The Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS) at the University of Lagos has announced Dr. Oluseyi Rotimi Obateru as the winner of the 2025 Rahamon Bello Best PhD Thesis in African Studies Award.
The lecturer from the Department of Geography at the University of Ibadan was presented with a $1,000 prize during a ceremony held on Thursday, honoring his doctoral research titled “Dynamics of Urban Landscape Structure and its Impact on Ecosystem Services in the Rainforest and Guinea Savanna Ecoregions of Nigeria.”
Dr. Obateru, who earned his PhD in Climate Change and Human Habitat from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, was supervised by Profs. Apollonia Okhimamhe, Olutoyin Fashae, and Dr. Christopher Conrad.
The Director of IADS, Prof. Ayo Yusuf, praised the thesis as an important contribution to urban environmental studies, particularly for its focus on Nigeria’s Guinea Savanna region, and commended its comprehensive literature review and methodological rigor.
The first runner-up was Tholithemba Nombulelo Shange from South Africa, recognized for her thesis “Identity and Environmental Harmony as Practiced by Table Mountain Doctors: A Struggle Over Land and African Healing Systems.” The second runner-up was Abdullahi Babagana of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, for his work “Analysis of Terrorist Attack Places in Maiduguri, Nigeria.”
During the event, it was announced that the award program would now be managed by the Professor Rahamon Bello Endowment Trust Fund, University of Lagos (PRABETFUL), established to ensure its sustainability and expansion. Prof. Rahamon Bello, the 11th Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG and initiator of the award, revealed that the prize money would be increased starting in 2026, with the first-place award doubling to $2,000, with aspirations to eventually raise it to $10,000 to further encourage high-quality research across disciplines.
In her remarks, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Afolabi Lesi, commended the institute for maintaining a rigorous and credible selection process and highlighted the award’s pan-African reach since its inception in 2020. The winner, Dr. Obateru, described the recognition as historic and inspiring, urging scholars across the continent to pursue diligent and impactful research.
