Professor Adeyemi Daramola of the Department of English, University of Lagos, has delivered his Valedictory Lecture.
Titled, “My Experiential Reality of the English Language and Linguistics Studies in Nigeria.”, the lecture was delivered on Thursday, November 17, 2022 at the Faculty of Arts Boardroom.
On hand to give the Welcome Address was the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Olufunke Adeboye. She extolled the virtues of the Valedictorian and his sterling record of service.
In her words, “A valedictory lecture is always an event characterised by mixed feelings. While a part of him looks forward to the next phase of his life, another part of him longs for the people and experiences he will be leaving behind. The lecturer has been here for an entire career. In those number of years, he has left indelible marks in the hearts of colleagues and students, and he will for long be remembered”.
Professor Adeyemi Daramola began his lecture by giving glory to God for granting him the privilege to come to that point of his career. He went down memory lane, sharing highlights of his 31-year sojourn in academia, and how he had been opportune to make impacts in academia and industry with his specialty in Linguistics.
“I am leaving. 31 years of my life has been spent here, and I am happy to go away now. Though I still have some two years left, I want to go and write.”, he declared.
“I have enjoyed teaching in the university very much. In 2019 alone, I supervised five PhD’s, thereby breaking the record of Professor David Aworawo, who had produced four PhD’s in a particular year. I have assisted the Department to the best of my ability and I am proud of my contributions to the academia and industry with my specialty as a Linguist. I will surely miss all of you, but I am also excited to see what the future holds for me”.
Mentors and mentees of Professor Daramola were present at the event, and so were his colleagues and students at the Department of English. They all gave tributes to his person and professionalism.
One of them was Professor Ebun Clark, a distinguished academic and Nigeria’s first Professor of Theatre Arts. She described it as a refreshing feeling to be present at the valedictory lecture of a former student.
“It is a very special feeling when you see your former student make a success of their academic career. He also has produced students, who will also produce their own students, and the chain goes on. I wish him the very best as he transitions into the next phase of his life”.
Professor Adeyemi Daramola is the founding Director of the English Language Skills Acquisition Centre (ELANSAC) at the University of Lagos.
