Abuja: Lagos State University of Education (LASUED), in collaboration with Penn State University, USA, has launched an international summit aimed at promoting wellness and intersectional perspectives. The Vice-Chancellor of LASUED, Prof. Bidemi Lafiaji-Okuneye, inaugurated the event at the Senator Oluremi Tinubu Auditorium, Oto-Ijanikin, Lagos.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the three-day summit will address crucial topics such as wellness, inclusive education, health, food technology, mentorship, and community development. Prof. Lafiaji-Okuneye emphasized the significance of wellness as a multidimensional concept involving physical vitality, mental resilience, social equity, and environmental sustainability. She highlighted that the summit’s theme, ‘Advancing Wellness and Intersectional Perspectives,’ is a strategic necessity for contemporary society.
The Vice-Chancellor elaborated on the factors influencing wellness, including community realities, cultural knowledge systems, accessibility, and socio
-economic conditions. She traced LASUED’s commitment to wellness back to her tenure at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) and noted that it has continued through the merger with Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, leading to the establishment of LASUED in 2022.
Prof. Lafiaji-Okuneye detailed several initiatives undertaken by the institution, such as a workplace wellness engagement with the University of Chicago and the launch of a Health Week to tackle hidden illnesses. The summit aims to build on these initiatives through global dialogue on community-engaged scholarship, child development, food security, and inclusive mentorship.
Keynote speaker Prof. Mildred Boveda from the Erikson Institute, Chicago, stressed the importance of addressing conditions affecting people’s lives to advance wellness. She advocated for an intersectional analysis that considers race, ethnicity, language, gender, disability, and other factors, ensuring that food, housing, and digital health information
meet diverse needs.
Prof. Foluso Lesi, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Development Services at the University of Lagos, presented on Nigeria’s knowledge systems and their contributions to health, food, and child development. He highlighted various determinants of health and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Lesi also pointed out challenges such as misinformation and disinformation and emphasized the need for clear communication and engagement with cultural beliefs.
The summit, which includes plenary and parallel sessions on African knowledge systems, food and nutrition, and global education, will conclude with a tour of historical sites in Badagry on September 16.