Michael Omolewa

His Excellency
Michael Abiola Omolewa
President of the General Conference of UNESCO
In office
29 September 2003  3 October 2005
Preceded by Ahmad Jalali
Succeeded by Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan
Permanent Delegate and Ambassador of Nigeria to UNESCO
In office
31 January 2000  31 August 2009
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua
Olusegun Obasanjo
Preceded by Emmanuel Olusegun Akinluyi[1]
Succeeded by Mariam Yalwaji Katagum
Personal details
Born 1 April 1941
Ipoti-Ekiti, Nigeria
Spouse(s) Famata Saptieu Omolewa: née Adams; from The Gambia
Alma mater University of Ibadan
University of Dakar
University of London
University of British Columbia

Michael Abiola Omolewa is a Nigerian diplomat, scholar, education historian, and civil servant.[2]

From September 2003 to October 2005, he served as the 32nd president of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).[3] While president, Omolewa led UNESCO to adopt the International Declaration on Human Genetic Data and the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.[4][5] From January 2000 to August 2009, Omolewa served as permanent delegate and ambassador of Nigeria to UNESCO.[6]

Omolewa is an emeritus professor of adult education at the University of Ibadan.[7] He is a former deputy chair of the governing board of the Commonwealth of Learning in Vancouver, Canada.[8] Omolewa is also a member of the Commonwealth Advisory Council on Teacher Mobility, Recruitment and Migrations in London.[7]

In September 2008, Omolewa was given the President's award for distinguished contribution to world peace and solidarity by Bulgaria's President Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov.[9] Also during 2008, Omolewa was inducted into the University of Oklahoma's International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.[10]

He is a board member[11] of ILI: International Literacy Institute – within Graduate School of Education, established by UNESCO and the University of Pennsylvania: United States of America in 1994; plus Member, Board of Governors: Christ the Redeemer’s College, Sagamu; as well as Deputy chairman of the board of Governors: Christ the Redeemer's College, United Kingdom; including being Board of Trustees Member at Babcock University. Omolewa is also on the Editorial Boards of New York based International Journal of Higher Education and Washington D.C. based ASALH: Association for the Study of African American Life and History's Journal of African American History; including Journal of Research in International Education and International Journal of Lifelong Education.

Early life and education

Childhood and schooling

At the age of ten, Omolewa's believing father: Daniel Omilusi, a Senior Chief of the Ipoti-Ekiti region of Nigeria, granted some missionaries; including David Babcock – first Adventist missionary to West Africa, permission to spiritually and educationally mentor young Michael, who was born as 11th child in Omilusi's large family; and was brought up with the prestige that Africa gives the son of a village chief or leader.

This move to have him mentored by missionaries gave Omolewa the opportunity to see his future with God given purpose, hope, perseverance, vision and discipline. Born on Tuesday 1 April 1941 in Ipoti-Ekiti, Ekiti State: Nigeria, Omolewa attended Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan from 1955 to 1958. Subsequently, he schooled at Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti from 1959 to 1960; and later went to Christ's School, Ado Ekiti from 1962 to 1963.[12]

Higher studies

The University of Ibadan was Omolewa's next point of call, from 1964 to 1973. While there, he:

For a year, from September 1975 to September 1976, Omolewa was at Faculty of Education King's College London. Later on, from September 1983 to September 1984, he studied at Adult education department of Vancouver, Canada based University of British Columbia – with an October 1983 to November 1983 attachment to Athabasca University. Also, for more studies, UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg: West Germany welcomed Omolewa from October to November 1988. From May to June 1991, he took an Advanced Christian Leadership course at Haggai Institute, Singapore.[13]

Academic qualifications

University years

Omolewa as Dean: Faculty of Education: University of Ibadan

Professor Omolewa served as Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Ibadan; Nigeria's oldest University, from 1985 to 1987. He was Chairman of the Committee of Deans of Education of Nigerian Universities from 1986 to 1987. Subsequently, from 1987 to 1990, he served as Head of Nigeria's oldest Department of Adult Education; and was reappointed to a second term from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure, the Adult Education Department was awarded the UNESCO International Reading Association Literacy Prize in 1989. He also led his Education Faculty's research team to become runner-up for the UNESCO Institute for Education (UIE) International Literacy Research Award in 1992. From April 1991 to April 1993 Omolewa was chairman, General Studies Programme University of Ibadan; and from 1979 to 1999, he was Member of Senate at the same University.

Consultancies

In 1994, Professor Omolewa became a Member of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO, and subsequently, the Commission's chairman of the Education Sector. He was a Consultant on educational issues to the British Council, USAID, UNICEF, World Bank and UNESCO; including being among the team that prepared foundational, background document for the United Nations Literacy Decade.

Ambassador to UNESCO

Two terms

In January 2000, President Olusegun Obasanjo first appointed Omolewa to a 5-year term as Permanent Delegate and Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to UNESCO in Paris. Consequently, before he left for France, Omolewa took leave of absence as a professor at University of Ibadan. For his services to Nigeria and humankind worldwide, President Obasanjo, in January 2005, reappointed Omolewa to a second 5-year term as Permanent Delegate and Ambassador of Nigeria – to enable him complete his tenure as President of UNESCO's General Conference – to which he had been earlier elected in September 2003.[15][16]

Service to Nigeria

Under Omolewa's servant leadership plus efforts as Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Nigeria was, in 2007, proposed for 6 additional World Heritage Sites – namely: Arochukwu Long Juju of Aro Confederacy: Igbo Land; Surame Cultural Landscape; Oke Idanre: Idanre Hill; Ogbunike Caves; Ancient Kano City Walls and Associated Sites, Kano and Alok Ikom Stone Monoliths.[17]

Also, Omolewa facilitated the nomination and inscribing, in July 2005, of Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove[18][19] as a UNESCO World Heritage Site; as well as UNESCO's establishment of a Category 2 Institute for African Culture and International Understanding in Abeokuta, Nigeria during April 2009.[20][21][22]

President of UNESCO General Conference

Michael Omolewa as President of UNESCO GC

On 29 September 2003, Omolewa, as Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO became the first West African to be elected President of the General Conference (GC) of UNESCO for the following two years.[23][24] The GC of UNESCO is the highest decision making and governing body of that United Nations specialised agency.

Accordingly, the General Conference consists of representatives of the 195 States Members of UNESCO and 8 Associates. The GC meets every 2 years; and is attended by Member States and Associate Members, together with observers for non-Member States, intergovernmental organisations and NGOs: non-governmental organisations. Each country has one vote, irrespective of its size or the extent of its contribution to the budget of UNESCO.

As 2003 to 2005 UNESCO GC President, Omolewa Welcomes President Askar Akayev of Kyrgyzstan to UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France

The General Conference of UNESCO determines the policies and the main areas of work of the Organization. Its duty is to establish programmes and budget of UNESCO. It also elects members of the Executive Board of UNESCO and appoints, every four years, the Director-General of UNESCO. The working languages of UNESCO's General Conference are: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.[25]

Honours and awards

Omolewa has the following recognitions, awards, prizes and honours:[26]

Publications

Relevant books

Articles in journals

Technical reports

Forthcoming commissioned works

References

  1. "Africa in UNESCO". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
  2. "Class of 2008 Michael Omolewa". University of Oklahoma Outreach – College of Continuing Education. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  3. "Former Presidents of the General Conference". UNESCO. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  4. "UNESCO ADOPTS A CONVENTION ON THE PRESERVATION OF INTANGIBLE HERITAGE AND A DECLARATION ON HUMAN GENETIC DATA". UNESCO. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  5. "International Declaration on Human Genetic Data". UNESCO: LEGAL INSTRUMENTS. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  6. "UNESCO Fears War". Newswatch (Nigeria). Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Emeritus trip to Mount Patti", Punch, reported by Akeem Lasisi, 19 April 2013
  8. "Former Diplomat to Discuss Social Justice, Education". University of Southern Indiana. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  9. "Professor Michael Omolewa". ZoomInfo. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. "2008 Hall of Fame Inductees". University of Oklahoma. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  11. "About Us". Literacy.org. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  12. "Michael Omolewa – In Conversation – Series 5". Hope TV Europe. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  13. "Michael Abiola Omolewa: Dialogue with an Adventist ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO". College and University Dialogue. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
  14. "Alumni Feature: Focus on Nigerian alumni (April 2011)". Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  15. "Nigeria: Govt Reappoints Prof Omolewa to Unesco". AllAfrica. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  16. "U.N. ambassador from Nigeria to visit Henderson school". 14 News NBC WFIE-TV. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  17. "Tentative Lists". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  18. Osogbo and the Art of Heritage. Indiana University Press. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  19. "Mostar, Macao and Biblical vestiges in Israel are among the 17 cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  20. "Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the Institute for Africa Culture and International Understanding, (IACIU)". Kenya Delegation UNESCO. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  21. "Culture Related Category 2 Centres and Institutes". UNESCO Bureau of Strategic Planning. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  22. "Nigeria". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  23. "MICHAEL ABIOLA OMOLEWA TO PRESIDE OVER GENERAL CONFERENCE". UNESCO. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  24. "Michael Abiola Omolewa to Preside". artdaily.org. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  25. "UNESCO's governing bodies". UNESCO. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
  26. Tell, Issues 1–13: Michael Omolewa, an erudite professor of education. Tell Magazine Nigeria. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  27. Africa and the Wider World: Africa since the scramble. Longman Nigeria. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  28. The Words of Psalm 23. WinePress Publishing. Retrieved 17 February 2013.

Photo gallery

External links