The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Thursday, December 4, 2025, rolled out the red carpet to honour the winner of its 2025 Rahamon Bello Best Ph.D. Thesis Award in African Studies.
The J.P. Clark Building of the Institute served as the venue of the formal award presentation ceremony.
Setting the Tone
The event was flagged off by the University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development Services), Professor Foluso Afolabi Lesi who represented the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS.
He commended IADS-UNILAG for the level of its impact in the pursuit of knowledge and quality of research in African and Diaspora Studies. According to him, the diversity of winners since the award was instituted in 2020, underscored its afrocentric nature.
While appreciating the endower, Professor Rahamon Adisa Bello (11th Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG) for his vision and commitment to the award since inception, Prof Lesi also expressed satisfaction with the rigorous process f or the selection of winners. He added that this lends credence to the integrity of the award itself.
Instituting PRABETFUL
In his remarks, Endower of the Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award, Professor Rahamon Bello applauded the management of IADS for the vibrant leadership and commitment to the ideals of promoting African and diaspora studies.
According to him, IADS has lived up to its billings going by the volume and quality of research in African studies and the spread of winners since its inception.
The former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor announced the institution of the Professor Rahamon Bello Endowment Trust Fund, University of Lagos (PRABETFUL) as part of strategies to ensure the expansion and perpetuity of the Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award. He disclosed that as from 2026(the seventh edition), the star prize would be doubled and the prizes for the first and second runners up would be reviewed upward.
Similarly, Chairman of PRABETFUL, Engineer Afolabi Oladele, in his remarks said the fund underscores the nexus between the academia and the business world.
While appreciating Professor Rahamon Bello for his commitment to the award, Engr. Afolabi Oladele said the endowment trust fund, will, among other things, ensure the actualization of the endower’s vision of not only promoting African studies but also multidisciplinary research.
Honouring the Winners
Highpoint of the well-attended ceremony was the formal presentation of the 2025 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award to Rotimi Obateru (A lecturer at the Department of Geography, University of Ibadan, Nigeria). He smiled home with the star prize of One thousand dollars ($1,000) in recognition of scholarship as demonstrated in his thesis: “Dynamics of Urban Landscape Structure and its Impact on Ecosystem Services in the Rainforest and Guinea Savannah Eco region of Nigeria.” The thesis is for PhD (2025) in Climate Change and Human Habitat at the Federal University of Technology. Minna, Niger State.
It was not a winner takes all situation as the second prize winner,Dr Nombulelo Tholithemba Shange from the University of Free State, South Africa received the sum of three hundred dollars ($300) for her PhD Thesis titled “Identity and Environmental Harmony as Practised by Table Mountain Doctors: A Struggle over Land and African Healing Systems” being a research for a PhD (2024) in Anthropology.
The third prize of two hundred dollars ($200) went the way of Dr Abdullahi Babagana, a lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his thesis titled “Analysis of Terrorist Attack Places in Maiduguri, Nigeria” for a PhD (2025) in Urban and Regional Planning.
In his response, the star prize winner of the 2025 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award, Dr. Rotimi Obateru was full of gratitude to the University of Lagos, Institute of African and Diaspora Studies and Professor Rahamon Bello for the award. He adjudged the award a challenge to all scholars and scientists to recommit to diligence and excellence in research.
Testimonials
The ceremony provided a platform for the 2021 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award Winner; Dr Felix Oludare Ajiola (of the Department of History and Strategic Studies, UNILAG) to share his experience and journey since receiving the Award. He revealed that the award exposed him to a network of global scholars and earned him several opportunities including the position of Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford, England among several other grants and awards.
Statistics of Entries
Earlier in his remarks, the Director, IADS-UNILAG, Research Professor Ayodele Yusuff, said a total of thirty-eight (38) submissions were received for the 2025 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award. Out of this figure, thirty-three ( 33) came from Nigeria, three (3) from South Africa, one (1) from the Republic of Benin and one (1) from Ethiopia.
He acknowledged and appreciated the three external assessors (Professor Taiwo Oloruntoba-Oju of the University of Ilorin, Professor Innocent Msindo of Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa and Professor Renu Modi of the University of Mumbai, India) for their diligent cooperation which led to the choice of winners for the year.
About the Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award
The Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis in African and Diaspora Studies Award was instituted in 2020, to promote rigorous, focused and innovative scholarship in African Studies. It also seeks to support works that advance both theoretical and practical understanding of African realities, encourage and support early career scholars, while honouring the distinguished services of Professor Rahamon Bello, the 11th Vice-Chnacellor of the University of Lagos.
Report: Gbenga Gbelee
Photograph: Ayomide Oloyede
