UNILAG revives dormant 32-year-old professorial chair

The University of Lagos has brought back a dormant 32-year-old professorial chair focused on business ethics. The Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair, initially established by First Bank in 1994 to honor its first Nigerian Managing Director and Chief Executive, Samuel Asabia, remained vacant for many years due to difficulty in finding a suitable occupant.

The chair was reactivated when the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium hosted the inaugural public lecture of the First Bank Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair in Business Ethics. The Board of Trustees, chaired by Prof Akin Osibogun, played a crucial role in renewing efforts to fill the position. After a revised recruitment process, Prof Kenneth Amaeshi was selected as the new Chair.

Amaeshi, who had previously been considered but declined due to the remuneration, accepted the position upon the Board's addressing of the limitations that had previously stalled the appointment. The revived Chair now serves as a center of intellectual leadership, engaging in teaching, postgraduate supervision, research, industry collaboration, public engagement, and an annual public lecture.

Amaeshi has already begun contributing to these endeavors, teaching two final-year courses and supervising a Doctor of Business Administration student. The inaugural public lecture, titled "Ethical Paradoxes, Small Businesses, and the Informal Economy: Lessons for Tax Compliance and Accountability," highlighted the importance of tax accountability, tax compliance, and the relationship between business ethics and public trust.

The revival of the chair aims to transform it into a platform for teaching, research, policy engagement, and ethical leadership.