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By Hassan Suleiman
The unopposed election of Professor Rotimi Wiliams Olatunji, the immediate past Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University (LASU) as the third President of the Association of Communication Scholars and Media Professionals (ASCPN) at its just concluded conference is a due reward for a strategist, integrity personified, a teacher of teachers, mentor of mentees, a seasoned university administrator and a blessing to the global communication scholarship.
The event which was held at the Airport Hotel Ibis Lagos September 4-5, 2024 witnessed a large turnout of media scholars from many tertiary institutions, media practitioners from media stations as well as members of staff of media regulatory agencies.
Professor Olatunji’s emergence as the President of ASCPN is timely as the association, just like other media associations, is confronted with emerging issues of strategic collaboration and engagement in the Nigeria mass media practice and education.
Now more than before, there is a need for the harmonization of ideas from the academia, industry practitioners, and various media regulatory agencies with a view to sharpening communication and media scholarship.
Olatunji is not a greenhorn in the game and rightly fits the position. Since his assumption of duty as a lecturer in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations of the Adebola Adegunwa School of Communication now known as the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, he has always been an apostle of linking the town with the gown.
Prior to his election, he has been the Chairman of the Advertising Industry Colloquium and Journal Committee (AIIJC) of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) and the Editor-in-Chief, ARCON Journal of Advertising and Marketing Communication.
Aside from his industry records, Olatunji is a distinguished Professor and a scholar in Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies, Lagos State University. He as well as late Professor Lai Oso, Prof. Alawode Sunday, Prof. Jimi Kayode and Prof. Jide Peter Jimoh, Dr. Musbau Akanni and the university management instituted PhD. programme for younger lecturers in the faculty in 2013.
The success story of the FCMS PhD. programme has drawn many applicants from many Nigerian universities to LASU. In my interactions with some of these applicants, they stated that the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies is blessed with seasoned scholars and that for some time now, LASU has operated strike-fee academic activities in Nigeria.
Olatunji’s tenure as the Dean of the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies also manifested in the faculty being awarded full accreditation by the National Universities Commission in 2018. His approach to administrative management of both the academic and non-academic staff of the faculty is a further attestation to his diverse training and exposure received from the Universities of Ife, Ibadan and continuous interaction with numerous professional and academic bodies.
Being one of his former doctoral students, I attest to the fact that his teaching method is interactive and laced with contemporary trends. He is a mentor to all academic and non-academic staff as he operates an open-door policy.
To my colleagues, he always urged the younger lecturers to be steadfast in their research and academic writings. He is fond of saying: ‘’You either write or perish’’; ‘’Overtaking is allowed.’’ His robust contributions during faculty seminars, workshops, and training are always robust and thought-provoking. His contribution in the unbundling of Mass Communication in Nigerian universities to the new curriculum now known as Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS ) has further made him a household name.
It is instructive to add that before the unbundling, the LASU School of Communication was in the forefront of specialised training and courses in the media and communication. The NUC accreditation team to the faculty commended the faculty for a noble feat but the idea was out of the NUC benchmark. His meritorious service in LASU vis-a-vis FCMS has seen him being the acting and substantive Head, Department of Public Relation and Advertising, the Chairman of the Board, LASU Radio 95.7 FM and other committees in the university.
He is also a supervisor of a good number of B.sc, M.sc and PhD. degrees in the diverse areas of Public Relations, Advertising, Integrated Marketing Communication and Political Communication as well as Media and Culture. He is also versed in the application of various media research instruments to advance the burner of research. These instruments include but are not limited to interview guides, ethnography guides, and questionnaires.
As part of his academic community responsibilities, he attends to media interviews on burning issues affecting media ecology and its growth. I am particularly thrilled by his monthly text message of goodwill. This message harps on the need to uphold sincerity, honesty, truthfulness, transparency, Godliness, and firmness in my daily engagement with colleagues and in life generally.
At this juncture, the unopposed election of PRAD strategist, Professor Rotimi Williams Olatunji is a clarion call for the repositioning of ACSPN in media scholarship and practitioners linkage. The organisation, during his tenure, must strive to continuously engage stakeholders in the implementation of the new curriculum in mass media education. The association should also sustain its history series. This series will acquaint newly admitted communication and media students with past activities and various efforts leading to the present day.
The organisation can also arrive at a particular day as ACSPN Stakeholders Day. This day will involve the engagement of media scholars, practitioners, and staff of regulatory bodies such as ARCON, NUJ, NIPR, and NUC with ACSPN members.
During your tenure, sir, ACSPN should further deepen collaboration with various media industries and other bodies in the placement of students for internship, volunteerism, visitation, hands-on training, and even end-of-session training.
Again, I celebrate you on your new position. I implore you not to relent on your efforts. This is just the beginning of many laurels to come your way.
Suleiman, PhD
is Sub-Dean, **Faculty of Communication and Media Studies,
Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos*
[email protected]
