It was indeed a pleasure to have Dr. J. Shola Omotola open up on his tremendous achievements in relatively short years in the academia. I find his story particularly inspiring and that which the younger generation of scholars will definitely benefit from. A few years ago, a reputed professor in an informal discussion with me in South Africa, remarked with all sense of confidence, that “Shola is a phenomenon!...Many professors with long years of service in the university do not possess what he has in publication record.” Interestingly, Dr. Omotola is a thoroughbred Nigeria-made academic, having completed his BSc. (Hons.), MSc. and Ph.D. at University of Ilorin and University of Ibadan, respectively, which debunks the theory that one must leave Nigeria to acquire a foreign qualification to be successful.

I consider him the most published scholar in the social sciences amongst the new generation of Nigerian scholars, which he disclaims out of his very humble nature. But this goes beyond exaggeration, it is a matter of fact. My conclusion is based on a content analysis of contributions in reputable publications (not predatory ones) of the Nigerian social sciences scholars who got their PhDs in the 2000s. Clearly, a simple search on Google Scholar would confirm that Shola Omotola, with over one hundred pieces of quality writings and 843 Google Scholar citations, has been the most visible in that category of scholars both at home and abroad. His writings cover different areas in the political sciences including African politics, elections and democratisation, oil and environmental politics in the Niger Delta, conflict and terrorism, foreign policy analysis, academic corruption, and development question in Nigeria.

Interview by Hakeem Onapajo

Read interview here: http://www.nigerianacademia.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3766&action=edit