the Delta State University, Abraka, recently added a new feather to his academic hat as he was inducted as a member and fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL).
The induction, which was as a result of the numerous publications, paper presentations and researched works carried out by the inductee, Professor Awhefeada, led to jubilation and celebration among his students, colleagues, friends and family members in the university community.
Speaking to newsmen after the induction ceremony, Professor Awhefeada who was highly elated said, “I’m indeed happy to be inducted as a member and a fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. It’s a great academic feat in my life. It’s an achievement that will spur me to do more publications in my academic discipline.
“As a lecturer and a professor, especially in the Department of English and Literary Studies, we are very much interested and concerned about publications in the English language and the three genres of Literature, that’s prose, poetry and drama than to pursue or acquire landed properties. We are ready to spend our financial resources on these publications than to build houses and purchase exotic cars as Nigerian politicians usually do.
“In the Nigerian Academy of Letters, one of the criteria they look at before you can be inducted as a member and a fellow is your academic qualifications and your publications in your academic discipline. They don’t look at the numbers of cars or houses you acquired.”
Speaking further, the renowned professor said, “I want to use this medium to call on the Federal Government to release funds to support lecturers to publish textbooks in their chosen academic disciplines. This is to encourage us in the lecturing job and to also make our educational system more meaningful and results oriented.
“In most universities across the country today, many courses or subjects are shot of textbooks or having obsolete textbooks. All these boils down to lack of funds on the part of lecturers to publish their books and other researched works. This is not helping the Nigerian tertiary education to grow especially in this modern and globalized academic world.”
Professor Sunny Awhefeada is the dean, Faculty of Arts of the Delta State University, Abraka. He has published numerous literary books and essays to his credit.
