With the high failure rate of businesses in Nigeria, Covenant University’s 12th Public Lecture will take a critical look at the negative effects of abnormal behavourial syndrome in the management of business enterprises, especially those owned by government, on the country’s all overall national development.

The lecture, titled, " Management by Self-Punishment and Our National Progress," will be delivered by a renowned expert in organizational behaviour, Professor Joseph Abiodun Bello on Thursday, April 26, 2007 at the University Chapel.

Professor Bello is currently Head of Department of Business Studies and pioneer Co-ordinator of the University’s Staff Parley, an innovative and creative forum periodically organize by the University to enable its faculty and staff contribute ideas to "guide public policy formulation and implementation".

An international business scholar of high repute, Professor Bello before joining the Covenant University faculty, was at different times the Dean of Faculty of Business and Head, Department of Business Administration of the University of Lagos.

He is an advisor to small business groups of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria.

Professor Bello has published widely in reputable outlets across the continents of the world. His research interests span across the fields of organisational behaviour, Administration, culture and management practices in Nigeria and perception process/ leadership dynamics in creative learning organisations.

The Public Lecture will be chaired by the Chancellor of Covenant University, Dr David Oyedepo and the venue is the University Chapel, Canaan Land, Ota by 3.00 pm.

CITATION ON PROFESSOR JOSEPH ABIODUN BELLO

GOD FIRST! TO GOD BE THE GLORY! The birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ is remembered on Christmas Day. Professor Joseph Abiodun Bello shares the same birthday with our Saviour and Redeemer. He was born on December 25, 1938 to the family of Pa Oni Bello and Madam Folashade Bello, at Ilesa, then Oyo State, but now known as Osun State.

He attended the Salvation Army Primary School, Isokun, Ilesa, up till Standard Four, when he transferred to the Holy Trinity Primary School, Omofe, also at Ilesa for his Primary Five and Six classes, to complete his Primary school education in 1954.

He was a pioneer student of the newly introduced Secondary Modern School System by the then Oyo State in 1955. He attended Council Secondary Modern School, Ilesa from 1955 to 1957, where he obtained the Secondary Modern School Certificate. On the basis of performance on a competitive merit examination conducted by the State Ministry of Education for Modern Three classes in 1957, he was the Second best student out of the Fifteen in Oyo State. The reward for the Fifteen students being direct commission into the Oyo State Public Service with an unusually attractive salary. Professor Bello was not to take advantage of that award for two reasons:
(a). He was posted to the State Ministry of Health at Ibadan as anAssistant Leprosy Inspector. That reward did not exactly ,sound amusing to him, parents, classmates, and friends. The traditional prejudice and fears regarding contact with leprosy patients then could not be overcome.

(b). The requirement of the posting to get him outside the rather familiar, serene, and youthfully rollicking Ilesa environ of those days was simply not attractive enough.
He remained at Ilesa from 1958 to 1961 combining teaching in Primary schools with private tuition studies first for the "Qualifying Test in English Language" (QT), needed to take subjects at the GCE level. And after QT, taking Ordinary and Advanced level papers. He had eight (8) OL papers and four (4) Advanced Level subjects needed to enter University.

In early 1962, a new concept of University education introduced by the Ashby Report, led to the establishment of University of Lagos. A Faculty of Commerce and Administration and a Faculty of Law, emerged. Professor Bello had another opportunity to be a pioneer student in the Faculty of Commerce and Administration. The University was to be non-residential with students spending the first and final years in residence, while spending the second year outside.

He maintained a rented room at Ishaga Road, while the temporary lecture halls were a Secondary School building at Idi-Araba, near the Teaching Hospital.
The first hostel was at some unused newly completed residential extension of the Baptist Academy Secondary School, at Ikorodu Road. The University
Permanent Site at Akoka was gradually taking shape for most of the: three and half years of the Bachelor's degree programme. Some misunderstandings regarding the selection and re-appointment of the first Vice-Chancellor led to some chaos, leading to the closure of the Institution.

The final year degree examinations were taken in November 1965 (rather than in June).
He made a 2.1 in the B.Sc (Hons) degree examinations. He, and two other students in his class were invited by the University of Lagos as Graduate Assistants to pursue academic career from January 1966. He participated in the USAID - NIGERIA: AFGRAD Fellowship leading to his MBA (Management) at GBA - NYU in 1968. According to the programme, he had to return to Nigeria with the MBA first to explore the business education terrain as a teacher. He later returned to the USA in 1971 for studies in NYU - GBA, and the University of Kansas, Lawrence for his Ph.D degree in organizational Behaviour and Administration, in 1978.

He returned to University of Lagos in 1978 and rose through the ranks of Assistant Lecturer - Lecturer 11 - Lecturer I - Senior Lecturer (1980) Associate Professor (1986) - Professor (1990).
At different times, he was Acting Head and Head of Business Administration Department, and also Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration from 1995 to 1997.
Professor Bello supervised the first Ph.D grandaunt of the Department of Business in 1990, and also two others in 1991 and 2000. He was a co supervisor of three other Ph.D students.

His current research interests are in the areas of
(i). Culture and Management Practices in Nigeria (with a longitudinal Focus).
(ii). Perceptual Processes, and
(iii). Leadership Dynamics Impacting Creative Learning Organizations.
Professor Bello served on many administrative committees as member and chairman. He was chairman of the Faculty of Business Research Committee, and representative on the Central Research Committee of Senate from 1985 to 1994.

He was the pioneer Editor-in-Chief of NASMET: Journal of Management Education and Training (published by the Nigerian Association of Schools of Management Education and Training) February 1981 to April 1984.

Also, the pioneer Editor-in-Chief of JORSON: Journal of Operational Research Society of Nigeria (published by the Operational Society of Nigeria) January 1982 to date.

He retired from the services of the University of Lagos in December 2003, after putting in 37 years plus. He came to Covenant University on contract from September 2004 to date. He has been HOD, Business Studies, since, besides being a member of Senate, a member of Post Graduate Committee, member of Research and Development Committee, and Parley Coordinator,
from 2004 to April 2006.

The three programmes of Marketing, Business Administration, and Industrial Relations and Human Resources Management housed by Department of Business Studies were fully accredited by the NUC till December 31, 2010.
Professor Bello has attended International Conferences in Madrid, Spain; USA; Canada, and UK. He has over 30 papers published in national and international Journals, besides co-editing three book.
Professor Bello is an Ordained Elder in the Apostolic Church Glorious Vision.