Nigerian town boasts 100 professors

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

A town in central Nigeria said it has produced at least 100 professors in various fields, calling the feat a milestone in the history of the country and its peoples.

“This town cherishes and places a premium on education, especially Western education, and we currently have no less than 100 professors who are serving in various institutions in Nigeria or abroad,” Professor Bayo Lawal, co-chair of the new professors forum in the town of Offa, told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Although Nigeria has thousands of academic giants, with some states well known for their academic excellence, a single town boasting 100 professors may be a first.

Located in the north-central Kwara State, Offa is reputed to have established the first community-owned secondary school -- Offa Grammar School -- in 1943 in all of northern Nigeria. One of its trailblazers is Mosobalaje Oyawoye, now a nonagenarian, Africa’s first professor of geology.

“We regret the noticeable decline in the quest for education amongst our youth, especially among female children,” Lawal added.

The forum called on the government to consider the town for equitable representation in governance, given its contributions to knowledge and human capital development in Nigeria.

By Rafiu Ajakaye

LAGOS, Nigeria

A town in central Nigeria said it has produced at least 100 professors in various fields, calling the feat a milestone in the history of the country and its peoples.

Although Nigeria has thousands of academic giants, with some states well known for their academic excellence, a single town boasting 100 professors may be a first.

“We regret the noticeable decline in the quest for education amongst our youth, especially among female children,” Lawal added.

The forum called on the government to consider the town for equitable representation in governance, given its contributions to knowledge and human capital development in Nigeria.