| 词条 | Draft:PROFESSOR LATTEE ADISA (ADEES) FAHM |
| 释义 |
Lattee Adisa Fahm (1930–1998), University Professor of Economics and Public Policy practitioner was the first black person to obtain a PhD in Economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT, 1963). EducationLattee Fahm was born in Lagos, Nigeria on 2nd May 1930 to Alhaja Suwebatu Ayanke Odunewu Fahm. He moved to Ghana in his teens, staying with an uncle as he furthered his secondary education. In the early 1950s he won a scholarship to study in the USA. Upon arrival in the US, Fahm first enrolled at Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa California. He subsequently received a bachelor’s degree in Economics from UC Berkeley in 1957. After graduating, he was admitted to MIT, where he earned a PHD in Economics in 1963, becoming the first black person to do so[1]. His dissertation, A Study in Economic-Functional Analysis of Government Spending, Nigeria: 1951-1960 was supervised by Professor Paul Samuelson, (1970 Nobel Economics Prize winner). As a student in the US, Lattee Fahm keenly shared his African heritage, giving talks and presentations on Nigerian culture. In a particular presentation where he spoke about the Religions of Africa, the Healdsburg Tribune reported: “After giving a picture of the native beliefs and customs, Fahm outlined the influence of revealed religions such as Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Bhuddism, etc.”. [2] Personal LifeLattee Fahm was born into a family of Islamic scholars and merchants, and he grew up around the Oluwole and Aroloya quarters of Lagos Island. His grandfather was one of earliest settlers in Lagos who followed the wave of movement from the British Western Protectorate of Nigeria to the British Colony of Lagos in the second half of the 19th century. By the turn of the century, the Fahm family had become very successful in the colony of Lagos as merchant traders and religious scholars. Ali Fahm, an uncle, was one of the most influential merchants and Islamic scholars in Lagos in the early 20th century. A cousin, Sikiru Fahm (MBE) became one of the first black ethnic minorities to be conferred the Queen’s Counsel title in the United Kingdom. Adekunle Fahm, another cousin, was a Chartered Accountant and the first Treasurer of Lagos City Council, Lagos, in the 1970s. In contemporary Nigeria, the current Commissioner for Science and Technology of Lagos State, Professor Hakeem Fahm (2017- ) is also his cousin. During his days as first a student, and then a professor in Boston, Fahm maintained a closely-knit group of friends, mostly Nigerians studying in the Boston area. Among key members of his group that discussed Nigerian affairs from time to time are Dr. Chu Okongwu, former Minister of Finance, and Ayo Ogunseye[3]. Fahm took a keen interest in the political goings on back home in Nigeria, which was then a period of military rule. He often used the catchphrase ‘the military boys’ when talking about the latest incidences involving the military elite of the day. Professor Fahm loved nature and wildlife, and was known to be at his most relaxed when within nature. He loved trekking and boating. During his time as a Visiting professor at the University of Lagos, Fahm would often take out a cockboat, navigating the waterways and eddies of the burgeoning Maroko area. He enjoyed talking to the local fishermen and residents of Maroko. Later, in the USA, he loved running in nature and did so consistently until ill health prevented this pastime. Out as early as 6am, he would run up to 15 miles through Tilden Park fire trail from its beginning at Inspiration Point through to El Sobrante in the Berkeley Hills, California. Professor Fahm was an ardent chess player and belonged to the Chess Federation of America. He was someone who defined the term ‘thinking outside the box’. One of his un-documented theories, though discussed among friends, was 'how feasible it would be to collect solar energy by means of mirrored geo-synchronous satellites harnessing the power of the sun' and transmitting to Earth (early 1980s). Professor Fahm died on 24th May 1998 in Oakland, California. He is survived by Shade Thomas Fahm (married 1970) - who became a major force in Nigerian society in her own right, becoming the first internationally acclaimed Nigerian fashion designer. Shade’s Boutique which she created worked to popularize traditional, locally woven Nigerian fabrics, and fashion styles from the 1950’s though the 1980’s. Their only child Fauzi Abdul-Aziz Fahm was born in 1972. Professor Fahm is also survived by Carolyn Fahm (married 1985) a biomedical scientist who worked in numerous institutions (Moffitt Hospital, University of California; San Francisco General Hospital; Kaiser Regional Laboratory, Berkeley) and the University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey. CareerProfessor Fahm’s career pursuit was mainly academic, economic consulting and policy-making. In addition to stints at MIT, he also taught and researched at Harvard University. In the course of his professional career, Prof Fahm worked with the United Nations as an Economist, and also taught at several universities in the US. In 1964 he was approached by Chief Simeon Ola Adebo, Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the United Nations, to return to Nigeria to offer his talents for the development of the country. Professor Fahm did so, and became a Visiting Professor at the University of Lagos, until his departure back to the US in 1971. During his period at the University of Lagos, Fahm was known for ardently advancing the institutional meritocracy, and opposing various political infrastructures that prevailed at the time. He argued that lecturers should be just lecturers and not also part-time entrepreneurs, or engaged in other jobs, which might lead to conflicts of interest with the student body. In 1974 he spent a year at UNITAR: The United Nations Institute of Training and Research, before a return to Berkeley, California. In 1978 he began his own consultancy: Economic Research Associates in Berkeley. He was the Executive Director of Economic Research Associates up until his death in 19984]. Key IdeasProfessor Fahm’s work reflects his wide knowledge of development economics. Some of his better-known ideas are: The challenge of human waste management Professor Fahm is one of the earliest scholars to recognize the challenge of human waste management, and how it can be turned into a societal advantage. In The Waste of Nations[6], he pioneered the use of the term “social poleconecologist”, in the context of explaining the processing and application of humanure for its agro-nutrient content. The term brings the interplay of ecology together with the dominant role of economics and politics in policy making.[7] Fahm concluded "In today's world [1980], some 4.5 billion people produce excretal matters at about 5.5 million metric tons every twenty-four hours, close to two billion metric tons per year. [Humanity] now occupies a time/growth dimension in which the world population doubles in thirty-five years or less. In this new universe, there is only one viable and ecologically consistent solution to the body waste problems” - the use of human waste in agriculture. Government Expenditure. In a Study in Economic-Functional Analysis of Government Spending, Nigeria: 1951-1960 (MIT 1963), Professor Fahm provided deep insights into government spending patterns in the colonial Nigeria economy. Role of Research: In the early 1960s, as many African countries became independent, Fahm argued that research can provide solutions for many of the pressing problems faced by these countries. While recognizing that African states may not have the financial wherewithal to undertake rigorous research that could be beneficial, he called for greater cooperation between African states and advanced countries that may be interested in funding such research. His basic concern is that only research aimed at problem solving and providing practical solutions should be given priority. In International Organization and African Economic Growth[8] Professor Fahm developed a framework of how the newly independent African countries can effectively use membership of international organizations to advance economic growth. References----[1] The Desegregation of an Elite Economics Department'sPhD Program: Black Americans at MIT https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278407940 [2] Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar, Number 31, 21 April 1955 https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=HTES19550421.2.73&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu_Okongwu . See also Okongwu, 1987 [5] https://www.jstor.org/stable/523110 [6] https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/1440087 [7] G.E. Lasker (editor) The Quality of Life: Systems Approaches: Proceedings of the International Congress on Applied Systems Research and Cybernetics Elsevier, May 20, 2014 [8] Economic Transition in Africa (1964) https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-transition-in-africa/oclc/681327343 The Nigerian Industrial Production Index University of Lagos, 1968 References |
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