Introduction
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), a first-generation public university in Nigeria (Fafunwa Reference Fafunwa1971: 23; Okafor Reference Okafor1971: 2; Ike Reference Ike1976: 3), was established as the University of Ife in 1961 by the Government of Western Region of Nigeria (Akintoye Reference Akintoye1973: 5). It was renamed in 1987 in honour of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, one of its founding fathers and first premier of Western Region from 1954 to 1959, by the Federal Military Government (Omosini and Adediran Reference Omosini, Adediran, Omosini and Adediran1989: cvii). Located in the city of Ile-Ife, the acknowledged ancestral home of the Yoruba, the University has carved a niche for itself as an academic centre in the sciences, technology and humanities in its over sixty years of existence – its graduates doing well in all areas of human endeavours across the globe.
The Department of History was one of the pioneer academic units of the University at inception of academic activities in 1962 (Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 2017: 5), enrolling nineteen students in October 1962 and graduating its first set of students in 1965 (University of Ife 1967: 13). Its first Head of Department was Prof. N. Montgomery Hyde while Prof. I. A. Akinjogbin was the first Nigerian academic staff member, appointed in 1963 (Arifalo and Oshin Reference Arifalo, Oshin, Omosini and Adediran1989: 21). From 1966 to 1982, Prof. Akinjogbin steered the affairs of the Department as its Head and laid the foundations upon which the Department’s later achievements were built by successive scholars up to the present.
The Department of History at OAU has produced thousands of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates since inception (Obafemi Awolowo University 2023). Graduate training started immediately. It produced its first set of BA degrees in 1965 and, by 1977, produced its first doctoral student in the person of Gabriel Isola Olomola who later had a fruitful academic career in the Department and attained his professorship in 1997 before retiring in 2005.
Against this background, this article examines the development of doctoral training in the Department of History at OAU and provides bibliographical and historiographical analyses of the doctoral theses submitted to the Department from 1977 to 2021.
Documentary resources for doctoral research in the Department of History at Ife
Since its inception in 1962, the Department of History has developed expertise in many spheres of historical study such as the social, political, economic and diplomatic history of Nigeria, Africa and other parts of the world. Postgraduate studies started very early in 1967 when the university moved to its permanent site at Ile-Ife (Obafemi Awolowo University 2005: 129). To facilitate research activities, the Department began in 1967 to collect archival materials especially on the nineteenth-century history of Nigeria and Yorubaland and began to admit postgraduate students. By the early 1970s, the Department had produced a number of graduates with Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degrees in History. In 1977, the Department produced its first doctoral graduate (University of Ife 1967: 27).
The postgraduate studies aimed to give advanced training to potential academics and to train teachers of history in schools (Obafemi Awolowo University 2005: 129). Graduates of postgraduate historical studies at Ife are well prepared for jobs in public administration as well as in the private sector of the Nigerian and global economies. These graduates are particularly trained for appointments in foreign affairs and diplomatic missions in the field of African external relations as interpreters, attaché, consuls, and so on.
Doctoral students have access to the Departmental Teaching Archives and other repositories within and outside OAU. The Africana Section of the University’s Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library is well-equipped and holds manuscripts, photocopies and microfilms, and a rich body of materials on the twentieth century history of Nigeria made up largely of British local colonial administrative records and newspapers (Obafemi Awolowo University 2023). The Department has also benefited from its proximity to the research library of the University of Ibadan, the National Archives at Ibadan, the Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, the National Library, Lagos, and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos.
The major documentary repository for doctoral studies at Ife is the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library. This is the main University Library named after the university’s second Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hezekiah Oluwasanmi (1966–75), a renowned agriculturist (Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library 1978: 1; Omosini and Adediran Reference Omosini, Adediran, Omosini and Adediran1989: 6). The Africana Section and other units of the library hold invaluable documentary resources required for doctoral studies. As of 2022, the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library contains over 500,000 volumes. It consists of two main areas: the Undergraduate Areas and the Research Areas. It also has the Serials Collection for journals, the Africana Section for collections of rare and other books of primary interest to people whose fields of interest are in African Studies, staff publications and theses submitted for higher degrees of the University as well as of other universities. There is also the Documents Collection which includes official publications of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the old regional governments, the present state governments and the Federal Capital Territory. The Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library also holds publications of other African government and international organizations (Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library 1978: 2; Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 2017: 8–11).
In addition, the Reference Collections house dictionaries, encyclopaedias, handbooks, directories, atlases, and university calendars. Also, bibliographies, indexes and abstracts are available in the Bibliography Room. There is also a newspaper clipping file dating back to October 1985 and a vertical file of reprints and other pamphlet-type materials which are kept in the Reference Room.
As well as the documentary resources at the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library, there are other mini-libraries within OAU where useful collections on diverse historical topics are kept. These include the Law Library and the Faculty Libraries of Social Sciences, Education, Administration and Environmental Design and Management. These Faculty libraries hold useful monographs, journals and periodicals as well as newspapers and magazines which can be accessed by doctoral researchers. Cognate departments within the University such as Philosophy, Music, Foreign Languages, Dramatic Arts, Linguistics and African Languages, Religious Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Sociology, Demography and Social Statistics, have departmental libraries with rich documentary resources for historical research (Obafemi Awolowo University 2017).
The duration of doctoral training in the Department of History at Ife is six semesters of rigorous coursework, seminars and research. A candidate is required to undertake a programme of supervised research work on an approved topic. Not later than three semesters after first registration, a doctoral student is required to take and pass a qualifying examination. Finally, a PhD candidate is required to submit, at the end of his/her research, a thesis of about 80,000 words which will be examined by a panel of experts drawn from within and outside the University (Obafemi Awolowo University 2005: 131–2).
Bibliographic descriptions of doctoral theses in the Department of History, 1977–2021
A total of twenty-nine doctoral theses have been submitted, examined and awarded in the Department of History between 1977 and 2021. These theses and authors are listed below.
G. I. Olomola: Pre-colonial Patterns of Inter-state Relations in Eastern Yorubaland (1977)
This 436-page thesis is the first doctoral thesis submitted to the Department of History in 1977. Authored by Gabriel Isola Olomola and supervised by Prof. Stephen Adebanji Akintoye, the thesis examines the institutions and practice of interstate diplomatic relations among the states in Eastern Yorubaland (Olomola Reference Olomola1977). The study identifies the states of Eastern Yorubaland including Ife, Ijesa, Igbomina, Ekiti, Akoko, Owo, Ond, Ilaje, Ikale as well as Iyagba, Ijumu, Abunu, Oworo and Gbede. It examines the pre-colonial political developments and inter-state relations among these states and their peoples. The author shows that eastern Yorubaland has been largely neglected in Yoruba historiography even though a number of prominent Yoruba sub-groups and kingdoms occupied the region from the early period. He also establishes that these states had been in existence about five centuries before the British colonization of Yorubaland in the nineteenth century. The study reveals that these states had considerable political, social and economic interactions among themselves in times of war and peace long before the coming of the Europeans. It concludes that the interstate relations among these Yoruba states were rooted in their beliefs in common heritage, strong religious connections, intermarriages and commercial relations. A number of articles and contributions have been published by the author from this thesis (Olomola Reference Olomola1981; Reference Olomola1984; Reference Olomola2005). Prof. G. I. Olomola had a fulfilling academic career in the Department of History at Ife until his retirement in 2005.
A. A. Adediran: The Emergence of the Western Yoruba Kingdoms: a study in the process of states formation among the Yoruba (1980)
Submitted by Abiodun Adebayo Adediran in 1980 and supervised by Prof. Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin, this 363-page thesis examines the origin and growth of states and kingdoms in Western Yorubaland, now in the modern Republic of Benin. The thesis posits that the emergence of kingdoms in the Yorùbá culture area was closely linked with the concept of adé ìlękę (beaded crown with a fringe over the face) as the symbol of political authority (Adediran Reference Adediran1980: i–ii). The possession of adé ìlękę by an individual or a group was related primarily to the association with Odùduwà, the legendary progenitor of the Yorùbá, whose epoch in Ilé-Ifę is believed to be the first to be associated with the development of dynastic kingship and a Yorùbá ethnic identity. It argues that from the nucleus at Ilé-Ifę, the Odùduwà type of kingship institution diffused to other parts of Yorùbáland including the five principal Yoruba kingdoms in Western Yorubaland namely Arada, Inana, Popo, Ketu and Sabe. The thesis concludes that the founders of these kingdoms migrated from Ile-Ife during the dispersal period of Yoruba princes around the thirteenth century. This thesis was published as a 210-page book (Adediran Reference Adediran1994). The author, Prof. A. A. Adediran had a fruitful academic career in the Department of History at OAU from October 1976 to January 2023.
O. O. Falola: The Political Economy of Ibadan, c.1830–1900 (1981)
This thesis of 487 pages was submitted by Oluwatoyin (Toyin) Omoyeni Falola in 1981 under the supervision of Dr Olusegun Osoba. The thesis investigates the early history of the politics, economy and society of Ibadan up to the beginning of colonial rule in 1900. It shows that Ibadan was one of the successor states after the fall of the old Oyo Empire in Yorubaland in the nineteenth century (Falola Reference Falola1981: iv). The study reveals that Ibadan started as a haven and then a home for restless and ambitious soldiers and embittered refugees following the fall of Oyo and resultant confusions in nineteenth-century Yorubaland. The foundation of the political economy of Ibadan was laid between 1830 and 1850 and this was favoured by the agricultural and commercial potentialities of the new settlement. Due to its unique political system which emphasised military prowess and skills over royalty or patronage, Ibadan defeated its greatest rival – Ijaye – and eventually became the most powerful state in Yorubaland, filling the power vacuum created by the fall of Oyo. The thesis concludes that, at the height of its power, Ibadan controlled more than half of Yorubaland and held sway till the end of Ekitiparapo wars and the British colonization of Yorubaland towards the end of the nineteenth century. This thesis has since been reworked and published as a 229-page book (Falola Reference Falola1984). Toyin Falola started his career at the Department of History at OAU in 1977 and attained the rank of Senior Lecturer before relocating to the United States where he became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin.
S. O. Arifalo: The Egbe Omo Oduduwa: a study of ethnic and cultural nationalism (1983)
This thesis, supervised by Prof. Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin, has 401 pages and was submitted by Stephen Oladipo Arifalo in 1983. The thesis examines the origin, formation and activities of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa (the Society of the Descendants of Oduduwa, the cultural hero and progenitor of the Yoruba people) which was founded by Chief Obafemi Awolowo and a group of Yoruba students in London in 1945. It establishes that the Egbe Omo Oduduwa was formally organized in Lagos in December 1947 and inaugurated in Ile-Ife in June 1948 under the pioneer presidency of Chief Adeyemo Alakija (Arifalo Reference Arifalo1983: i–ii). It also reveals that the main objectives of the Society were the protection and development of Yoruba culture and traditional institutions, the protection of the interests of the Yoruba people and the organization of a virile, efficient and modernized Yoruba state within the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The study establishes that the Egbe Omo Oduduwa played a prominent role in the social and political development of Yorubaland in particular and Nigeria in general. This was done through the Society’s protection of Yoruba political interests in Nigeria, clamour for true federalism, protection of minority rights, agitation for creation of more states and its transmutation into the Action Group (AG) in 1950 and subsequent socio-economic and political advancement of Nigeria. This thesis has been published as a 333-page book (Arifalo Reference Arifalo2001). The author had a fulfilling career as a school teacher and academic historian in the Department of History at Ife and later at the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, where he became a professor in 2003.
E. A. Soumonni: Trade and Politics in Dahomey, 1841–1892; with particular reference to the House of Regis (1983)
Submitted by Elisee Akpo Soumonni in 1983, this 295-page thesis, supervised by Prof. Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin, examines the political economy of Dahomey during the period of ‘legitimate’ trade in agricultural commodities. The thesis analyses the early history of the foundation and expansion of the Kingdom of Dahomey founded by the Fon people as a major power on the Atlantic coast of modern-day Benin until French conquest in 1894. It shows that the Dahomey Kingdom became a major regional power in the 1720s when it conquered the coastal kingdoms of Allada and Whydah (Soumonni Reference Soumonni1983: iv). With control over these key coastal cities, Dahomey became a major centre in the Atlantic slave trade until 1852 when the British imposed a naval blockade to stop the trade. It identified that the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade had a great impact on the economy and politics of Dahomey during the nineteenth century. The study concludes that up to 1892 when the Franco-Dahomean war started, the House of Regis firm dominated the trade with the Europeans on the Atlantic Coast with far-reaching consequences for the political economy of Dahomey Kingdom. The author has published several journal articles and contributions to books from this thesis including Soumonni (Reference Soumonni1985; Reference Soumonni and Law2002: 78–92; Reference Soumonni and Diouf2003). E. A. Soumonni taught in the Department of History of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, before joining the Department of History at the Université Nationale du Bénin in Cotonou, Republic of Benin in 1984 where he gained a chair in History before his retirement.
A. G. Adebayo: A History of Revenue Allocation in Nigeria, 1946–1979 (1986)
This 490-page thesis was submitted by Akanmu Gafari Adebayo in 1986 under the supervision of Dr Olusegun Osoba. It evaluates the historical development of revenue allocation systems, principles and formulae adopted in Nigeria between 1946 and 1979. It reveals the inadequacy of existing studies on the controversies on revenue allocations principles in Nigeria which emphasize ethnicity, religious differences, cultural diversity and educational gap (Adebayo Reference Adebayo1986: i–iii). It argues that one of the best approaches was to view it as an integral aspect of the conflicts among members of the ruling class who competed over the country’s wealth. The study shows that the politics of revenue allocation in Nigeria was significantly influenced by the increasing ideological tendency towards private accumulation of wealth among members of the ruling class in the colonial and postcolonial eras. This thesis has been reworked and published as a book (Adebayo Reference Adebayo1993). Akanmu Gafari Adebayo had an academic stint in the Department of History at Ife from 1980 to 2000 when he relocated to the United States. He is currently Professor of History at Kennesaw State University.
Z. O. Apata: Administrative Changes and Reorganisation in the Old Kabba Province of Northern Nigeria, 1897–1939 (1987)
This 407-page thesis was submitted in 1987 by Zacchaeus Oladele Apata under the supervision of Prof. Kola Folayan. It examines the administrative changes and reorganization introduced by the British colonial government among the northeastern Yoruba-speaking groups such as the Owe, Oworo, Ijumu, Bunu and Yagba of the old Kabba Province. It shows that the indigenous socio-political system of the peoples was decentralized and autonomous and that this system had been greatly weakened by Nupe imperialism in the region before the colonial period (Apata Reference Apata1987: ix–x). It reveals that after the colonization of the region, the British introduced regional amalgamations, established district headship and even attempted to create an emirate system in the non-Islamic society of Kabba Province. The study concludes that the peoples of northeast Yorubaland retained some of their Yoruba socio-economic and political systems in spite of the efforts of the British colonial government to forcefully introduce Islamic political practices in the region. Several journal articles and book chapters have been published from this thesis including Apata (Reference Apata1989; Reference Apata1990; Reference Apata, Olukoju, Apata and Akinwumi2003). Z. O. Apata spent his career at the Departments of History of, first, the University of Ilorin, and, later, Kogi State University, Anyigba, where he is currently a Professor of History.
V. O. Oshin: The Development of Railway Transport in Nigeria, 1880–1945 (1987)
This thesis of 442 pages was submitted by Vincent Olasiji Oshin in 1987 under the supervision of Dr Abel Olorunfemi Anjorin. The thesis examines the major interests that influenced the origin, structure and direction of Nigerian railways under the British colonial administration from 1880 to 1945. It shows that the construction of the main railway lines up to 1916 was largely uncoordinated, their respective proponents having divergent though not mutually exclusive administrative, strategic and economic considerations (Oshin Reference Oshin1987: ix–x). It also discovers that the amalgamation of the Northern Nigerian Railway with the Lagos Railway in 1912 marked the beginning of a process that culminated in the emergence of a unified railway system in 1930. The study equally shows that the inadequacy of railway equipment installed primarily to meet exigencies of the moment became manifest during the First and Second World Wars when socio-economic factors and changes during the war years made great demands on the railway system. The study concludes that the railway system played a huge role in the development of road transportation as feeders to the rail lines. The author has published several articles from the thesis (such as Oshin Reference Oshin1989; Reference Oshin1992; Reference Oshin, Falola and Salm2004: 101–6). V. O. Oshin started his career in the Department of History at Ife before relocating to the United States. He is currently Professor of International Relations at the Lead City University, Ibadan.
E. O. Rotimi: A History of Native Administration Police Forces in Nigeria, 1900–1970 (1990)
This 531-page thesis, supervised by Prof. Stephen Oladipo Arifalo, was submitted by Emmanuel Olukemi Rotimi in 1990. It examines the factors that influenced the establishment of Native Administration Police Forces (NAPFs) in Northern and Western Nigeria between 1900 and 1970. It establishes that the emergence of the NA police forces was part of the efforts to secure colonial rule at the local level (Rotimi Reference Rotimi1990: x–xi). It equally shows that, after independence in 1960, the governments of the Western and Northern Regions which inherited the police forces used them for the consolidation of political power and maintenance of law and order according to their own terms. The study concludes that the local government police forces were abolished in the late 1970s due to the hostility of the public and the need to harmonize the different police forces under the Nigeria Police Force (NPF). This thesis has been revised and published as a full length book (Rotimi Reference Rotimi2001). E. O. Rotimi is currently a professor in the Department of History at Ife.
S. F. Afolayan: External Relations and Socio-political Transformations in Pre-colonial Igbomina (1991)
This 461-page thesis was submitted by Stephen Olufunso Afolayan in 1991. Supervised by Prof. Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin, the thesis examines the impact of external relations on state formation among the pre-colonial Igbomina, a distinct Yoruba dialectal and frontier cultural group occupying central Nigerian region. It evaluates the nature of autochthonous existence and the level of socio-political development in Igbomina before the emergence of the dynastic states. The study reveals that there had been settlers in Igbomina territory before the migration of Ife and Oyo groups into the region in about the fifteenth century (Afolayan Reference Afolayan1991: i–ii). It shows that the Igbomina kingdoms and states did not have common traditions of origin and migration but that the various Igbomina groups settled in the region at different times and from different directions. The study also shows that the location of Igbominaland in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria made it a centre of cultural interactions of the Hausa/Fulani, Nupe, Oyo, Okun and other Yoruba groups. The study concludes that the forces of external contacts resulted in a lasting social, economic, political, demographic and political transformation of Igbominaland. The thesis is unpublished as yet. S. F. Afolayan started his career at the Department of History at Ife before relocating to the United States where he became professor at the University of New Hampshire.
E. O. Oyelade: The Practice of Islam in Yorubaland, 1830–1983 (1992)
This 522-page thesis was submitted by Emmanuel Oguntoye Oyelade in 1992 under the supervision of Prof. Isaac Adeagbo Akinjogbin. The thesis investigates the various elements in Islamic and Yoruba religious culture that were employed by Yoruba Muslims of Western Nigeria to foster unity, peace and progress in their society. It assesses the factors responsible for the expansion of Islam in Yorubaland. The study reveals that Yoruba Muslims were tolerant, accommodating and progressive and these qualities endeared Islam to Yoruba traditional religious practitioners (Oyelade Reference Oyelade1992: xiii–xiv). It also shows that liberal and universal features of Islam as well as Qur’anic views about Jesus and his followers helped to foster inter-religious peace and harmony among Yoruba Muslims, Christians and traditionalists in the colonial and postcolonial eras. The study concludes that the positive dispositions of the colonial authorities to Islam made them encourage Yoruba Muslims to embrace Western education and British rule and this eventually led to the loss of the monopoly of Western education and government white-collar jobs in Yoruba towns and cities. The thesis has not been published. E. O. Oyelade had a fruitful academic career in the Department of Religious Studies of OAU before his retirement.
O. C. Adesina: Indigenous Participation in the Economy of Western Nigeria, 1900–1970 (1994)
This thesis of 302 pages was submitted by Olutayo Charles Adesina in 1994 under the supervision of Prof. Akinsola Olorunfemi. The thesis assesses the nature of indigenous participation in the economy of Western Nigeria between 1900 and 1970. It examines the scope, role and level of indigenous participation in the agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors of the Western Region of Nigeria. The study establishes that the essence of British colonization of Nigeria was economic exploitation and confirms that the colonial economy of Nigeria was not aimed at Nigerian development (Adesina Reference Adesina1994: x–xi). It further shows that the colonial government foisted the capitalist mode of development on the Western Region with the result that the indigenous economic and political classes had to depend on an external social formation for development. The study concludes that the forces of external pressure on the economy of the Western Region opened the people and the region to external domination and control with far-reaching consequences for their political sovereignty and economic independence. Scholarly publications that have come out of the thesis include Adesina (Reference Adesina1995; Reference Adesina1997). C. O. Adesina has had a fulfilled career at the Department of History of University of Ibadan where he is currently Professor of History.
S. Oyeweso: The Political Thought of Mokwugo Okoye since 1950 (1997)
This 380-page thesis was submitted by Siyan Oyeweso in 1997. Supervised by Dr Olusegun Osoba, the thesis examines the political thought and activities of Mokwugo Okoye, a radical Nigerian nationalist, socialist and thinker, since 1950. It shows that Mokwugo Okoye helped to effect transformation in the nationalist strategy from constitutional framework to a radical model of working class activism and armed struggle (Oyeweso Reference Oyeweso1997: v–vi). It also discovers that Okoye’s writing broadened the political thought of Nigerian nationalism beyond its predominantly liberal reformist and conservative ideological orientation. The study concluded that Mokwugo Okoye made significant contributions to the understanding of Nigeria’s underdevelopment within the context of imperialism, and to Nigeria’s intellectual history and historiography. A number of articles have been published from the thesis including Oyeweso (Reference Oyeweso2021). Siyan Oyeweso is a professor in the Department of History and International Studies at Osun State University, Osogbo.
R. O. Ajetunmobi: Migrations, Settlements and Socio-political Development in Coastal Yorubaland of Nigeria, 1500–1900 (1998)
This 287-page thesis was submitted in 1998 by Rasheed Owoyele Ajetunmobi under the supervision of Prof. Abiodun Adebayo Adediran. It studies the early history and development of the coastal Yoruba states of Awori, Ilaje and Ijebu. The study reveals that there was an original layer of aboriginal Yoruba settlers thinly spread between the Niger Delta to the east and the estuary of the Oueme river to the west before the fifteenth century (Ajetunmobi Reference Ajetunmobi1998: iv). It also shows that the migration of some Yoruba groups from the interior of Yorubaland about 1500 led to the assimilation of earlier settlers in the newly created settlements around the coast with distinctive social and political systems. The study also reveals that the extension of Benin imperialism into the coastal Yoruba territory from the sixteenth century had significant social, economic and political impact on the traditions of origin, dialects and socio-political institutions of the coastal Yoruba states of Ilaje, Awori and Ijebu. It concludes that the influence of Benin and the Yoruba inter-state wars of the nineteenth century led to the moves towards centralization among the coastal Yoruba states. This thesis has been reworked and published as a book (Ajetunmobi Reference Ajetunmobi2003). R. O. Ajetunmobi started his career at the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education in Lagos before moving to the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, where he attained a professorship.
J. O. Oke: The Emergence, Growth and Impact of Indigenous Churches in the Former Ondo Province of Nigeria, 1913–1976 (2002)
This 232-page thesis was submitted by Jonathan Ojo Oke in 2002. Supervised by Prof. Gabriel Isola Olomola, it presents an historical account of the emergence, growth and impact of indigenous churches in the former Ondo Province of Nigeria from 1913 to 1976. The area of study was named Ondo Province by the colonial government in 1915 after the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates of Nigeria in 1914 (Oke Reference Oke2002: v). It examines the major causes of the rise of indigenous churches and discusses their rapid growth in the region. This region received the Christian religion much later than most parts of Yorubaland due to its remoteness. Oke identifies the most prominent indigenous churches in this region including the African Church of Nigeria (AC), the Cherubim and Seraphim Church (C&SC) and the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC). The study concludes that these indigenous churches adopted traditional Yoruba culture and values to spread and implant Christianity in the old Ondo Province where the European missionaries could not penetrate until the twentieth century. The thesis is yet to be published. Dr J. O. Oke was a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History and International Studies Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, before his retirement.
E. A. Ifidon: The Power Motif in the History of Nigeria’s International Relations, 1970–1993 (2003)
This 531-page thesis was submitted by Ehimika Adebayo Ifidon under the supervision of Prof. Richard Adeboye Olaniyan. It makes historical inquiry into the origin, character and patterns of expression of the idea of Nigeria’s power and destiny in Africa. It describes the power motif of Nigeria’s foreign policy and the instruments for its realization in the history of Nigeria’s international relations between 1970 and 1993. The study shows that the idea of Nigeria’s power and destiny emerged in the late 1930s when the members of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) fought to detach an exclusive Nigerian identity from the emotive but unwieldy African collective identity (Ifidon Reference Ifidon2003: v–vi). It also reveals that the political systems and personality of the political leaders at different times in Nigeria during the period were major factors in the patterns of expression and pursuit of the Nigeria’s power motif. Articles that have come from the thesis include Ifidon (Reference Ifidon2007; Reference Ifidon2005: 58–77). Ehimika A. Ifidon is currently a professor in the Department of History of the University of Benin, Benin City.
A. O. Adesoji: The Press and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria, 1960–2003 (2007)
This thesis of 364 pages was submitted by Abimbola Omotayo Adesoji in 2007 under the supervision of Prof. Akinsola Olorunfemi. It examines the role of the press in the web of ethnic politics in Nigeria between 1960 and 2003. It argues that the press is an indispensable part of the socio-economic and political lives of the people of Nigeria in the postcolonial era. It identifies the factors that determined the disposition of newspapers to ethnic politics in postcolonial Nigeria to include ownership and control of the newspapers, the social milieu in which the press operated and the nature and structure of inter-ethnic relations and their affiliations to political parties (Adesoji Reference Adesoji2007: iii). It discovers that while ethnic politics became a virus that affected both civil democratic and military rule of the era, the press became the medium for publicizing the ethnic-oriented political parties that were products of the political developments of the period. The study concludes that in spite of its weaknesses and shortcomings, the press has remained relevant in colonial and postcolonial Nigeria. Articles that have been published from this thesis are Adesoji (Reference Adesoji2010; Reference Adesoji2011). A. O. Adesoji is now a professor in the Department of History of OAU, Ile-Ife.
D. Z. Olupayimo: Judicial Intervention in Inter-community Boundary Disputes in Southwestern Nigeria, 1946–1996 (2011)
This 329-page thesis was submitted in 2011 by Dolapo Zacchaeus Olupayimo under the supervision of Prof. Akinkunmi Adegbola Alao. It discusses the historical development of boundary management and land tenure among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria. It also appraises the adequacy of traditional boundary dispute resolution mechanisms and examines the nature and procedure of judicial intervention in selected boundary disputes in Yorubaland. The study discovers that boundary management and land tenure among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria before and under colonial rule was arbitrary and the colonial administrators adopted quasi-judicial mechanisms in solving inter-community boundary disputes (Olupayimo Reference Olupayimo2011: vi–vii). It also reveals that traditional boundary dispute resolution mechanisms in Yorubaland were not adequate and that the line between judicial and executive intervention in this class of disputes was too thin to be significant between 1946 and 1960. The study shows that, after independence, the new constitutions recognized the role of the courts in boundary dispute cases and built the post-independence administrative demarcations on the faulty colonial foundation. It concludes that judicial and legal interventions significantly reduced the resort to self-help in Yorubaland before 1946 and 1996. This thesis has been reworked and published as Olupayimo (Reference Olupayimo2017). D. Z. Olupayimo is currently Chief Lecturer in the Department of History of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.
F. O. Alao: A History of the Western Nigeria Farm Settlement Schemes, 1942–1975 (2012)
This 207-page thesis submitted by Felix Oluwadare Alao in 2012 was supervised by Prof. Akin Olorunfemi. It examined the farm settlement schemes in Western Nigeria from 1942 to 1975. The study explores the historical significance of the farm settlement schemes and identifies the factors that contributed to the success or otherwise of the schemes in Western Region of Nigeria. The study discovers that the government of Western Region introduced the farm settlement schemes as a means to encourage farming and aid food production in the Region after the Second World War (Alao Reference Alao2012: iv–v). It shows that attitude of school leavers to taking up farming as a career, poor implementation of the policies and lack of continuity and commitment by successive governments contributed to the relative success of the schemes between 1942 and 1975. The study concludes that the farm settlement schemes in Western Nigeria resulted in the emergence of new settlements and satellite towns around the settlements after the collapse of the schemes. The thesis is not yet published. Felix Oluwadare Alao started his academic career at the Department of History of University of Ibadan before joining the Department of History of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo, where he rose to the rank of Chief Lecturer before his retirement in 2022.
Y. Eliasu: The Contributions of Ansarul Islam Society to Islamic and Western Education in Northern Nigeria, 1942–1965 (2013)
This thesis of 200 pages was submitted by Eliasu Yahaya in 2013. Supervised by Prof. Akinkunmi Adegbola Alao, it discusses the growth and development of the Ansarul Islam Society and its attitude to Western education in Northern Nigeria. It examines the contributions of the Society to the promotion of Islam, Islamic and Western education in Northern Nigeria. The thesis shows that the Ansarul Islam Society is one of the oldest Islamic societies in Ilorin area of Northern Nigeria and that it established twelve Islamiyyah schools, eight primary schools and twelve secondary schools in Northern Nigeria between 1942 and 1965 (Eliasu Reference Eliasu2013: xiii–xiv). It concludes that the Society succeeded in the promotion of Western education in Muslim-dominated Northern Nigeria during the period between 1942 and 1965. The thesis is not yet published. Eliasu Yahaya is currently Senior Lecturer at the Department of History of Kwara State University, Malete.
S. B. Amusa: Policing and the Decolonisation Process in Nigeria, 1945–1966 (2015)
This 392-page thesis was submitted by Saheed Balogun Amusa in 2015 under the supervision of Prof. Emmanuel Olukemi Rotimi. It assesses the nature and character of colonial policing in Nigeria up to 1945. It analyses the constitutional and political issues of contentions over the control and use of the Nigeria Police Force in the build up to the attainment of national independence among the leaders of the three regions and how these were resolved through a series of constitutional talks at home and abroad. The study also examines some of the major schemes and programmes that were introduced to enhance the Nigerianization process of the officer class of the NPF between 1952 and 1966. The study discovers that militarism, coercion and adaptation of local police systems were the major characteristics of colonial policing in Nigeria (Amusa Reference Amusa2015: xv–xvi). It also shows that the issue of control and use of the police was one of the most contentious issues among the Nigerian nationalists during the decolonization era. The author has published a number of articles from the thesis including Amusa (Reference Amusa2020; Reference Amusa2021: 98–116). The author is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at OAU, Ile-Ife.
R. F. Obinta: A Historical Study of Forestry and Forest Resources Management in the Southwest Nigeria, 1886–1994 (2016)
This 238-page thesis was submitted by Remijius Friday Obinta under the supervision of Prof. Akinkunmi Adegbola Alao in 2016. The thesis assesses the manner of transition from indigenous agro-forestry to government forest reserves in Southwestern Nigeria. It identifies the roles of non-state actors and indigenous rural population in the forestry sector in Nigeria from 1886 to 1994. The study reveals that modern forestry management was introduced to Nigeria by the British colonial government to acquire land for common official good (Obinta Reference Obinta2016: xv–xvi). It also shows that the colonial government managed the Nigerian forests through action plans to balance forest exploitation with regeneration – a practice which has not been sustained in the postcolonial period leading to unbridled deforestation. Articles already published from the thesis include Obinta (Reference Obinta2019; Reference Obinta2020). Remijius F. Obinta is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Ife.
I. S. Alimi: A Historical Analysis of Nationalist Struggles, Labour Agitation and Newspaper Press in Nigeria, 1938–1960 (2016)
This 337-page thesis submitted by Ismail Shina Alimi, under the supervision of Prof. Abimbola Omotayo Adesoji, provides an overview of relationships between Nigerian newspapers, labour unions and nationalists from 1938 to 1960. It analyses how changes in socio-economic and political systems affected labour agitation and the role of the press in colonial Nigeria. It also examines the patterns of nationalist struggles, the nature of press activism, labour agitation and their involvement in the decolonization process in Nigeria up to independence in 1960. The study shows that labour agitation in Nigeria during the colonial period was both independent of and interlinked with the nationalist struggles (Alimi Reference Alimi2016: xi–xii). It also shows that the goals of labour agitation only shifted from the economic survival of the workers to the economic and political liberation of the country when the nationalists exploited the labour crises of the era of decolonization. The study concludes that labour agitation during the decolonization period was geared towards securing better pay and improving the welfare of the workers as well as the political liberation of Nigeria. Among the articles published from the thesis are Alimi (Reference Alimi2017; Reference Alimi2018). Ismail S. Alimi is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Ife.
R. O. Adu-Peters: Indigenous Grain Crops and their Related Food Items in Southwestern Nigeria, 1850–2010 (2018)
This 342-page thesis was submitted by Raliat Olusola Adu-Peters in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Abiodun Adebayo Adediran. It studies the varieties of threatened local food items in the old Ondo Province of Southwestern Nigeria from 1850 to 1960. It assesses the degree of significance of these indigenous food items and the implications for the political economy of the study areas. It also reveals that the threatened food items had nutritional, medicinal, social cultural and religious significance for their consumers. The study shows that several events such as nineteenth-century Yoruba inter-state wars, British colonization and economic policies as well as rural-urban migration had negative impact on the pre-colonial cuisines of the peoples of Ondo Province (Adu-Peters Reference Adu-Peters2018: v–vi). The study concludes that the soil and environment of the Ondo Province of Southwestern Nigeria are still good for the production of these local food items but that the seedlings of most of them have been completely lost by the people. The thesis is yet to be published. Raliat O. Adu-Peters is currently Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo.
E. O. Ojo: History of Population Displacement, Resettlement and Reintegration of Returnee Internally Displaced Persons in North-central Nigeria, 1945–2005 (2019)
This 378-page thesis was submitted by Emmanuel Olatunde Ojo in 2019 under the supervision of Prof. Akin Alao. The thesis discusses the causes and nature of internal population displacement in North-central Nigeria. It also examines the consequences for internally displaced persons (IDPs) as well as appraising the efforts of governmental and non-governmental agencies in resettling the returnee IDPs in central Nigeria. The study shows that the historical roots of ethno-religious conflicts and internal population displacements in the region predated the colonial period though the pace increased between 1990 and 2003 (Ojo Reference Ojo2019: xiv-xv). It also reveals that there has been no proper documentation of internal displacement in Nigeria and that Nigeria lacked a constitutional framework that could curtail population displacement or effectively cater for resettlement and reintegration of returnee IDPs. The study concludes that previous efforts at curbing internal population displacement, facilitating enduring resettlement and reintegrating returnee IDPs in North-central Nigeria, failed due largely to politicization of ethnic conflicts, non-implementation of the reports of various commissions of inquiry, constitutional issue of indigene-settler dichotomy and citizenship status in Nigeria. The thesis is still unpublished. Emmanuel Olatunde Ojo is currently an independent scholar having retired as Registrar of Southwestern University.
E. Touray: Economic Change, Islamic Militancy and the British in Southern Senegambia during the 19th Century (2020)
This thesis was submitted by Ensa Touray in 2020 under the supervision of Dr Adetunji Ojo Ogunyemi. It examines the evolution of Southern Senegambia and accounts for the rise of Islamic militancy in the region. It also accounts for the impact of intense political struggles between France and Britain and the eventual British colonization of the region on the economy of modern Gambia since the nineteenth century. The study shows that the region was a strategic part of the West African sub-region which was hotly contested by Britain and France for its groundnut economy (Touray Reference Touray2020: vii–viii). It also reveals that the economic revolution of the nineteenth century contributed to the inter-group rivalries which facilitated the European conquest of the people towards the end of that century. The study concludes that the history of Senegambian region of West Africa in the nineteenth century was a history of socio-economic and political revolutions. The thesis is not yet published. The author, Ensah Toure, currently teaches at the Department of History of the University of the Gambia.
O. M. Bojang: A History of British Policies and Power in the Making of the Gambia, 1816–1994 (2020)
This thesis, submitted in 2020 by Ousman Mamakeh Bojang, under the supervision of Prof. Akinkunmi Adegbola Alao, examines the colonial policies of Britain and their impact on the emergence of the Gambia as a country in West Africa. It also studies the historic connections between the colonial and postcolonial experiences of the Gambia in its bid to attain socio-economic and political development. The study reveals that the British colonial government and its cash crop economy, wage labour and controlled marketing tied the economy of the Gambia to the apron strings of the global capitalist economy from 1816 (Bojang Reference Bojang2020: vi–vii). The study concludes that since independence, the key sectors of the economy of the Gambia such as export, finance, infrastructure, education, health and others have been largely controlled and determined by the global capitalist forces of the Western powers. The thesis has not been published. Ousman M. Bojang currently teaches at the Department of History of the University of the Gambia.
O. O. Olaniyi: A History of States and Non-State Actors’ Participation in the Industrial Development of Western Nigeria, 1945–1974 (2021)
This 254-page thesis was submitted by Olusegun Olakunle Olaniyi under the supervision of Prof. Abimbola Omotayo Adesoji in 2021. It examines the roles of state and non-state actors in the development of craft industries in the pre-colonial era and early colonial Western Nigeria. It also discusses the contributions of state and non-state actors in the industrial development of Western Nigeria from the period when colonialism was entrenched up to the end of the Second World War. The study shows that pre-colonial Nigeria had one of the most diversified economies in Africa with a robust non-state actor-led indigenous handicraft industry which was disrupted with the arrival of the European colonialists who de-industrialized the indigenous handicrafts (Olaniyi Reference Olaniyi2021: xiii–xiv). It also reveals that the conspiracies by the state and non-state actors ensured that foreign companies were the greatest beneficiaries of the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Decree of 1972 which was promulgated to transfer the economic and business space to indigenous investors. The thesis has not been published. Olusegun O. Olaniyi is currently a Lecturer Grade I at Bowen University, Iwo.
N. A. Akintola: A Historical Study of the Growth and Relevance of Islamic Chieftaincies in Yorubaland, 1841–2015 (2021)
This 235-page thesis was submitted by Najmud-deen Akinjide Akintola in 2021 under the supervision of Prof. Akinkunmi Adegbola Alao. It discusses the origin and relevance of Islamic chieftaincy titles among the Yoruba of Southwestern Nigeria from 1841 to 2015. It also assesses contemporary Islamic organizations and chieftaincy systems in Yorubaland. It shows that Islamic chieftaincy as a system evolved systematically from the pre-colonial period through the colonial period and to the postcolonial era (Akintola Reference Akintola2021: xiv–xv). The study shows how new titles by Islamic chieftains – titles not within the structural or cultural set-up of Yorubaland – were initiated. It further reveals that Islamic chieftaincy title-holders made significant contributions to the promotion of Islam and advancement of the general Muslim community in Yorubaland. The study concludes that Islamic chieftaincy titles have undergone certain reforms which showcased them as instruments of development within the Muslim community and the general Yoruba society despite their limitations. The thesis has not been published. Najmud-deen A. Akintola is currently an independent researcher in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
Brief historiographical assessment of the doctoral theses
Historiography may be considered as the study of how history is conceived, understood or practised over time. It deals with the methods of the description, analysis and interpretation of the past. Historiography is the study of history as a discipline and the systematic study of the past and the problems involved in historical research. In sum, historiography is the study of the writing, thinking and practice of history. It is in the sense of the meaning of historiography as the varieties, branches and types of historical productions that this article assesses the doctoral theses submitted to the Department of History at OAU, Ile-Ife, between 1977 and 2021.
It is significant to note that most of these theses are in the area of Yoruba social and cultural history. The reason for this is not far-fetched. OAU was established by the government of old Western Region of Nigeria in 1961 essentially to serve as the intellectual base for promoting Yoruba cultural civilizations. This is why its motto is ‘For Learning and Culture’. Indeed, the first five theses, from Olomola’s ‘Pre-colonial Patterns of Inter-state Relations in Eastern Yorubaland’ to Arifalo’s ‘The Egbe Omo Oduduwa: a study of ethnic and cultural nationalism’, all focus on different aspects of Yoruba cultural and political history from the pre-colonial to colonial era. However, while Gabriel Olomola (Reference Olomola1977) focuses on the Eastern Yorubaland, Abiodun Adediran (Reference Adediran1980) and Elysee Soumonni (Reference Soumonni1983) draw attention to developments in Western Yorubaland, and Toyin Falola (Reference Falola1981) deals with Ibadan in Central Yorubaland. It is only Afrifalo (Reference Arifalo1983) who looks at a general theme in Yoruba colonial history using the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, a pan-Yoruba cultural association established by Chief Obafemi Awolowo in 1945, as a case study. From these theses, these scholars have published leading articles in key areas of Yoruba cultural history.
With a clear departure from micro-historical studies focusing on pre-colonial and Yoruba history, Akanmu Adebayo (Reference Adebayo1986), in his ‘A History of Revenue Allocation in Nigeria, 1946–1979’, delves into the realm of economic history and a macro-historical study covering the whole of Nigeria. A few other theses also fall in the realm of macro-economic history. These include Victor Oshin’s ‘The Development of Railway Transport in Nigeria, 1880–1945’ (1987), Olutayo Adesina’s ‘Indigenous Participation in the Economy of Western Nigeria, 1900–1970’ (1994), Felix Alao’s ‘A History of the Western Nigeria Farm Settlement Schemes, 1942–1975’ (2012), Remijius Obinta’s ‘A Historical Study of Forestry and Forest Resources Management in the Southwest Nigeria, 1886–1994’ (2016) and Olusegun Olaniyi’s ‘A History of States and Non-State Actors’ Participation in the Industrial Development of Western Nigeria, 1945–1974’ (2021). These works have been leading lights in the economic history of Nigeria and their authors rank among the leading economic historians in contemporary Nigeria.
Another major branch of history that received serious attention from doctoral historical researchers is political history and international relations. These include Z. O. Apata’s ‘Administrative Changes and Reorganisation in the Old Kabba Province of Northern Nigeria, 1897–1939’ (1987), Olukemi Rotimi’s ‘A History of Native Administration Police Forces in Nigeria, 1900–1970’ (1990), Funsho Afolayan’s ‘External Relations and Socio-political Transformation in Pre-colonial Igbomina’ (1991), Siyan Oyeweso’s ‘The Political Thought of Mokwugo Okoye since 1950’ (1997), Ehinmika Ifidon’s ‘The Power Motif in the History of Nigeria’s International Relations, 1970–1993’ (2003), Abimbola Adesoji’s ‘The Press and Ethnic Politics in Nigeria, 1960–2003’ (2007), Dolapo Olupayimo’s ‘A History of Judicial Intervention in Boundary Disputes in the Southwestern Part of Nigeria, 1946 to 1996’ (2011), Saheed Amusa’s ‘Policing and the Decolonisation Process in Nigeria, 1945–1966’ (2015), Shina Alimi’s ‘A Historical Analysis of Nationalist Struggles, Labour Agitation and Newspaper Press in Nigeria, 1938–1960’ (2016) and Mamakeh Bojang’s ‘A History of British Policies and Power in the Making of the Gambia, 1816–1994’ (2020). These research topics and outputs have been major contributions to existing literature on political and diplomatic history of Nigeria and neighbouring countries.
Doctoral theses from the Department of History at Ife have also focused on aspects of social history at both the micro- and macro-historical levels. These include Rasheed Ajetunmobi’s ‘Migrations, Settlements and Socio-political Development in Coastal Yorubaland of Nigeria, 1500–1900’ (1998), Raliat Adu-Peter’s ‘Indigenous Grain Crops and their Related Food Items in Southwestern Nigeria, 1850–2010’ (2016) and Emmanuel Ojo’s ‘History of Population Displacement, Resettlement and Reintegration of Returnee Internally Displaced Persons in North-Central Nigeria, 1945–2005’ (2019). From social themes such as migration and settlement patterns, indigenous food items and internal displacement, doctoral researchers at the Department of History at Ife have advanced the frontiers of knowledge in social history of Nigeria.
Religious history has been studied at the doctoral level in the Department of History at Ife. These studies include E. O. Oyelade’s ‘The Practice of Islam in Yorubaland, 1830–1983’ (1992), Jonathan Oke’s ‘The Emergence, Growth and Impact of Indigenous Churches in the Former Ondo Province of Nigeria, 1913–1976’ (2002), Eliasu Yahaya’s ‘The Contributions of Ansarul Islam Society to Islamic and Western Education in Northern Nigeria, 1942–1965’ (2013), Ensa Touray’s ‘Economic Change, Islamic Militancy and the British in Southern Senegambia during the 19th Century’ (2020) and Najmud-Deen Akintola’s ‘A Historical Study of the Growth and Relevance of Islamic Chieftaincies in Yorubaland, 1841–2015’ (2021). These studies in religious history in the Department of History at Ife are pointers to the importance of religious factors in the development of Yorubaland.
In terms of sources, the doctoral theses at the Department of History at Ife were produced after extensive collection of oral and documentary evidence within and outside Nigeria and against the background of multi-disciplinary approaches. Some of them are based on combinations of oral and documentary evidence while some are based only on documentary evidence. For instance, the first three theses, those submitted by Olomola (Reference Olomola1977), Adediran (Reference Adediran1980) and Falola (Reference Falola1981), are rich in oral, ethnographic and documentary evidence collected from states and kingdoms in Eastern Yorubaland, Western Yorubaland and Ibadan in the mid and late 1970s while those of Arifalo (Reference Arifalo1983) and Soumonni (Reference Soumonni1983) are rich in oral and documentary evidence collected in other parts of Yorubaland. Those of Rotimi (Reference Rotimi1990), Adesina (Reference Adesina1994), Ajetunmobi (Reference Ajetunmobi1998) and others also combine oral and documentary historical sources. Conversely, some of the theses such as those of Adebayo (Reference Adebayo1986), Ifidon (Reference Ifidon2003), Amusa (Reference Amusa2015) and Alimi (Reference Alimi2016) are wholly based on documentary sources such as archival documents collected from leading archives in the world as well as government publications, newspapers, magazines and secondary documents.
In the area of methods of presentation of research reports, doctoral theses submitted to the Department of History at Ife have predominantly been presented with a combination of descriptive and analytical styles of prose writing. While those that are focused on culture and political history have largely been descriptive and narrative, such as Olomola (Reference Olomola1977), Adediran (Reference Adediran1980), Soumonni (Reference Soumonni1983), Arifalo (Reference Arifalo1983), Rotimi (Reference Rotimi1990), Oyeweso (Reference Oyeweso1997), those on contemporary issues, diplomatic history and economic themes have elements of theoretical analysis and statistical presentations. In this latter category are Adesina (Reference Adesina1994), Ifidon (Reference Ifidon2003), Alao (Reference Alao2012) and Olaniyi (Reference Olaniyi2021). Table I below presents the basic historiographical information analysed above on the doctoral theses submitted to the Department from 1977 to 2021.
Table I. Doctoral Theses submitted to the Department of History, OAU, Ile-Ife, 1977–2021
From the foregoing, it can be discerned that doctoral theses submitted to the Department of History at OAU, Ile-Ife, are landmark original contributions to existing literature on Yoruba history in particular and Nigerian and African history in general. In fact, a topic classification of these theses shows that sixteen of the total twenty-nine doctoral theses are focused on different areas and aspects of Yorubaland or Western Nigeria as micro-historical studies, seven are focused on Nigeria as macro-historical studies – namely Adebayo (Reference Adebayo1986), Rotimi (Reference Rotimi1990), Oshin (Reference Oshin1987), Ifidon (Reference Ifidon2003), Adesoji (Reference Adesoji2007), Amusa (Reference Amusa2015) and Alimi (Reference Alimi2016); three are focused on Northern Nigeria – namely Apata (Reference Apata1987), Eliasu (Reference Eliasu2013) and Ojo (Reference Ojo2019); one each is focused on Dahomey – namely Soumonni (Reference Soumonni1983) and the history of ideas – Oyeweso (Reference Oyeweso1997) respectively, and two are focused on the neighbouring country of Gambia – Touray (Reference Touray2020) and Bojang (Reference Bojang2020).
These twenty-nine doctoral theses are currently available in paper form (hardcopy) at the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library of the University. The abstracts of the theses are equally available in paper and electronic forms at the Postgraduate College of the Obafemi Awolowo University. The Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library of the University is currently working on the digitization of the older theses of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. More recent doctoral theses from around 2010 onward are available on the websites of the University.Footnote 1
Conclusion
In conclusion, postgraduate studies at the doctoral level in the Department of History at OAU, Ile-Ife, have remained the flagship of historical training and scholarship in the University. A good number of the doctoral graduates of the Department have had fruitful academic careers in the Department that produced them while some have had, or are still having, careers in other universities and research institutes within and outside Nigeria. Some of these theses have been reworked and published as books by the authors while other authors have published journal articles and book contributions from their theses. While it is generally perceived that a total of twenty-nine doctoral theses over a period of sixty years is relatively small, it must be stressed that more important than quantity is the quality of the theses. Currently, the Department has five doctoral students working on different aspects of African history and it is hoped that in 2024 and subsequent years, more doctoral theses will be submitted and examined.
Saheed Balogun Amusa is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. His major areas of research interest are located within the wider scope of African/Nigerian social, cultural and political history. He is a member of the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN), the International Research Network on AIDS and Religion in Africa (IRNARA) and the International Society for Studies in Oral Traditions (ISSOT).
