Prof Ayodele Yusuff, the Director of Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS) at UNILAG
The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS) at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has named Rotimi Oluseyi Obateru, a lecturer in the Department of Geography at the University of Ibadan, as the recipient of the 2025 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis Award in African Studies.
The announcement was made recently by the Institute’s Director, Research Professor Ayodele Yusuff, at the J.P. Clark Building. The award attracted 38 submissions, including 33 from Nigeria, 3 from South Africa, and 1 from the Republic of Benin.
Obateru’s winning thesis, Dynamics of Urban Landscape Structure and its Impact on Ecosystem Services in the Rainforest and Guinea Savannah Eco-regions of Nigeria, was completed in 2025 for his PhD in Climate Change and Human Habitat at the Federal University of Technology, Minna.
First runner-up was Nombulelo Tholithemba Shange of the University of Free State, South Africa, for her PhD thesis on African healing systems and environmental harmony. The second runner-up, Abdullahi Babagana of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, was recognised for his research on terrorist attack locations in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
The official award presentation will take place on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at the IADS Gallery in the J.P. Clark Building. Established in 2020, the award honours Professor Rahamon Bello, UNILAG’s 11th Vice-Chancellor, for his support of African Studies.
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