A Professor of Graphics and Art History at Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State, Godwin Ogheneruemu Irivwieri, has warned that neglect of visual arts education poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s technological advancement, job creation efforts and cultural development.
Irivwieri gave the warning while delivering the university’s 2ndvaledictory lecture at the Senate Chamber on Tuesday. The lecture titled “Implications of Near Neglect of Visual Arts Studies in Educational Institutions in Emerging Economies: The Nigerian Experience,” marked the culmination of over four decades of teaching, research and community service in Fine and Applied Arts education.
The professor said visual arts studies have been largely overlooked in Nigerian educational institutions despite their immense contributions to innovation, entrepreneurship, architecture, technology, manufacturing and cultural preservation. He argued that the discipline should not be viewed merely as painting and sculpture but as a strategic tool for national development and economic growth.
According to him, the decline in visual arts education is driven by inadequate government funding, shortages of qualified teachers, poor learning facilities, negative societal perceptions and weak implementation of education policies. He noted that many schools no longer offer visual arts programmes, while some trained art teachers are assigned to teach subjects outside their areas of specialization.
Presenting data on enrolment trends, Irivwieri said participation in visual arts subjects in national examinations remains low compared to other disciplines, reflecting limited institutional support and declining interest among students. He warned that if the trend persists, Nigeria risks losing critical creative and technical skills required for industrialization and economic diversification.
The academic don maintained that visual arts education equips students with practical and entrepreneurial skills capable of generating employment and reducing poverty. He identified the consequences of neglecting the discipline as rising youth unemployment, reduced technological innovation, poor policy implementation and the gradual disappearance of visual arts programmes from educational institutions.
To reverse the trend, he called on federal and state governments to fully implement visual arts curricula, recruit and train more art teachers, provide scholarships for art education students and integrate visual artists into national development projects. He also advocated for the establishment of dedicated Faculties of Visual Arts in Nigerian universities and increased investment in museums, art exhibitions and cultural tourism.
Earlier, while declaring the programme open, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Daniel Nwachukwu, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Romanus Ejiaga described inaugural and valedictory lectures as important pillars of university culture that preserve scholarship, institutional memory and academic excellence. He said such lectures enrich intellectual life, inspire younger academics and serve as enduring records of scholarly contributions, thereby encouraging professors who are yet to present their inaugural lectures to do so as a vital academic responsibility and a mark of professional distinction.
The Vice-Chancellor also urged senior academics approaching retirement to prepare and deliver valedictory lectures to ensure that their decades of research, teaching and mentorship are adequately documented and transmitted to future generations, adding that under his administration, inaugural and valedictory lectures would continue to occupy their rightful place in the university’s academic tradition.
Nwachukwu commended Irivwieri for his distinguished service to the institution as a scholar, researcher, teacher and Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. He noted that the professor’s scholarship has advanced his discipline while his mentorship has shaped numerous students and younger academics.
“As Prof. Irivwieri retires from active service, we do not say goodbye to his wisdom and experience. Rather, we thank him for his years of meritorious service and wish him excellent health, fulfillment and new opportunities in retirement,” he said.
The event attracted members of the university senate, academic staff, students and invited guests who gathered to celebrate Irivwieri’s contributions to higher education and Fine and Applied Arts scholarship that climaxed with presentation of academic robe symbolizing Irivwieri as a distinguished Professor of the university.
