By Chijioke Attah
The Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka has instituted an annual lecture series to further teaching and learning in the department.
The maiden lecture in honour of Late Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther was in recognition of his contributions to education, ecumenism and overall development of Africans who were liberated from the shackles of slavery in the 19th century.
Delivering the inaugural lecture, an alumnus of the department and Bishop on the Niger, Rt. Rev. Owen Chiedozie Nwokolo said the life of Bishop Ajayi Crowther “stands as a compelling testimony to the capacity of Christian faith, education and determined leadership to transform not only individuals but entire societies. ”
According to him, Ajayi Crowther lived one of the most extraordinary lives in African history; rising from slavery to become a “pioneering missionary, linguist, educator, bible translator and church leader.”
Bishop Owen examined Crowther’s enduring legacy of extraordinary journey from enslavement to episcopacy; his pioneering contributions to Christian missions, education and African linguistics and finally his lasting impact on nation building and religious, intellectual and cultural development of Nigeria and west Africa.
The Guest lecturer observed that Bishop Crowther’s choice of predominantly African missionary staff after his commission to establish the Niger mission represented one of the earliest deliberate attempts to entrust missionary leadership to indigenous Africans which challenged contemporary racial assumptions regarding African intellectual and administrative capacity.
According to Owen, Ajayi Crowther’s missionary enterprise was inseparable from the advancement of education which laid the foundation for the establishment of Christian Missionary Society schools that graduated many of the later nationalist leaders across Africa that fought for the liberation and independence of most African nations.
The Bishop on the Niger noted that when many European observers dismissed African languages as incapable of expressing sophisticated ideas, Crowther through his work established that African languages possessed the grammatical complexities, literary richness and conceptual depth necessary for theology, education, administration and intellectual discourse.
Crowther through his linguistic development therefore provided the important foundation for ethnic mobilization, cultural renaissance and participation in Nigeria’s nationalist movement during the colonial era.
In conclusion, Bishop Owen pointed out that the life of Ajayi Crowther exemplified the transformative power of education as an instrument of personal and societal development; adding that Crowther demonstrated that authentic national development must be rooted in indigenous systems rather than in the wholesome imitation of foreign models.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Head, Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, Venerable Dr
Collins Ugwu thanked the guest lecturer for finding time to deliver the inaugural lecture.
He said that he would introduce more activities that would impact and make the department visible to the outside world.
He extolled the achievements of the Bishop on the Niger in the establishment of the University on the Niger and other monumental projects that impacts positively on humanity.
Dr. Ugwu also drew attention to the challenges and dearth of basic facilities to enhance the work of teaching and research.
The inaugural lecture had in attendance the Vice chancellor of the university, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, Dean of the social sciences, Prof. T.C Nzeadibe and Prof. Malachy Okweze, Provost, College of Post Graduate School and Chairman Organising Committee.
