… He’s Doyen of Intellectual Prowess, Says Aragbiji
Torrents of encomium have continued to pour in for one of Nigeria’s foremost historians and erudite academic, Prof. Olukoya Ogen over his recent investiture as Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters among nine other distinguished professors who made the list.
Prof. Ogen, a former Provost of Adéyemí College of Education, Ondo, is currently Director of Research and Innovation in Osun State University, Osogbo, was honoured by the Academy for his intellectual prowess and remarkable advancement of scholarship of which the global community has benefitted immensely.
The Academy, founded in 1974, is the apex body of Arts and Literature in Nigeria for advancing scholarship and public interest in the humanities at the highest level.
Top among corporate institutions and eminent personalities who eulogized Prof Ogen are the Historical Society of Nigeria as well as frontline traditional rulers, the Abodi of Ikale land, Oba G.B. Faduyile and the Aragbiji of Iragbiji and Pro-Chancellor of Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta(FUNAAB), Oba Abdur-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi.
The Historical Society of Nigeria, in a letter signed by its National President, Prof. Samuel Aghalina, described Prof. Ogen as a pride to Nigeria.
The letter read: “This esteemed recognition is a testament to your unwavering commitment to the national project and the advancement of scholarship, from which the HSN has greatly benefitted.
“As a distinguished Historian, your induction as a Fellow has been met with great enthusiasm and pride by the entire HSN community. Your eminent reputation and significant contributions to the intellectual development of our nation inspire us and fill us with optimism.
“We are confident that this well-deserved elevation will propel you to even greater heights. The Historical Society of Nigeria, as the oldest professional Association in the country, established in 1955, stands ready to support and collaborate with you.”
Also, felicitating Prof. Ogen, his traditional ruler, the Abodi of Ikale land, Oba George Babatunde Faduyile described him as one of the blossoming stars of Ikale nation and connoisseur of history with a reputable global acclaim.
To Oba Faduyile, Prof. Ogen has chosen to stand out in the field through which he has drawn global acclaim to himself through scholastic and outstanding research works that have become commendable, boosting the tapestry of the rich history of Africa in the contemporary world.
For his part, the Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdur-Rasheed Ayotunde Olabomi who is also Pro-Chancellor of FUNAAB, congratulated Prof Ogen whom he described as “currently one of the best academics in Nigeria and globally.”
Oba Olabomi said: “I am particularly proud of Prof. Ogen for his outstanding intellectual contributions and academic excellence which have earned him the distinction of being the first graduate of Adeyemi College of Education to receive this honour since 1964 when the institution was established.”
Prof. Olukoya Ogen also doubles as a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at DASA, University of Birmingham. He specialises in the socio-cultural and economic history of Nigeria.
A recipient of 10 postdoctoral visiting fellowships, seven foreign research grants and 32 travel fellowships, Ogen is currently the Director of a UNESCO-IFCD project on cultural diversity in southwest Nigeria.
He won the UNIOSUN Gold Award for Research Excellence in 2023 and the Prof. Ali Mazrui Prize for Excellence in Scholarship in 2019. Ogen consults regularly for the European Commission, the Association of Commonwealth Universities and Tetfund.
He served as the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Osun State University from 2012-2014 as well as Provost of Adeyemi College of Education, Ondo from 2014-2018.
During his stewardship, he emerged as the Best Provost in Nigeria and also received an official commendation from the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for accountability and integrity.
Ogen is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria; Fellow of the Institute of Information Technology and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Educational Management and Administration.
He was appointed Honorary Mayor of the City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2018.
For his philanthropism, he received the Ondo State University of Medical Sciences Platinum Benefactor and Super Hero Awards in 2018. He was also honoured by the Ondo State Government with an award of excellence for educational philanthropy in 2019.
