A Professor of African and Middle Eastern Studies at Lagos State University (LASU), Amidu Olalekan Sanni, has called for sustained scholarship in Arabic, describing the language as a vital bridge in global knowledge transfer.
Sanni appealed while delivering the university’s 111th inaugural lecture titled “The Odyssey of a Theorist in Arabic-Islamic Scholarship: The Pain, the Gain and the Twain.” He noted that LASU has redefined the scholarly identity of Arabic in Nigeria’s university system, producing versatile graduates who excel in diverse fields.
“With every generation of scholars, we must sustain the sense and relevance of Arabic. After all, the classics of global science reached the world through Arabic translations. To abandon this heritage is to ignore a pillar of human civilisation,” he said.
The don also addressed stereotypes, noting that Arabic and Islamic studies have suffered from religiocentrism, tying the discipline narrowly to Islam, and ethnocentrism, which restricts it to Arab identity. He emphasised that these biases often deny recognition to non-native learners, especially Black Africans.
Sanni further advocated reforms in Nigeria’s higher education system. He added that the reforms should be extended to private and religion-oriented universities, which fall under the National Universities Commission’s regulatory framework.
On curriculum reform, he stressed the need for a review of the BA programme in Arabic to include courses on coding, leadership, communication, and emotional intelligence.
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