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Excellence got its due recognition and reward on Wednesday, December 6, 2023 at the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), University of Lagos when the cash prize of One thousand US dollars ($1,000) was presented to the winner of the 2023 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award, Dr. Muhammad Ribadu Ayuba.
The event, which held at the J.P. Clark building of the IADS, attracted the presence of esteemed academics, administrators, and dignitaries who gathered to applaud the exceptional contributions made by the winner to the field of African and Diaspora Studies.
“One of the world’s best …”
In his welcome address, Director of the Institute, Professor Muyiwa Falaiye, gave the rationale for the award ceremony and seized the opportunity to reel out the numerous achievements of the IADS in the outgoing year.
“We are gathered again, this morning, to celebrate the winner of the 2023 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award in African and Diaspora Studies. It is the 4th in the series, and I must tell you that the competition for this prestigious award keeps getting tougher. PhD graduates of the University of Ibadan have put in a dominant showing in this intellectual contest, and they are giving no signs of easing up, at least going by this year’s outcome”, he said.
He continued, “This event also affords us the opportunity to tell our success story as an Institute. Since our establishment in 2017 with a tripartite mandate for Teaching, Research, and Advocacy, we have grown so rapidly that you would not believe we are only 6 years in existence. In the outgoing year, the IADS got funding for seven research projects which are simultaneously going on, engaging all our research clusters. We produced two documentaries in the year, bringing to eight (8) the number of documentaries that the Institute has produced so far. One of the productions on Lagos Ownership & Identities has continued to enjoy increasing viewership on YouTube and contributing significantly to national discourse. Another documentary titled, NKUHO: The Fattening Room Tradition has been adopted as a teaching material for students of Anthropology in European universities. We are committed to the cause of reconfiguring African Studies research, just as we are invested in grooming the next generation of scholars who will carry the torch forward. Our PhD programme is proof of that. All of these and more point to the fact that, today, the IADS is one of the best institutes of African Studies in the world”.
Honour to whom it is due
Professor Falaiye, in the same breath, paid glowing tributes to the 11th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, in honour of whom the award was endowed, Professor Rahamon Bello, FAEng.
“All of the globally-acclaimed successes that our six-year old institute has recorded are a product of the foresight of Professor Rahamon Bello’s leadership and the hardworking staff of the institute. Anytime the history of IADS is being told, on account of his selfless and untiring work as Vice-Chancellor at the time of its establishment, it wouldn’t be too much to say that, “Without Bello, there won’t be IADS”.
“One of the best things to have happened during my tenure”
A visibly happy Professor Rahamon Bello expressed delight at being back at the IADS, University of Lagos. He commended the institute’s leadership and staff; and gave kudos to the University Management for its continued support of the institute.
“I am always delighted to be back at IADS; and I think it was one of the best things to have happened during my tenure. It is hard to believe that the institute is only 6years, because of the numerous successes that it has recorded in that period of time. The institute has been thriving in Research and Teaching. I believe that the Advocacy leg of its tripartite mandate is what it must push now, with an eye for impact and commercialisation”.
The Honoree congratulated all those who submitted entries to the contest, and the top three in particular. He encouraged them to consider themselves “world-class” and brace up for the challenges that lay ahead. As against the extant winner-takes-all arrangement of the award, Prof. Bello, out-of-pocket, gave cash prizes of $200 and $100 to the 1st and 2nd Runners-Up respectively. He also promised to endow cash prizes for the two Runner-Up positions, going forward, at a value that will be determined by the Institute.
“Stay back home!”
On hand to felicitate with the IADS and the winner of the Rahamon Bello Award was the doyen of Chemical Engineering at the University of Lagos, octogenarian Professor Ayodele Ogunye. He congratulated the winner, Dr. Muhammad Ribadu Ayuba, and urged him to stay back and deploy his knowledge for the good of his home country.
“Upon winning this prestigious award, I am sure that many universities in America will be looking for you. You have proven your mettle and it is proof that you can hold your own anywhere in the world. But, I urge you to stay back home! Stay back and utilise your knowledge for the development of your country. You will find fame and fortune here”, he said.
Commitment to excellent work
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogundipe, FAS, OON, also graced the occasion with her presence. She congratulated the institute and the winners, commending them for doing scholarship proud.
“I congratulate the IADS for consistency and growth. It is easy to start something, but difficult to continue. It is much more difficult to outdo yourself. The IADS has done that consistently and it is very commendable. The winners of today also have all the reasons to be proud of themselves. I congratulate you for believing in yourselves, for committing to the work in spite of the not-too-pleasant environment, and for putting yourselves out there. I urge us all, as scholars and professionals in different fields to commit to doing excellent work. If we are not appreciated here, we definitely will be recognised and appreciated outside. But, we must commit to excellence”.
Stand up for the Champion
It was with standing ovation that the award winner of the day, Dr. Muhammad Ribadu Ayuba, was ushered to the rostrum. The Sociology Lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was full of gratitude to God, his Supervisor, and the IADS for making the day a reality.
“I dedicate this award to my late Dad, who incidentally passed on in the month I was announced as winner of this prestigious award. I am grateful to God, my Supervisor, the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, UNILAG, and to my family for making this day happen. I am honoured and consider this a challenge to do more. I promise to keep doing my best”.
The Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award
The Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award in African and Diaspora Studies is named in honour of the distinguished 11th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Rahamon Bello. It is an esteemed accolade that recognizes outstanding doctoral research in the realm of African and Diaspora Studies. It is presented annually by the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, UNILAG to scholars who exhibit exceptional scholarship, originality, and a profound impact on the understanding of the African and African Diaspora experience.
The 2023 winner, Dr. Muhammad Ribadu Ayuba, emerged from a competitive pool of 18 candidates as the epitome of excellence in research and academic prowess. His winning thesis was titled The Social Context of Gentrification in Lagos State, Nigeria submitted to the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan in January 2023.
Dr. Oluwaseyi Omowunmi Popogbe, a lecturer at Crawford University, Igbesa, Ogun State, was the 1st Runner-Up with her thesis titled, Social Exclusion and Poverty in Selected Coastal Slum Areas in Lagos State, Nigeria, done at the University of Lagos and submitted in December 2022.
Dr. Charles Terseer Akwen, a lecturer at the University of Lagos, was the 2nd Runner-Up with his thesis titled, Notions of Identity in the Literary Creativity of Odia Ofeimun and Yang Mu, done at the University of Lagos and submitted in December 2022.
