The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has revived its 32-year-old Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair in Business Ethics after several years without a substantive occupant.
The revival was marked by the inaugural public lecture of the FirstBank Samuel Asabia Professorial Chair in Business Ethics, held at the J.F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium of the university.
Established by FirstBank on February 4, 1994, in honour of the bank’s first Nigerian Managing Director and Chief Executive, Samuel Asabia, the Chair was created to promote teaching and research in business ethics and sustain an annual intellectual discourse on ethical leadership.
The Chair was initially endowed with N5 million to advance the study of Business Ethics at the university.
The initiative, however, remained largely dormant for several years as the university struggled to find a suitable occupant.
Speaking at the inaugural lecture, UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, explained that an attempt to fill the position in 2011 attracted no applicants.
She said another recruitment exercise in 2016 produced two applicants, with Prof. Kenneth Amaeshi emerging as the only qualified candidate. However, Amaeshi could not assume the position at the time because of the remuneration attached to the appointment.
According to Ogunsola, the reconstitution of the Chair’s Board of Trustees in 2025, under the chairmanship of Prof. Akin Osibogun, marked a significant step towards reviving the initiative.
A fresh recruitment exercise again produced two applicants, with Amaeshi emerging as the most qualified candidate. The university subsequently addressed the issues that had stalled the appointment, paving the way for his acceptance of the position.
The Vice-Chancellor said the appointment had given practical expression to the revival of the Chair, whose mandate covers teaching, postgraduate supervision, research, industry collaboration, public engagement and an annual public lecture.
She said the Chair should serve as a centre of intellectual leadership where academic research could contribute to societal development and address contemporary challenges.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Prof. Akin Osibogun, said the Board’s objective was to restore the original purpose of the endowment rather than merely administer it.
He said that following the Board’s reconstitution in 2025, members resolved to move the initiative “from dormancy to activity.”
Osibogun disclosed that Amaeshi had already begun contributing to the university’s academic activities. He said the professor taught two final-year courses during the second semester, reaching more than 1,000 students largely through virtual classes.
The courses were Corporate Social Responsibility and International Business. Amaeshi is also supervising a Doctor of Business Administration student at the university’s Business School.
The inaugural public lecture, titled “Ethical Paradoxes, Small Businesses, and the Informal Economy: Lessons for Tax Compliance and Accountability,” was delivered by Amaeshi.
In his presentation, Amaeshi examined the relationship between business ethics, taxation, public trust and Nigeria’s large informal economy.
He proposed the establishment of Tax Accountability Desks under the Office of the Tax Ombud to enable taxpayers to track how public revenue is utilised.
He also advocated linking annual tax collections to specific Sustainable Development Goals to help taxpayers better understand the public value of their contributions.
Amaeshi further argued that reluctance to pay taxes could, in some cases, be connected to a lack of confidence that tax contributions would result in visible public benefits. He also called for greater consideration of African realities when developing and applying economic theories and business practices.
The event was attended by FirstBank Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Olusegun Alebiosu; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma; academics, students and other stakeholders.
Alebiosu reaffirmed FirstBank’s commitment to education, ethical leadership and financial literacy, highlighting initiatives including the bank’s educational infrastructure programme, Future First financial literacy initiative and sponsorship of the CFA Society Nigerian Universities Ethics Challenge.
UNILAG and FirstBank said the revived Chair is expected to serve as a platform for teaching, research, policy engagement and the promotion of ethical leadership.
Download our Mobile App for easy access
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edutvmobile.ng&hl=en
Mobile App Lite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edutvng.lite
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.edutvmobile.ng&hl=en
Follow us on Youtube
https://youtube.com/@edutvnigeria
Follow us on LinkedIn -
https://ng.linkedin.com/company/edutvnigeria
Follow us on Instagram
https://instagram.com/edutvnigeria
Follow us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/edutvnigeria
