For immediate release
iRead Initiative, a higher education policy think tank dedicated to producing rigorous, independent research and advancing evidence-based policy reforms in Nigeria, announces its Academic Advisory Council today. The eight scholars and practitioners on the Council will steer and guide iRead’s research toward its vision: a Nigerian higher education system in which every student who qualifies for university admission can access it, afford it, thrive within it, and graduate into meaningful economic opportunity.
Prof. Sola Akinrinade, Professor of African Diplomatic History and International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University and pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University, chairs the Council. Joining him are Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan; Prof. Isaac N. Obasi, Professor of Public Administration; Asst. Prof. Jake Effoduh, UNESCO Expert on AI and the Rule of Law; Grace Chimezie, technology policy and data specialist; Deborah Tolu-Kolawole, development communication specialist and journalist; Jamila Idris, policy strategist; and Adeoluwa Folami of Morgan State University, USA.
The Council will advise iRead’s leadership on its research agenda, strengthen the rigor, relevance, and independence of its analysis, and sharpen its impact on Nigerian higher education policy. Findings and editorial decisions remain iRead’s own.
The Council combines three kinds of experience. Prof. Akinrinade, Prof. Olayinka, and Prof. Obasi bring decades of university leadership, research management, and higher education policy scholarship. Prof. Effoduh, Ms. Chimezie, and Ms. Idris bring expertise in technology governance, data, and institutional design. Ms. Kolawole and Ms. Folami connect the work to public communication and to the experience of students moving through institutional systems.
“These eight scholars and practitioners will hold our research to the highest standard and reinforce our commitment to independent, evidence-based analysis of Nigeria’s higher education system,” says Jacob Sule, Executive Director of iRead Initiative.
The Council joins iRead as its policy research expands. Current briefs examine who gains admission to Nigeria’s tertiary institutions and whether the NELFUND student loan scheme can sustain itself. iRead also maintains a monthly Policy Tracker covering JAMB, NUC, NELFUND, TETFund, and the Federal Ministry of Education.
Council members
Prof. Sola Akinrinade is a Professor of African Diplomatic History and International Relations at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He was the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Osun State University from 2007 to 2012 and pioneer Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria from 2014 to December 2020. He is the Immediate Past President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters.
Prof. Abel Idowu Olayinka is a geophysicist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He led the university into the Times Higher Education 401–500 band, established four new faculties and 22 departments, and strengthened undergraduate admissions. He founded the West African Research and Innovation Management Association and chaired the Board of the African Research Universities Alliance.
Prof. Isaac N. Obasi is a Professor of Public Administration who specializes in public policy, labor relations, higher education policy, and public sector reforms. He taught for 44 years at four universities, including the University of Abuja, and has authored eight books, more than 80 academic publications, and more than 360 newspaper articles on higher education policy.
Asst. Prof. Jake Effoduh is an Assistant Professor at the Lincoln Alexander School of Law of Toronto Metropolitan University. His expertise is in AI governance and international law. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Transnational Technology Law Review and a UNESCO Expert on AI and the Rule of Law.
Grace Chimezie is a technology policy and data specialist with more than a decade of experience across communications, data analysis, learning design, and program management. She holds dual master’s degrees in technology policy and health informatics and oversees data implementation for U.S. government-funded fellowship programs.
Deborah Tolu-Kolawole is an award-winning development communication specialist and journalist. She leads Reform Education Nigeria, which champions equitable access to quality education and youth participation in shaping Nigeria’s education future.
Jamila Idris is a policy strategist whose experience spans public service in Kaduna State, the Bauchi State Ministry of Education, and nonprofit leadership. She completed the Policy, Strategy and Leadership Course at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.
Adeoluwa Folami is a doctoral scholar in the Higher Education Administration cohort at the School of Education and Urban Studies at Morgan State University and a pre-doctoral fellow at the Center for Urban Health Equity. Her research examines international students’ experiences with institutional systems and structures.