Dr Momodu, Dr Ifeanyi-obi, and Dr Kasim are alumni of the CIRCLE Visiting Fellowship programme. They recently initiated a forum for alumni of this programme based in Nigeria. Here, they reflect on this and their future plans.
At
Ibadan, in the month of April 2019, a number of CIRCLE Visiting Fellows (CVFs)
gathered together to deliberate on how to sustain the legacy of the experience
we had during the fellowship periods between 2015 and 2018. These few CVFs at
that meeting agreed that there should be a Nigeria CVF Forum. This birthed the
Forum. Three CVFs were subsequently nominated to direct the affairs of the
Forum until such a time that we will be able to gather together in our number
to do an actual election or selection as may be convenient.
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| Nigeria-based alumni of the CIRCLE Visiting Fellowship programme at the ACU-UI Next Generation Workshop at the University of Ibadan, April 2019 |
To keep our activities alive, we agreed at
the meeting that held during the ACU-UI Next Generation Workshop held at the
University of Ibadan, Ibadan from 2nd to 4th of April
2019 to be involved in the following: (1) publish a book on Climate Change.
This book is meant to showcase our various researches as relates to climate change
in Nigeria. This project has actually kickstarted and over twenty concept notes
have been collected awaiting review for final selection, while negotiation is
on-going with would-be publisher; (2) conduct an annual reunion meeting amongst
the CVFs in Nigeria with the maiden edition tentatively fixed for March 2020 at
the University of Ibadan; (3) generate a
memorandum of understanding/constitution that will define the operations of the
Forum as we move forward.
It is important at this point to note that
primary purpose of the Forum is to keep alive our various training experiences,
in research and leadership, at the various institutions that each of the CVFs
had the fellowship. The Nigeria CVF Forum also felt it is significant to become
a veritable platform for Climate Research and mentoring for upcoming
researchers. The gap noticed by both the Association of Commonwealth
Universities and the African Academy of Sciences that led to the implementation
of CIRCLE will remain if we do not step in to fill the void. This gap is
principally in regard of early career researchers in universities and research
institutions that are not exposed to top notch training in research and
leadership to take over from senior faculty members. The reverberating effect
is the decline in contribution to global body of knowledge in various areas of
endeavours, with particular emphasis on climate change. Climate change is a
global topical issue particularly as it affects every sphere of life. The
understanding of the effect of climate change on every sphere of life has
significant input to the formulation of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Africa We Want.
To this end, the Nigeria CVF Forum plans to
be having annual reunion meetings with the aim to review issues that affects
ECRs. Climate Change and national development. How we will go about conducting
these activities will be a collective decision that we will all arrive at
together. Presently, we have formed a WhatsApp Group to disseminate information
and also generate ideas through virtual meetings. We have selected a number of
persons to serve as Editorial Committee to oversee the book launch planned for
2020. Hopefully, we will reach out to the Association of Commonwealth
Universities and the various management of our home institutions with the
details of our activities. It is at this point noteworthy to commend the United
Kingdom Government through the Department for International Development (DFID)
for facilitating all the activities of CIRCLE. Moving forward, the Nigeria CVF
Forum do sincerely hope that with our spread arms, the leaders of ACU and
management of our various institutions will help us to rise and meet the
daunting challenges in research and leadership training.
Thank you.
[1] Centre for Energy Research and Development, Obafemi Awolowo University,
Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Email: abiodunmomodu8@gmail.com;
Phone: +2348061399185
[2] Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Emai: clara.ifeanyi-obi@uniport.ed.ng; Phone: +2348033397055, +234802888119
[3]
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Ibadan, Ibadan,
Nigeria. Email: kasimfaith@gmail.com;
+2348055607009
