2 - Aspiring Vice-Chancellors’ Rhetoric and the Challenges of Building a Twenty-First Century Nigerian University
Corresponding Author(s) : Olayiwola Timothy Akinwale
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 10 No. 2 (2012): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
This study analyses the manifestos prepared by some candidates aspiring to the post of Vice-Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, between 1999 and 2000. It examines the appropriation of rhetorical tactics by the aspirants to impress upon the target audience that they possess the ability to decipher clearly the problems of the university and the required antidote. The study focuses on two major issues that are recurrent in the discourse: the challenges facing the university at the turn of the twenty-first century and the kind of leadership that the university would desire to stem the tide. It adopts Aristotle’s model of rhetoric and Jacques Derrida’s deconstructive criticism to analyse and discuss the discursive practices of the respective candidates, relative to these key issues. It reveals that although the candidates address subjects that dwell on the university system in time and space, the discourse is characterised by a schematic rhetorical style that political actors deploy for expediency in wider political contexts.
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- Adeogun, A.A., Subair, S.T. and Osifila, G.I., 2009, ‘Deregulation of University Education in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects’, Florida Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 3(1): 1-8. Retrieved on May 10, 2012 from www.coe.ufl.edu/.../FJEAP_Winter%202009_3-1_Adeogun_FINAL.pdf.
- Arikewuyo, M.O., 2006, ‘University Management and Staff Unions in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges’, SA-eDUC Journal 3, (1): 15-22. Retrieved on May 15, 2012 from www.puk.ac.za/opencms/export/PUK/html/fakulteite/.../nigeria.pdf.
- Aristotle, 1959, The Art of Rhetoric, in Freese, J. H., 1959, Aristotle, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
- Barker, D.C., 2005, ‘Values, Frames and Persuasion in Presidential Nomination Campaigns’, Political Behavior, 27(4): 375-394. Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4500205.
- Barry, P., 2009, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 3rd ed., New York: Manchester University Press.
- Boyd, M.S., 2009, ‘De-constructing Race and Identity in US Presidential Discourse: Barrack Obama’s Speech on Race’,ATLANTIS: Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies, 31(2):75-94. Retrieved on April 17, 2012 from www.atlantisjournal.org/ARCHIVE/31.2/2009Boyd.pdf.
- Bouckaert, A., 2009, ‘Political Advertising on Public Television: A Study of the 2007 General Elections Campaign in Belgium’, 1-14. Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2009/Bouckaert.pdf.
- Brown, P. and Levinson, S., 1978, ‘Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena’, in Goody,E., ed., Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social Interaction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Damore, D.F., 2005, ‘Issue Convergence in Presidential Campaigns’, Political Behavior, 27(1):71-97. Retrieved on April 6, 2012 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4500185.
- Derrida, J., 1976, Of Grammatology, translated by G.C. Spivak, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Derrida, J., 1978, Writing and Difference, translated by Alan Bass, London: Routledge.
- Druckman, J.N., Jacobs, L.R. and Ostermeier, E., 2004, ‘Candidate Strategies to Prime Issues and Image’, The Journal of Politics, 66(4): 1180-1202. Retrieved on April 27 2012 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3449534.
- Dwivedi, V., 2008, ‘Aspects of Realism in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People’,African Study Monographs, 29(1): 1-13.
- Ebuara, V.O., Udida, L.A., Ekpiken, W. and Bassey, U.U., 2009, ‘Re-inventing the Nigerian Universities Dream and the Challenge of Leadership’, Paper Presented at the 11th International Conference of Educational Management Association of South Africa (EMASA) 7th-9th August 2009.
- Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.emasa.co.za/files/emasa2009/8_EMASA2009_Ebuara.pdf.
- Ekundayo, H.T. and Ajayi, I.A., 2009, ‘Towards Effective Management of University Education in Nigeria’, International NGO Journal, 4(8): 342-347. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from www.academicjournals.org/ingoj/PDF/.../Ekundayo% 20and%20Ajayi.pdf.
- Ekundayo, H.T. and Adedokun, M.O., 2009, ‘The Unresolved Issue of University Autonomy and Academic Freedom in Nigerian Universities’, Humanity and Social Sciences Journal, 4(1): 61-67. Retrieved on March 15, 2012 from www.idosi.org/hssj/hssj4(1)09/8.pdf.
- Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C. and Curphy, G.J., 2006, Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
- Jerit, J., 2004, ‘Survival of the Fittest: Rhetoric during the Course of an Election Campaign’,Political Psychology, 25(4): 563-575. Retrieved on March 23, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3792409.
- Medvedeva, Y., 2008, ‘Value-framing of Issues in the 2004 Presidential Campaign by American Newspapers in Russian’, Unpublished M.A. Thesis at the University of Missouri. Retrieved on March 22, 2011 from https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/5740/research.pdf?sequence=3.
- Mihas, E., 2005, ‘Non-literal Language in Political Discourse’, LSO Working Papers in Linguistics 5: Proceedings of WIGL 2005, 124-139. Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from ling.wisc.edu/lso/wpl/5.1/LSOWP5.1-10-Mihas.pdf.
- Omozua, V. E. and Ezejideaku, E.U.C., 2010, ‘A Stylistic Analysis of the Language of Political Campaigns in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2007 General Elections’, 40-54. Retrieved on May 10, 2011 from http://ajol.info/index.php/og/article/view/52327/ 40951.
- Osundare, N., 2007, The Universe in the University, Ibadan: Hope Publications Ltd.
- Pfau, M.W., 2007, ‘Who is Afraid of Fear Appeals? Contingency, Courage, and Deliberation in Rhetorical Theory and Practice’, Philosophy and Rhetoric, 40(2): 216-237. Retrieved on May 12, 2011 from www.britannica.com/.../Whos-Afraid-of-Fear-Appeals-Contingency-Courage-and-Deliberation-in-Rhetorical-Theory- and-Practice.
- Rao, K.S. and Singh M.K., (n.d), ‘Appointment of Vice-Chancellors: Rules, Procedures and Intentions’, 1-19. Retrieved on June 11, 2011 from http://aserf.org.in/ presentations/vcpaper.pdf.
- Roberts, C., 2005, ‘An Appeal to Newspaper Authority in Television Ads: A Case Study’, 1-20.Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from www.chrisrob.com/about/ newspaperauthority.pdf.
- Saint, W., Hartnett, T.A. and Strassner, E., 2003, ‘Higher Education in Nigeria: A Status Report’,Higher Education Policy, 16: 259-281. Retrieved on May 12, 2010 from www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/.../he_nigeria_status.pdf.
- Selden, R. and Widdowson, P., 1993, A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory, 3rd ed., New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
- Wei, J. M., 2005, ‘Language Choice in Taiwanese Political Discourse’, NTU Studies in Language and Literature, 14: 81-106. Retrieved on May 22, 2012 from www.press.ntu.edu.tw/ejournal/files/Studies%5C14%5C4.pdf.
- Zhao, N., 2008, ‘Analysing the Meaning in Interaction in Politeness Strategies in Scent of a Woman’, The Journal of International Social Research, 1(4): 629- 647. Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.sosyalarastirmalar.com/cilt1/sayi4/ sayi4pdf/zhao_ning.pdf.
References
Adeogun, A.A., Subair, S.T. and Osifila, G.I., 2009, ‘Deregulation of University Education in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects’, Florida Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 3(1): 1-8. Retrieved on May 10, 2012 from www.coe.ufl.edu/.../FJEAP_Winter%202009_3-1_Adeogun_FINAL.pdf.
Arikewuyo, M.O., 2006, ‘University Management and Staff Unions in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges’, SA-eDUC Journal 3, (1): 15-22. Retrieved on May 15, 2012 from www.puk.ac.za/opencms/export/PUK/html/fakulteite/.../nigeria.pdf.
Aristotle, 1959, The Art of Rhetoric, in Freese, J. H., 1959, Aristotle, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Barker, D.C., 2005, ‘Values, Frames and Persuasion in Presidential Nomination Campaigns’, Political Behavior, 27(4): 375-394. Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4500205.
Barry, P., 2009, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, 3rd ed., New York: Manchester University Press.
Boyd, M.S., 2009, ‘De-constructing Race and Identity in US Presidential Discourse: Barrack Obama’s Speech on Race’,ATLANTIS: Journal of the Spanish Association of Anglo-American Studies, 31(2):75-94. Retrieved on April 17, 2012 from www.atlantisjournal.org/ARCHIVE/31.2/2009Boyd.pdf.
Bouckaert, A., 2009, ‘Political Advertising on Public Television: A Study of the 2007 General Elections Campaign in Belgium’, 1-14. Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.psa.ac.uk/journals/pdf/5/2009/Bouckaert.pdf.
Brown, P. and Levinson, S., 1978, ‘Universals in Language Usage: Politeness Phenomena’, in Goody,E., ed., Questions and Politeness: Strategies in Social Interaction, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Damore, D.F., 2005, ‘Issue Convergence in Presidential Campaigns’, Political Behavior, 27(1):71-97. Retrieved on April 6, 2012 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4500185.
Derrida, J., 1976, Of Grammatology, translated by G.C. Spivak, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Derrida, J., 1978, Writing and Difference, translated by Alan Bass, London: Routledge.
Druckman, J.N., Jacobs, L.R. and Ostermeier, E., 2004, ‘Candidate Strategies to Prime Issues and Image’, The Journal of Politics, 66(4): 1180-1202. Retrieved on April 27 2012 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3449534.
Dwivedi, V., 2008, ‘Aspects of Realism in Chinua Achebe’s A Man of the People’,African Study Monographs, 29(1): 1-13.
Ebuara, V.O., Udida, L.A., Ekpiken, W. and Bassey, U.U., 2009, ‘Re-inventing the Nigerian Universities Dream and the Challenge of Leadership’, Paper Presented at the 11th International Conference of Educational Management Association of South Africa (EMASA) 7th-9th August 2009.
Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.emasa.co.za/files/emasa2009/8_EMASA2009_Ebuara.pdf.
Ekundayo, H.T. and Ajayi, I.A., 2009, ‘Towards Effective Management of University Education in Nigeria’, International NGO Journal, 4(8): 342-347. Retrieved on April 15, 2011 from www.academicjournals.org/ingoj/PDF/.../Ekundayo% 20and%20Ajayi.pdf.
Ekundayo, H.T. and Adedokun, M.O., 2009, ‘The Unresolved Issue of University Autonomy and Academic Freedom in Nigerian Universities’, Humanity and Social Sciences Journal, 4(1): 61-67. Retrieved on March 15, 2012 from www.idosi.org/hssj/hssj4(1)09/8.pdf.
Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C. and Curphy, G.J., 2006, Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience, New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited.
Jerit, J., 2004, ‘Survival of the Fittest: Rhetoric during the Course of an Election Campaign’,Political Psychology, 25(4): 563-575. Retrieved on March 23, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3792409.
Medvedeva, Y., 2008, ‘Value-framing of Issues in the 2004 Presidential Campaign by American Newspapers in Russian’, Unpublished M.A. Thesis at the University of Missouri. Retrieved on March 22, 2011 from https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/5740/research.pdf?sequence=3.
Mihas, E., 2005, ‘Non-literal Language in Political Discourse’, LSO Working Papers in Linguistics 5: Proceedings of WIGL 2005, 124-139. Retrieved on May 22, 2010 from ling.wisc.edu/lso/wpl/5.1/LSOWP5.1-10-Mihas.pdf.
Omozua, V. E. and Ezejideaku, E.U.C., 2010, ‘A Stylistic Analysis of the Language of Political Campaigns in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2007 General Elections’, 40-54. Retrieved on May 10, 2011 from http://ajol.info/index.php/og/article/view/52327/ 40951.
Osundare, N., 2007, The Universe in the University, Ibadan: Hope Publications Ltd.
Pfau, M.W., 2007, ‘Who is Afraid of Fear Appeals? Contingency, Courage, and Deliberation in Rhetorical Theory and Practice’, Philosophy and Rhetoric, 40(2): 216-237. Retrieved on May 12, 2011 from www.britannica.com/.../Whos-Afraid-of-Fear-Appeals-Contingency-Courage-and-Deliberation-in-Rhetorical-Theory- and-Practice.
Rao, K.S. and Singh M.K., (n.d), ‘Appointment of Vice-Chancellors: Rules, Procedures and Intentions’, 1-19. Retrieved on June 11, 2011 from http://aserf.org.in/ presentations/vcpaper.pdf.
Roberts, C., 2005, ‘An Appeal to Newspaper Authority in Television Ads: A Case Study’, 1-20.Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from www.chrisrob.com/about/ newspaperauthority.pdf.
Saint, W., Hartnett, T.A. and Strassner, E., 2003, ‘Higher Education in Nigeria: A Status Report’,Higher Education Policy, 16: 259-281. Retrieved on May 12, 2010 from www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/soe/cihe/inhea/.../he_nigeria_status.pdf.
Selden, R. and Widdowson, P., 1993, A Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory, 3rd ed., New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Wei, J. M., 2005, ‘Language Choice in Taiwanese Political Discourse’, NTU Studies in Language and Literature, 14: 81-106. Retrieved on May 22, 2012 from www.press.ntu.edu.tw/ejournal/files/Studies%5C14%5C4.pdf.
Zhao, N., 2008, ‘Analysing the Meaning in Interaction in Politeness Strategies in Scent of a Woman’, The Journal of International Social Research, 1(4): 629- 647. Retrieved on June 12, 2011 from www.sosyalarastirmalar.com/cilt1/sayi4/ sayi4pdf/zhao_ning.pdf.