The Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) has a new Executive Council. The Prof Hassan Saliu Exco has yielded ground to a Prof Remi Aiyede led-Exco. Aiyede is the immediate but one Head of Department of Political Science at the University of Ibadan.
A long list of members of the new Exco made available to Intervention shows, amongst others, Dr Stephen Lafenwa, also of the Department of Political Science at University of Ibadan as the new General Secretary. It is in conformity with NPSA’s Secretariat system. UI also holds the position of the Treasurer in the person of Prof Olubukola Stella Adesina.
Outgone NPSA president, Prof Hassan Saliu
Others are Prof Murtala Mohammed who becomes the Vice-President; Prof Robert Dode as Assistant Secretary; Prof Yusuf Musa as Financial Secretary; Prof Rahanat Lawal as Auditor; Prof Ike Alumona as Public Relations Officer; Jaja Nwanegbo as Director of Research; Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Nasiru as Legal Adviser; Prof Hassan Saliu, the outgone president as Ex officio 1 and Dr Ejura Egwumi as Ex Officio 2.
Prof Alade Fawole who used to be in International Relations at OAU, Ile-Ife before moving to the Department of Political Science at the University of llesa chaired the Electoral Committee for the election which had two Emeritus Professors – Bayo Adekanye and John Ayoade as Elders of the association at the Business meeting.
The first point about the transition could be Prof Aiyede’s emergence through consensus. This could be understood as a signifying message or critique of conventional politicians who have not been able to assemble around an elite consensus about where and how to take Nigeria to in the comity of nations.
The outgone leadership took a number of initiatives that are performative of Political Science. One of it was the publication of a number of texts. The outgone president, Prof Hassan Saliu was good in writing NPSA through promotional takes on mainly leading lights of the discipline during their birthdays. As at today, the NPSA has come out of almost disappearing entirely.
How the new leadership would proceed is yet to unfold. What Intervention can see is how the context of the transition may shape that a lot. The context of the transition is the aggravated tension at both the domestic and global levels. Great power struggle for primacy has unsettled many norms and conventions in world politics just as the domestic space is lost in insecurity on a scale disturbing to many.
What might Africa’s largest platform of political scientists do in such a context, considering the constitutive force of knowledge? It may not be such a long waiting game!
Meanwhile, Prince Audu Abubakar University (PAU), Ayingba is understood to be sponsoring the 2027 NPSA Conference.
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