Late Prof Otite Contributed To The Success Story Of DELSU –VC

By Patrick Ijeh

The Vice Chancellor of Delta State University, Abraka, Prof Andy Ogochukwu Egwunyenga, has called on the academic community to always celebrate the intellectual contributions of departed lecturers as a way of propagating their scholarly work for posterity.

The Vice Chancellor made the call in Abraka on Monday, September 16, 2024, during the One-Day Public Lecture and Day of Tributes organised by the Faculty of the Social Sciences in the university in honour of Late Prof Atare Andy Otite, a Professor of Political Science and immediate past Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, who died on August 10, 2024, at the age of 65.

Prof Egwunyenga who was the Chief Host of the ceremony, extoled the contributions of Late Prof Otite to the success story of Delta State University, Abraka, as a past member of the Governing Council of the University, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, a renowned researcher, lecturer, mentor and a comrade in the struggles of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU-DELSU Chapter).

He commended the Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Prof Sam Ogege and his staff for organising the public lecture which he described as a very good way to honour a departed scholar.

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Earlier in his welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences, Prof Sam Ogege, said the faculty decided to organise the One-Day Public Lecture and Day of Tributes to reflect on the significant contributions of Late Prof Otite and the indelible marks he left behind in the Faculty of the Social Sciences and beyond.

He described the late university don as a humble academic giant and compassionate leader who worked tirelessly to enhance academic standards, staff development and students’ welfare with a high level of integrity.

Prof Ogege revealed that the title of the public lecture – “Fuel Subsidy Removal and the Condition of Women in Nigeria” – was chosen to align with the research interests of Late Prof Otite in the sphere of social justice, gender studies and community development.

While delivering the lecture, Prof Nathaniel Umukoro, a one-time colleague of Late Prof Otite and currently a Professor of Political Science at Western Delta University, Oghara, pointed out that fuel subsidy, which was introduced in 1977 as a financial support provided by the government to lower the cost for local consumers of the commodity was frustrated in Nigeria by the nefarious activities of fuel smugglers and endemic corruption.

He revealed that while fuel subsidy was an effective tool meant to protect the poor from rising energy costs and improve their welfare, the implementation was poorly targeted and therefore had negligible impact on poverty reduction in Nigeria.

Prof Umukoro stressed that the negative effects of fuel subsidy removal were more telling on women who are raising children as widows or with non-supportive husbands and women living with disabilities and therefore contending with a multiplicity of susceptible roles and responsibilities.

He called on government to introduce reliable social protection measures for women while vulnerable women should actively explore and use alternatives to petroleum fuel. He also called on religious bodies, other social institutions and individuals to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on women while urging all to display high level of emotional intelligence.