Professor Babawale is the
2012 recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award at the Africa
Annual Conference, University of Texas at Austin. The Distinguished Public Service Award is for
scholars with considerable managerial and administrative skills whose
decisions have impacted on the way we all do our
work.
Distinguished Public Service
Award 2012
Professor Gabriel Olatunde Babawale
Of the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Professor Babawale was born in Osun State, Nigeria on October 1, 1961.
He attended Inisa Grammar School until 1977, when his education
brought him to the University of Ife, Ile-Ife. He acquired a BA of
Education in History in 1981. Continuing at the University of Ife, he
gained an MS in International Relations with a concentration in
International Relations and Political Economy.
Professor Babawale began his professional career as a teacher at a
government secondary school in Adamawa State. He continued his work at
the Anglican Secondary Commercial Grammar School in Iyekere
afterwards. In 1985, Adeyemi College Campus of Obafemi Awolowo
University employed Babawale as an Assistant Lecturer. In 1988, he was
promoted by the same institution to Lecturer Grade Eleven. By 1991, he
was promoted to Lecturer Grade One. Two years later, the sting of
promotions continued with his elevation to the position of Senior
Lecturer. In October 2002, Babawale was appointed as a Professor of
Political Science. During this time, he spent over two decades
lecturing for the University of Lagos' Department of Political Science
where he taught over seventeen undergraduate and post-graduate
courses. In addition to his tasks as a professor, Babawale undertook
responsibilities for supervising a number of MS and MPA theses as
well.
As impressive as Professor Babawale's scholarly record is, his record
in public service and administration is equally, if not more,
impressive. He has performed in the following capacities; as a course
advisor; as an Examination and Time-Table Officer; as a member of the
University of Lagos Loans, Bursaries, and Scholarship Committee; as a
member of the Forum Committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the
University of Lagos; as a member of the University of Lagos Senate; as
a member of the Conference Centre University of Lagos Management
Board; as the Secretary of the Faculty of Social Sciences Publications
Committee; as a member of the Hall of Residence Management Committee;
as a member of the University of Lagos Think-Tank on Student Affairs;
as a member of the University of Lagos Task Force on Health and
Environment; as a member of the University Panel of Enquiry; as a
Secretary of the Academic Staff Union of Universities for Lagos; as
the Chairman of the Examination Results Verification Committee; as a
Managing Editor of the UNILAG Journal of Politics; as a member
of the University's Strategic Plan Implementation Committee; as a
member of numerous committees in the Department of Political Science
at the University of Lagos; as a Chairman of the Ford Foundation Grant
Committee; as a Chairman of the Intellectual Nodal Contact Committee;
as a member appointed by the Executive Governor of Ondo State to the
Administrative Visitation Panel to Adekunle Ajasin University; and
finally, as a member appointed by the President of the Nigerian Armed
Forces to the position of Director and CEO of the Centre for
Black and African Arts and Civilization.
Among all of these achievements and responsibilities,
Babawale has found time to be a part of the Nigerian Political Science
Association, the Historical Society of Nigeria, and the Third World
Forum. Furthermore, he has published several books, including
Nigeria in the Crises of Governance and Development (Political
Economy, Governance and Globalization) Vol. I. and Nigeria in
the Crises of Governance and Development (Education, Labour and
Economy) Vol. 2, and has authored numerous chapters as well as
journal articles. Moreover, Professor Babawale has frequently
presented papers at international conferences such as his recent
lectures at the National Defense College Abuja and the IDEP Workshop
in Dakar, Senegal. He has attended other conferences such as the
international conference on Multiculturalism and the Prospects for
Africa and African Diaspora Development in Brazil and the
International Conference on Global African Spirituality, Social
Capital, and Self-Reliance in Africa in Benin.
Professor Babawale has also given numerous public lectures, both in,
and outside of, Nigeria. To add to his list of accomplishments, he has
coordinated the following conferences and seminars, to name but a few;
the international workshops on Harmonization and Standardization of
Nigerian and Related Languages; Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba and Ijo,
held in Abuja, Nigeria, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and Johannesburg,
South Africa; the international conference on Teaching and Propagating
African History and Culture to the Diaspora and Teaching Diaspora
History and Culture to Africa, held at the Corporative University,
Brasilia, Brazil; the national workshop on Cultural Rejuvenation for
National Integration and Sustainable Development in Lagos, Nigeria;
the International Methodology Workshop on "African Rock Art and
Pan-African Renaissance," in Niamey, Niger Republic; and the
international conference on "Advancing and Integrating Research and
Studies In The Interest of Africa and The African Diaspora" held at
the University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, and
Tobago.
Currently, Professor Babawale
is a part of the Third World Forum's research on Nigeria and West
African religion in contemporary globalizing processes. He also works
on research on the rise of ethnic militias, de-legitimization of the
state, and the threat to Nigerian nationhood. Finally, Professor
Babawale works as a part of the World Council of Churches researching
Africa's position in the functions of globalization. However,
Professor Babawale also maintains an active personal life as a family
man. He has a loving wife as well as five children. In his spare time,
he plays table tennis.
Please join me in congratulating Professor Babawale!
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