Building the Next
Generation of Scholars in
Nigeria: Practicalities and
Challenges
Clifford Odimegwu
Professor of Demography and Population Health
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Introduction
Where I am coming from: My motivation
Who is the Next Generation in Nigeria’s Academia?
Changing Dynamics in International Academia or Scholarship
What does the NG need to take the position of the retiring
generation?
• Practicalities
• Challenges
• Our road map…
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Where I am coming from: My Motivation
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Education at IMSU, Ife
1999 Episode
Harvard as eye-opener
My Resolve to do things differently
Exploits in a foreign land…
My disappointment with Igbo/Nigeria scholarship
Who is the next generation?
• Graduate students – Masters and PhD
• New and Young academics – GA, AL, L2 and L1, Postdocs, Senior
Lecturers
• Research assistants/associates.
Changing Dynamics in International Academia
• Globalisation
• New standards and procedures of doing academic stuff including
promotion
• Internet age
• New Publication outlets – Open access Journals
• Journal Categorisation – Impact Factor
• Younging of Academic Leadership – young professors taking up
positions
• Collaboration
Needs of NG …
For the NG of academics to be internationally competitive and
globally relevance, the following are their needs
 Quality Higher degree
Credible and quality publications
Patents
Promotions based on merits
Grants
 International Exposure through conferences and
networks/international connection..
Needs of NG..
• Interpersonal skills
• Continuing engagement with own field of research
• A personal mentor
Practicalities
• The role of mentors
• linking experienced colleagues with those of less experience to assist in
training
• building capacity in peers
• walking alongside; eat-out
• offering encouragement and advice
• building confidence
• providing an empowering and affirming milieu.
Practicalities …
• Developing a Research Agenda/focus
• Developing a Research Plan [PhD admission to next 7 years]
• Rethinking Integrity in Scholarship – all those cutting corners!
• Professional ethics
• Ethics of publishing
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Publishing outcomes: General issues in publishing…
Conferencing
Proposals and Fund raising
Research development opportunities
Challenges …
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Survival instincts
Yahoo-Yahoo mentality [‘Igbu ozu ideology’]
New Ideas – Technological age – dynamic world
19th in 21st ideas
Funding landscape tightening
Characteristics of Graduate Students
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Flexibility
Optimism
Motivation
Persistence and perseverance
Strong work ethic
Self-advocacy: ask questions, interact with supervisors and mates
Organisation
Consistency
Support
Graduate Study Game Plan : 4 stages
• Getting Started
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Got to be proactive – review PG and Dpt guidelines
contact and interact with your supervisors
learn about deadlines
Find out and attend all orientation sessions
Conduct a review of your career goals and objectives
• First year
• Mid-Programme
• Near Completion
Game Plan …. First Year
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Identify your career goals
Course work
Your thesis
Ethical clearance, if primary study
• Mid-Programme
• Review your progress
• Present your research
• Deal with stress and depression
Game Plan … Near Completion
• The finish line
• Overcome barriers
• Plan your next step: do not wait to complete.
Graduate Studies Pathways to Success
• Gradaute school success: skills in academic writing
• Self Management: ability to manage stress and time
• Professional effectiveness: range of skills and knowledge-related
to such areas as communication, management, interpersonal
interaction and ethical conduct
• Career building: a proactive approach investigating options,
develop competencies and learn how to present yourself
• Developing leadership skills
Our Road Map..
• Working with colleagues at PG School and Faculties, I will focus on
the following:
1. Developing a research profile
2. Scientific Publishing
3. Graduate supervision
4. Professional skills empowerment – how to write competitive
proposals, CV, and advancement strategies..
5. Training in Stata Software [if needed]
6. AOM!
Snapshots
• Doctoral Studies
• Is doing a PhD worth it?
• What is it like doing a PhD?
• Academics
• What makes a good teacher?
• Managing student-supervisor relationship?
• Teaching methods?
• Research
• Proposal development
• Scientific writing processes
• Where do you publish?
Snapshots
• Identifying Fake and Fraudulent Journals
• Quantitative and Qualitative data Management:
• Stata Software
• Nvivo software
Snapshots
• Professionalization
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Ethics and values
Conferencing – writing acceptable abstracts for international conferences
Grant making
Preparing your CV
Finally …
• The Journey has begun… and with hardwork, it is our hope you will
be one of the future leaders of Nigeria intelligentsia that will be
internationally competitive, exposed and globally relevant!