From: Seye Abimbola <seyeabimbola@hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 23, 2013 at 12:23 AM
Subject: RE: [nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists] New member - Abba Gumel
To: nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk
Dear all,
Please see the below response (by Lakunla Jaiyesimi) to the blog on ASUU by Ikhide Ikheloa here: http://lakunlescrews.wordpress.com/2013/09/22/of-rogues-and-saints-re-asuu-is-on-strike-again-who-cares-smh/#more-2901
Of Rogues and Saints. Re: ASUU is on strike again. Who cares? SMH
My attention was recently, precisely at a time when I should be frolicking with friends, drawn to a beautifully written piece by someone I hold in high regard, a father, fighter and lover, Pa Ikhide. I have always loved to read him. This time, his piece focuses on ASUU (a body he refers to as that of thugs. Of course, with an apology against generalisation). This piece is titled "ASUU is on strike again. Who cares? SMH" and can be read here http://xokigbo.wordpress.com/
This said piece, you will agree with me is an eye-opener. And I can create a lengthy piece of conjoined words to describe my admiration for the thoughtfulness and intended patriotism that make the crust of Pa Ikhide's beautiful harangue. However, now and then, as I read through the piece, enjoying the tides, I stumble on some words and my head reflexly enters the shaking mode, as in 'no, no, no'. I will not be pleased if ASUU sues my Pa Ikhide to court for his patriotism, wins and hence, making my Pa forever bankrupt. This piece can be used as evidence in the court of law.
To the point.
"ASUU members are thugs"
Really; how so? Some persons will be happy with this tag but at whose expense? To what degree is the correctness or incorrectness of the tag? Well, let's content ourselves that every Nigerian has the right to freedom of speech. Only that certain persons, depending on how they are perceived in the society, may need to exercise some caution while indulging themselves as such.
"…they are always on strike,
nobody seems to know why,
except that it involves being paid a boatload of money"
Wow. Three facts in one sentence. Are they actually always on strike?
Nobody seems to know why? In spite of the noise by parents, average Nigerians and even many of the students who are directly affected, directed against the Nigerian government and in favour of ASUU? Maybe someone needs to be more conversant with the news, and if those ones do lie, at least, with the directly concerned stakeholders.
And yea, this one. I love the use of words, "rogues in academic robes". Not what follows, unfortunately, "have colluded with any government in power (AGIP) to defraud and rob generations of beautiful children what is their right – a good education."
From Encarta dictionaries, collude as a word means, "to cooperate with somebody secretly in order to do something illegal or undesirable." As far as I'm concerned, of the tens of millions of Nigerians citizens, Pa Ikhide, 'my gracious' father is the only one with this opinion. I'll appreciate a knowldge of any other person(s) he might have 'colluded' with. Let's go on…
"…even when they are at work, they are on strike." What does that mean? Is this an attempt at self-contradiction? Maybe, maybe not.
This next line needs no interpretation from me. It's a self-sufficient statement of fact except of course, if the real definition of fact (or speculation, if you mind) has changed in the course of my last night slumber, "Their members want to have sex with every child that walks into their pretend classrooms, when they have satisfied themselves, they pimp their helpless wards, yes, they do, to their friends, constipated generals and pot-bellied rogue-politicians who have too much money in their thieving pockets."
"…fully less than 10 percent of Nigerian university dons have children living in that mess called Nigeria." Less than 10 percent? I'm interested in this fact. Who did the survey? Where's the reference? With due respect sir, caution, Pa Ikhide.
"…inside the filthy chicken coops that pass for classrooms from preschool to the tertiary level." Who made the classrooms so? ASUU? A reaction is required. I suppose this is one of the reasons why ASUU is currently on strike. I suppose. But this piece has earlier presented, probably an oversight, that the only reason ASUU is on strike, as far as the people are concerned, is because of pocket money (to use my term). Savour the rest of the present paragraph. I have no interest.
The next paragraph, Pa Nigerian Intellectual bemoans the state of ASUU's website. He did a good job telling the world how much he takes issues personal with ASUU and my guess is this is demeaning and inappropriate for the stature of my Pa. This paragraphs successfully ends with a line that makes me chuckle.
Pa Ikhide's personal disaffection goes on through the next paragraphs. He actually made a personal confession, maybe this can help us to understand why he takes offense of ASUU, why the faces of the executive members of ASUU annoy him, why he has chosen not to see anything good in whatever ASUU has done or is doing, especially the speech of the President of ASUU, as expressed by my INDEFATIGABLE Pa.
The closing statements of the third to the last paragraph, here: "This is not the first time I have called ASUU's attention to that disgrace of a website. There are some on their roll that truly believe that in the 21st century, websites are an inconvenience. It is a distinctly Nigerian phenomenon, one that I have been blogging about for years now (Viewing Nigeria through a web of broken links)." A good way to market an article. Dog chop dog. Ti t'enikan ko ba baje, ti elomiran ko le dara. hmmm, nice one.
When, in closing, Pa Ikhide calls for or decalres his support for a possible ban of ASUU, what should one think is his intention? To allow the death of the public Universities just like the public primary and secondary schools died after the death of NUT? Does he now work with the private Universities? Does he hope, certainly that's what will happen, that with the death of public Universities comes the rush of more Nigerian students to the Universities of his sponsors? I don't want to believe I'm speculating that my Pa Ikhide now works, on contract or otherwise, with the private Universities.
I'm left with no choice, sir. Pardon me. winks.
PS. Omode kii mo eko je ko ma yii l'owo.
From: nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk [mailto:nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk] On Behalf Of lakunlejaiyesimi@gmail.com
Sent: Monday, 23 September 2013 4:49 AM
To: nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk
Subject: Re: [nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists] New member - Abba Gumel
I lend my voice
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
From: Abba <abba2007@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2013 13:46:22 -0500
Subject: Re: [nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists] New member - Abba Gumel
Thanks, Emeka. I shall be very happy to s to send a strong but constructive appeal to the Education Minister on ways to revive education in Nigeria.
We need, however, the active participation of civil society on the battle to get the government do the right thing. What I have in mind is a massive civil disobedience of the civil society (that is, protest of members of NLC, transport unions, manufacturers association of Nigeria etc......that is, everyone except those serving extremely crucial functions such as teachers, law enforcement folks and medical people). We will do it on a sustained basis. No government can ignore this. In fact, we should demand to have this (minimum investment in education) backed by an Act of Parliament (so to speak) if possible. This will solve the problem...and if the government (or any subsequent one) chooses to play games, we go back on the picket lines again (but never shut down campuses). The task of building a modern nation is that of ALL its stakeholders. Nigerians have to be convinced that education...quality education....is the most important tool/vehicle/instrument/factor in the development of any modern nation. They have to be convinced that gone are the days for any government of Nigeria to mess with education. They have to be convinced never to tolerate sub-standard or failed education system on Nigerian shores. They have to be convinced to rise up and say ``enough is enough". They have to be convinced to DO EVERYTHING NECESSARY to get their government meet its obligations to offer quality education to its citizens....and I issue such a clarion call for all of us to join this nation-wide struggle.
Having said all of the above, I must emphasize that ASUU (for me, ASUU means members of the academia in general) has to also subject itself to scrutiny. It can never be business as usual again...where they almost always resist all initiatives to hold them accountable and set quality control standards on campuses. ASUU has to embrace (and be the advocate) for setting and sustaining the highest standards of academic excellence, ethics and academic integrity in their respective campuses. The era of campus closures must be brought to a decisive end.
Abba
On 22 September 2013 11:53, Ndodo Nnaemeka <dndodo@yahoo.com> wrote:
Prof Gumel.
Thanks for the elaborate comment and your kind words! I think from all your great submission, we all are on the same page with ASUU! So let's put all our thoughts together as we suggested. I also want to inform you Prof, that there is already an initiative by this forum to send a strong letter to Minister of Education on the way forward for Nigerian education. You can equally lend you weight to that initiative. Highly respected Professors and Academics have contributed to that write up already. Again prof we need your contribution in this forum. So we would love you to stay put his time! No more escaping from back again! Lol!
Thanks so much!
Emeka
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 22, 2013, at 11:44 AM, Abba <abba2007@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear Emeka,
Thanks very much for yours too. See my comments interspersed in yours:
Thanks a lot. The reason I have vehemently maintained that ASUU is relevant still in Nigerian context is because Nigeria is a completely different kettle of fish, that will beggar every standard mathematical modeling tools to address the malaise! Though I trust being a Nigerian yourself you equally have the unconventional models to deal with the problems.
I fully agree that ours is a highly complex nation with many complexities of varying degrees. Yes, there usually comes a time in the history of every nation when change...hard choices...become inevitable. I believe the time is now for our nation. We cannot continue to do things the old ways. We have to get rid of the old (ineffective and failed) ways and formulate/embrace a more effective mindset for the betterment of our people and society. The main battle...of getting the FGN to make the right investments in education.... is one that needs fighting by ALL stakeholders. It is a battle we must fight strategically and effectively...but we must do so without jeopardising the future of the young ones (the next generation of leaders, who are currently enrolled in our higher institutions). Otherwise, no matter what we do, the culture of mediocrity and incompetence will remain solidly ingrained in the DNA of the nation.
In my little way, I know what it is taking to set up and run a molecular biology lab with the unusual support and good will of visionary and committed leadership of UDUS.
Great to hear this...andd great to hear you are setting the lab at my beloved UDUS (a varsity I have recently taken a visiting faculty position at). So, we shall soon be bumping into each other on campus! I totally agree that the administrators at UDUS are excellent...in particular, the current VC (who came all the way to meet with me in Abuja a few months ago; I was supposed to visit the campus in July, but had to cancel because ASUU announced its strike a few days before I was to visit).
With improved funding we can bring the same quality of work I do at Yale back to Nigeria.
Exactly...and thereby helping to set up (or enhance) a culture of excellence at the UDUS campus. This is the way to go. This is what we are all advocating for. Having Yale and any of our varsities in the same sentence is music to the ears of anyone and everyone who cares about public education in our nation. Keep on the great work....and let's sustain the pressure so that the FGN will do the right thing and solve this problem once and for all (so that we never ever have to close our varsities again).
So I'm not arguing from the parlance of ignorance. Not all universities waste their funds. UDUS is an example of a university that judiciously used the N3 billion that was given by the govt for infrastructural development.
I agree. The problem is that almost all of the universities rely solely on funding from the FGN. For me personally, even if we were to get the government to pay the 26%, universities still need to raise more funds. Provision of quality education is an extremely expensive undertaking....campuses have to constantly be on the look-out for funding opportunities (the trend seems to, nowadays, be that university Presidents/VCs with business background are more favoured than those with academic background alone). This is a topic for another debate later. Furthermore, building infrastructure is surely an excellent thing to do, but the other (perhaps) more critical component
of the problem...which is providing the academics the funding and tools they need to enable them carry out quality research and deliver quality training...must be taken care of too. For instance, academics must have access to research funding as well as opportunities for training and re-training (attend workshops, conferences, have well-equipped libraries, access to ICT technologies and other modern teaching/learning tools etc.)
I strongly want to reject the notion that all Nigerian academics are equally relegated to trash cans.
No one can make such a claim. It wouldn't be true to make such a generalization. But we can also not deny the fact that far more needs to be done to improve the quality of the academics and academic programs in general (this is evident from the fact that none of the public universities fares respectfully in any rankings...including ranking of African varsities).
There are still some that are carefully desired. So we need to keep mounting pressure on our govt that needs to be told to do the right thing. I equally accept the valid points that a lot still need to be done.
Excellent.
I make bold to say that ASUU, doesn't just go on strike. It takes elaborate consultation and painful brainstorming before the decision is reached, every sincere ASUU member will agree to this.
This is where I have different opinion. ASUU can do its advocacy work without having to shut down campuses. I like to think that educators in every country are almost always on the picket line (figuratively speaking), keeping the politicians (governments) on their toes vis-a-vis investments on education.....governments, in general, like to ``get away with murder" as I often say...that is, they like to get away with giving the barest minimum. This is the way things are. But academics (particularly administrators) around the world mount pressure on their respective governments without having to shut down campuses. Parents in serious nations will simply not buy the idea of teachers not showing up in classes to teach their kids (because they know that education...quality education...is the single most important commodity to give to their kids to enable them have a chance to succeed in the global economy). We can advocate, while we are still teaching our kids. This is my contention.
Everyone knows that it took protracted Strike for Ghana to be the preferred educational location for Nigerians today.
With all due respect, I think we need to set the bar higher than Ghana. South Africa is probably the only respectable comparison to Nigeria, within Africa. We can make comparisons with (comparable) countries like Malaysia, Taiwan (okay, I hope the Chinese aren't listening), Singapore, Korea, Brazil etc. When was the last time any of these countries experienced a nation-wide closure of its public varsities? This is the crux of the matter. Why can we not advocate for the required funding without having to shut down our campuses?
So strike is not unheard of in those climes. I don't think that ASUU loves the strike to be prolonged. Govt determines when the strike is called off. We don't have listening leaders.
Let's mobilize ALL stakeholders to come together, and mount a massive strike...and I assure you the government will begin singing in no time. I believe it can be done. We just need the right people (men and women of real competence, ability, conscience and conviction) to spear-head this clarion call....and all will be done. I am an optimist by nature. Yes, we can. Together.
Simple food-for-thought, supposing we articulate our points and send it to the Nigeria govt and ask them to choose between banning ASUU and funding education.
We will not send them this option. We just make the case that every self-respecting government of Africa should (at least based on UNESCO's recommendation) invest...as a bare minimum....26% of its annual budget towards public education. We make the case to...and solicit the support of.... all civil organizations (e.g., NLC, professional organizations, some NGOs, community leaders etc.). With this massive show of support, the government has no option but to begin singing. Believe me. Isn't the government there for the people? Isn't it a ``government of the people for the people and by the (supposedly educated) people? No government can ignore such a massive plea/show of force.
Which option do you think the Nigerian govt would love to consider as the most important to the National interest 'banning ASUU or meeting the mandatory 26% minimum budgetary allocation to education?
You are giving the government the wrong options. The funding issue is far beyond ASUU. It is for ALL concerned Nigerians. It is a battle we ALL have to fight....but we cannot do so, while we keep our future leaders largely under-educated. The challenge is to figure out a way to mobilize a large show of force (without altering the academic calendar) and get the government finally do the right thing (and for good).
That is the point. We don't need to play into their hands. So we should use ASUU as a voice to convey all the good points and ideas in this forum.
Like I said above, I think we need far more than ASUU to make this case. This is a battle that every concerned citizen must fight. Education is the foundation. It is at the very core of our struggle to have any real chance to begin rebuilding the nation.
So we should interface with ASUU supplying this educational blueprint, I urge our eminent Prof Gumel to lead the way.
Thank you for the kind words. I will always work with anyone and everyone who is sincerely interested in fixing our education problem. But I do think we need far louder voice...I think we ALL have to mount a single united front, and confront the government with clear and logical arguments. With clear conscience and determination, success is often achieved. This is the eternal optimist ....yet again.
Abba
Emeka.
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 22, 2013, at 9:50 AM, Abba <abba2007@gmail.com> wrote:
Ndodo,
The question on how to get the FGN to commit to the minimum investment can be addressed in a number of ways. First, how do other nations on earth...let's stick to the continent of Africa for a moment....handle such problem? Do they (countries in Africa) have ASUU-like organizations that serve such function....and adopt the nation-wide closure of varsities as a modus operandi? I doubt so. That's why you hardly hear about nation-wide closure of varsities in other countries (even within Africa). Ours seem to be somewhat peculiar. My argument is that I strongly feel we can achieve the desired result without constantly disrupting the academic calendar.
This problem (of getting the government to meet its responsibility towards public education) is that for ALL stakeholders.
One way to get the FGN do the right thing is to work with like-minds...such as labour unions, other stakeholders (varsity administrators, NUC, members of the private sector, civic advocacy groups, relevant NGOs etc.) to put pressure on the politicians (elected representatives) and government. We (a massive ``show of force" of all stakeholders) can, if necessary, organize ``occupy Aso Rock" protest until the government listens....but all of these must be done while lectures are on-going (for me personally, I do not, at all, like the idea of shutting down classes...and if we must, it must only be for a few days). It is not for ASUU alone to make the case that education...the main building brick of any modern nation...is grossly under-funded. This is a civic duty of ALL citizens. At the same time, the varsities (both ASUU members and the varsity administrators) must be held to account for setting up, and sustaining, the highest standards of academic excellence, ethics and academic integrity on their campuses.
Abba
On 22 September 2013 08:29, Ndodo Nnaemeka <dndodo@yahoo.com> wrote:
Exactly the point Toyin!
Sent from my iPad
On Sep 22, 2013, at 9:25 AM, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <tovadepoju@gmail.com> wrote:
How do you 'put pressure on FGN to commit to the minimum 26% investment of annual budget into education'?
What methods would you use?
That is the battle ASUU has been fighting for decades.
This is a recipe for disaster- 'de-centralize ASUU (to make it campus-based'.
It is a recipe for disaster because ASUU is the only voice the universities have that address issues of relevance to the entire university system, a task they have pursued for decades.
Whatever the universities have gained has been through the struggles of ASUU, including the founding of an Education Tax Fund which I wont pretend to know what the govts have done with.
The strength of ASUU is in the intellectual skill, democratic principles and scope of its membership.
Its intellectual skill is demonstrated by the quality of its proposals to the govt for funding of universities such as the suggestion of an Education Tax Fund to tax companies and use the money to fund universities.
Its democratic character is demonstrated in its insistence on collective voting of all members across all branches in taking strategic decisions.
Its scope is represented by its national spread, enabling its decisions to have national force.
Dismembering the union will defeat its power and is likely to lead to total dispiriting of staff as they are left at the mercy of the shortsighted whims of politicians.
That is when you will see university decay in earnest.
That idea is a no-go area.
thanks
toyin
On Sun, Sep 22, 2013 at 2:11 PM, Abba <abba2007@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes, newspaper folks seem to like jazzy/catchy titles. I actually did not talk to the newspaper folks...and neither did I see what they were going to print. A friend asked me if he could use what I had written on a mailing list for his column (in the same newspaper)...and, as it turns out, the editors probably decided to publish it in the way that they did. It is good, however, that the ``catchy title" has generated lots of debate. This is the way to go. Hopefully, we can, collectively, come up with a lasting solution to this never-ending national problem. My solution is simply: we all (not ASUU alone) put pressure on FGN to commit to the minimum 26% investment of annual budget into education, de-centralize ASUU (to make it campus-based; and all academics be held to account for their quality and quality of their output) and varsity administrators to be tasked with making their campuses financially-sustainable. My proposed solution has sticks and carrots for all the main protagonists. This is an even-handed yet holistic approach. I would be curious to hear about the flaws in the proposed solution.
Abba
On 22 September 2013 06:06, <drsalman111@yahoo.com> wrote:
Prof Gumel, I think d caption "ban ASUU now says prof Gumel" given to ur comments on d way forward for Nigerian education by the moderator was what led to d initial attacks. That caption is really misleading. That caption presented you as somebody who does not knw what the problems are here. The caption gives the impression that you said the solution to the problem is to ban ASUU. It was after reading all you have said that people got to know that you didn't actually say that's the solution to the problem but you pointed out That ASUU also has its own problem. However, now that ASUU is on the battle field, the best we can do is to support it so that govt can do the right thing. After then, we can then face ASUU.
Sent from my BlackBerry® Smartphone, from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed internet service with Etisalat easy net, available at all our experience centres
From: Abba <abba2007@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 17:06:34 -0500
Subject: Re: [nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists] New member - Abba Gumel
I like this! However, the sacking of incompetent academics is the prerogative of the respective varsity administrations...governments must never be allowed to dictate to the varsities (the latter must maintain its independence and freedom to pursue academic excellence). The current model...where varsities rely exclusively on the government for their sustenance...exposes them (the varsities) to such unacceptable level of intrusion from the government folks. The trouble, however, is that some of the varsity administrators are themselves monumentally incompetent and undeserving of the positions they hold....this is what (sadly) allows breeding ground for (and dare I say sustains) the culture of mediocrity on many of our campuses. Hopefully, we can soon begin to see some positive changes. Hopefully, we can soon start to see some bold and courageous leadership from all involved. Hopefully, we can soon begin to see a realistic roadmap for rescuing public education in Nigeria.
Abba
On 21 September 2013 16:52, <drsalman111@yahoo.com> wrote:
Well, having known that both sides have their problems, who should take the lead in solving the problems? I think d govt shld start by putting facilities in place and an enabling environment for learning, teaching n research. It will then be a matter of 'to whom much is given, much is expected'. The govt can then be bold to ask ASUU ' why are our universities not in the world ranking'? Govt can also be talkn sacking academics that are not productive and other sanctions.
Sent from my BlackBerry® Smartphone, from Etisalat. Enjoy high speed internet service with Etisalat easy net, available at all our experience centres
From: "Shittu, Aminu" <ameen_vet@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 09:00:36 -0700 (PDT)
To: Nigerian Scientists<nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk>
Subject: [nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists] New member - Abba Gumel
I am a Full Professor of Mathematics at the Department of Mathematics, University of Manitoba, Canada. I received B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from Bayero University (Kano, Nigeria) and Brunel University (London, England), respectively. My main research interests are in (i) Mathematical Biology, (ii) Nonlinear Dynamical Systems and (iii) Computational Mathematics. The main objective of my research work is to use mathematical theories and methodologies to gain insights into the qualitative behaviour of non-linear dynamical systems arising from the mathematical modelling of phenomena in the natural and engineering sciences, with more emphasis on the transmission and control dynamics of human diseases of public health interest. I have supervised a number of research students (NSERC-funded summer undergraduate and graduate students) and postdoctoral fellows.
The following is a list of some of the research and service awards I have received:
- Merit Award for research excellence in 2011, given by the University of Manitoba and the
University of Manitoba Faculty Association (given in May 2012). Eight awards are given
each year, under the research category, throughout the campus;- Merit Award for research excellence in 2010, given by the University of Manitoba and the
University of Manitoba Faculty Association (given in June 2011). Eight awards are given
each year, under the research category, throughout the campus;- Elected Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science, February 2010.
- Elected Fellow, African Academy of Science, December 2009.
- The 2009 Dr. Lindsay E. Nicolle award for excellent paper published in the Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology. June 2009, Toronto, Canada. (The Award, given annually, is given to an author who has made a significant contribution to Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology as demonstrated by the impact of their original research published in the journal). The work is co-authored by Miriam Nuno (Harvard School of Public Health) and Gerardo Chowell (Arizona State University).
- 2008 University of Manitoba (UM/UMFA) Merit Award for Excellence in Research. Eight awards are given
each year, under the research category, throughout the campus;
- University of Manitoba Award for Outstanding Outreach, December 2008. One award is given each year.
- 2007 University of Manitoba (UM/UMFA) Merit Award for Excellence in Research. July 2008. Eight awards are given
each year, under the research category, throughout the campus;- The Rh Award for Outstanding Contributions to Interdisciplinary Scholarship and Research (University of Manitoba, March 2004; this is the highest research award given at the University of Manitoba);
- Manitoba Science and Technology Certificate of Achievement in Science and Technology during 2003 (Winnipeg, April 2004).
- Young African Mathematician Medal for Excellence in Applied Mathematics (African Mathematical Union in Conjunction with the International Conference for Mathematical Sciences, UNAAB, Nigeria, November, 2003)
Main Administrative Responsibilities:
- Director, Institute of Industrial Mathematical Sciences, University of Manitoba (2004-2012);
- Secretary, Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society (CAIMS): (2007-2009; 2009-2011)
- Member, Administrative Council, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba;
- Represents the University of Manitoba on the Board of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, Toronto (2000-to date);
- Co-Director, Prairie Network for Research in Mathematical Sciences (2008-to date);
- Departmental colloquium (research seminar) coordinator (2005-to date);
- Founder and co-ordinator, Mathematical Biology Team, IIMS (1999-to date);
- Member, Global Outreach Committee, Society for Mathematical Biology (2007);
- Patron, African Society for Biomathematics (2007-to date);
- Member, African Scientific Committee of the Nelson Mandela Institution (mandated to form campuses of African Institute of Science and Technology across Africa);
- Partake in a DIMACS project for conducting training programs in mathematical biology in Africa;
- Founder and Co-ordinator, Canada-Africa Biomathematics Network;
- Member, International Scientific Committee, National Mathematical Centre, Nigeria;
- Serve on numerous departmental and university-wide committees (e.g., hiring committees, thesis commitees etc.);
- External thesis examiner to numerous universities around the world.
Editorial Board:
- Associate Editor, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering;
- Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Mathematics;
- Associate Editor, International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Engineering Sciences;
- Associate Editor, Journal of Biological Systems;
- Associate Editor, African Diaspora Journal of Mathematics;
- Associate Editor, Journal of the Nigerian Mathematical Society;
- Associate Editor, Journal of Zhejiang University Science.
Selected Conferences/Workshops I Organized (or Co-organized)
- PNRMS 2010, University of Manitoba, April/May 2010.
- Mathematical Biology Summer School, Botswana, August 2008.
- Chair, inaugural meeting of Canada-Africa Biomathematics Network, Kampala, Uganda, November, 2007;
- Organizer, US-Africa Advanced Study Institute on Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases in Africa, organized by DIMACS at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa, June 2007;
- Local Chair, CMS-MITACS joint conference, Winnipeg, May-June, 2007;
- Chair, Organizing Committee, DIMACS workshop on ``Facing the Challenge of Infectious Diseases in Africa: The Role of Mathematical Modeling", University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg, South Africa, September, 2006;
- Co-chair, AMS-IMS-SIAM summer research conference on ``Competitive Mathematical Models of Disease Dynamics: Emerging Paradigms and Challenges", Snowbird, Utah, July 2005. Other members of the Organizing Committee were: Carlos Castillo-Chavez (Los Alamos Laboratory and Arizona State University), Ronald Mickens (Clark Atlanta University), Trachette Jackson (University of Michigan) and Dominic Clemence (North Carolina A&T State University);
- Co-Chair, 26th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematical Society, Institute of Industrial Mathematical Sciences, University of Manitoba, June 2005 (other co-chair was Rob McLeod, now fo the University of Winnipeg);
- Evolutionary Aspects of Vaccine Use, DIMACS Centre, Rutgers, New Jersey, USA; June 2005. Other co-organizers were: Troy Day (Queen's University), Alison Galvani (Yale University) and Claudio Struchiner (Brazil).
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