Inaugural Lectures

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Browsing Inaugural Lectures by Author "Professor AbdulRauf Ambali"

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    Administration and Governance at the Brink of Collapse: A Search for the Root Cause and Ways to Reposition the System
    (KWASU Press and Publishing, 2022) Professor AbdulRauf Ambali
    In the name of Allah, the only master of the universe. I stand before you to present the 8th in the series of inaugural lectures of the Kwara State University, Malete; the Green University for Community Development and Entrepreneurship. I give thanks to Allah for His guidance over my existence. I have passed through so many storms and He rescued and sustained me in His infinite mercies and unfailing love and protection. All my adoration goes to Him for making today’s inaugural lecture possible for me. I remain His true servant until the Day of Judgment! Vice Chancellor Sir, my career as a political scientist with specialization in administration and governance is not by accident, but as a result of my closeness to my father, Alhaji Imam Ambali Sanusi, who had administered people’s affairs ranging from those of his disciples to the general community of Ogbondoroko, as the Chief Imam. May his soul remained blessed with mercy of Allah. His advice was instrumental in my decision to pursue a degree in religious jurisprudence and politics at International Islamic University, Malaysia (IIUM), where I passed out with a first class. When opportunity came to specialize in a field of study, I opted for Administration and Governance out of the four specializations available in Political Science (Administration and Governance; Political Thoughts; Comparative Politics and International Relations). My interest in Administration and Governance System encouraged me to pursue Master’s and Ph.D. degrees, both of which were funded by IQRA Scholarship Award in Political Science on the basis of my outstanding performance. Honourable Vice Chancellor, I began my teaching career as a Graduate Assistant at IIUM while I was pursuing my master’s degree of which I made a distinction. I continued in the same pace for my Ph.D. in the same university in 2005. I joined the service of University Technology Mara (UiTM), passed through several cadres and rose to the rank of Associate Professor in 2010. I inspired many students both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I supervised forty-five M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, many of whom today are academics and administrators in different institutions and government agencies, both in Nigeria and Malaysia. I have won several research grants worth millions of US Dollars nationally and internationally. These 5 include grants on cutting edge issues on resource governance, administrative decay, election administration and management, policy reform and implementation, e-democracy, digital administration and digital divide, e-voting, leadership, culture and ethnic relations, leading to improved administration and governance system. I was appointed as a Professor at Kwara State University (KWASU) on the 31st March, 2016. I am grateful to the former Vice Chancellor, Professor AbdulRasheed Na’Allah and the entire management. Following my assumption of duty at KWASU in June 2014, I developed curriculum for the postgraduate studies in Political Science and Public Administration. With my experience and expertise in postgraduate studies in Malaysia, I was appointed as the Deputy Dean of Postgraduate Studies in 2016. Since I assumed the responsibility of Director, Academic Planning of this University, we have been achieving full accreditation of all our programmes by the NUC. I have impacted on many communities both in Malaysia and Nigeria through my research and community outreach activities among the rural dwellers. Vice Chancellor, Sir, this lecture “Administration and Governance at the Brink of Collapse: A Search for the Root Cause and Ways to Reposition the System” is to reflect on some of my contributions to the field of administration and governance system in political science. My quest to explore “the brink of collapse” in administration and governance was out of the curiosity to identify the root causes of the problem. I continued in my research journey searching for the best way to proffer solutions and to reposition administration and governance with bias for the Nigerian situation. I have been able to establish many roots of the collapse as well as recommend alternative ways of rethinking administration and governance system for effective service delivery to the people.