ABSTRACT
The Senior Staff of the leading university of Nigeria is, in the nature of the case, the kingpin of the country’s entire mandarinate. The vast majority of the Senior Staff are at least nominally Christian by religion but, for many of them, especially expatriates, that fact is of little subjective significance. Ethnic and linguistic diversity are, of course, reflected in a wide variety of diet, life style, family structure, and other cultural differences among the Senior Staff. The Senior Staff are as diverse in social origins as they are in cultures and life styles. Functionally, the Senior Staff are subdivided into four major segments, namely the teachers, the administrators, the research and technical personnel and the library staff. Housing allocation is a source of intense competition among the Senior Staff because the size, location and style of one’s house are such highly visible symbols of status.
