Faculty of Arts Dean Unveils New Work on Yoruba Migration

By: Oluseun Fatope

Scholars, students, and guests gathered on Wednesday, August 27, at the Faculty of Arts, University of Ibadan, for the launching of a major new publication by Professor Rasheed Oyewole Olaniyi of the Department of History, the newly appointed Dean of Faculty of Arts.

The book, Migration and Diaspora Identity in Northern Nigeria and Ghana, 1900–1970: Yoruba Citizenship and Belonging, examines the lives of Yoruba communities who settled in northern Nigeria and Ghana during the 20th century, exploring how they negotiated identity, citizenship, and economic survival.

Prof. Olaniyi recounted the research journey that informed the five-chapter volume, highlighting themes such as Yoruba commercial ventures, cross-border ties, the role of remittances in Yorubaland, and the lasting memory of Ghana’s 1969 deportation order.

Discussing the book, Prof. Olayinka Akanle of Sociology praised its depth, describing it as an important contribution to scholarship on migration, identity, and belonging. He noted how the work connected the present with the past, “This is a timely work that links historical experiences with ongoing questions about mobility and citizenship in West Africa,” he said.

Sponsored by the French Institute for Research in Africa (Ira-Nigeria) and Published by James Currey in the United Kingdom, the book is available in limited hard copies, though readers can access it through online platforms such as Amazon and Kobo.

The programme ended at about 4:30 p.m. after an interactive discussion with the audience.