HOD's Welcome Address

The Department of Political Science boast of a world class faculty trained in Nigeria, South Africa, United Kingdom and Belgium. The Department was established in 1991 alongside sister departments in Faculty of Social Sciences and have since produced undergraduate and postgraduate students working in both private and public organisations inside and outside the country. courses are thought in all the core branches of Political Science such as international relations, comparative politics, political economy, public administration, and political theory.

Our vision is to be one of the top five leading Departments of Political Science in Nigeria for teaching, rigorous research, and student development in the next five years. To achieve this vision, we have instituted multi-layered strategies. For instance, beyond classroom teaching and periodic academic/student visits to organisations like the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), and the Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA) among others, students are taking off campus once in a session for an intensive training on methodology, what is referred to as the Research Methodology Clinic (RMC). The Department also leads in internationalisation efforts such as engaging in arrangements to send students abroad before graduation, for instance, to Iceland and Hungary.

In addition to international student exchanges, the Department invites stakeholders like Nigerian politicians, analysts and scholars to present at the Departmental Seminar Series. This allows us to serve as a platform for a broader discussion of relevant issues for the advancement of Lagos State and Nigeria at large. However, the conversation offered by the Departmental Series is not restricted to Nigerians. For example, given the critical role of energy in development and the current challenging situation with power in Nigeria, the Department hosted the German Consul General Weert Börner to speak on renewable energy in Germany with possible lessons for Lagos, a state with arguably the largest concentration of industries. Similarly, Mr. Kevin Sheives who is a Deputy Director for the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Washington DC presented a paper on the advantages of democracy in a complex global context.

Figure 1: German Consul General Weert Börner at the Seminar

Each of the Departmental Seminar is focused on an important issue with enduring implications for Lagos State and Nigeria in general – which makes it a useful platform for discussing challenges and providing crucial routes for addressing those challenges. It is in this regards that the Department of Political Science has continued to expand its reach through the Seminar Series. Although the history of the Seminar Series is quite long, this year alone the Department has invited distinguished Nigerian speakers such as Professor Kayode Soremekun, Professor Sylvester Odion Akhaine, Professor Surajudeen Mudasiru, and Hon. Solomon Bonu who is a member of Lagos State House of Assembly representing Badagry Constituency 1 and former Special Adviser to the Governor of Lagos State on Tourism, Arts, and Culture. Others include Hon. Rasaq Olusola Ajala, who is Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA, and Mr. Ademola Oshodi who is Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Foreign Affairs and Protocol. Other speakers from outside Nigeria include Mr. Sheives (US), Consul General Börner (Germany), Ezekiel Chibeze who is an environmental and youth advocacy (Ghana) and Dr. Outi Luova who is a scholar at the University of Turku (Finland). Professor Sabella Abidde (Alabama State University) also presented at one of our Seminars. The Department is set to build on this strong foundation into the future.

Although the content of our courses across levels are geared towards preparing them to fit into top local and international organisations, we also organise programmes such as scientific presentation and alumni homecomings. While the scientific presentation training equips our students for public speaking, the alumni homecoming offers a platform for current students to learn from their seniors who have graduated and working.