Academy of Letters inducts Balogun, Lucas, other Fellows, honours Tunde Kelani at 28th convocation

The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) on Thursday held its 28th Convocation, Induction of New Members and Investiture of Regular and Honorary Fellows, with distinguished scholars and other eminent Nigerians admitted into different categories of the Academy.

The ceremony, held at the J. F. Ade Ajayi Auditorium, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, also featured the conferment of the NAL Award of Excellence in Humanistic Practice on renowned filmmaker and cinematographer, Mr Tunde Kelani.

President of the Academy, Professor Andrew Haruna, FNAL, presided over the event, which brought together leading academics, writers, intellectuals and other guests.

Among those invested as Regular Fellows for 2026 were Professors Oladele Abiodun Balogun, Boniface Anthony Chijioke Obiefuna, Oyeronke Olademo, Nosa Owens-Ibie, AbdulRasheed Abiodun Adeoye, Rasaki Ojo Bakare, Emmanuel Taiwo Oladipupo Babalola, Oladipupo Jacob Ajiboye and Gbenga Solomon Ibileye.

The investiture marked another milestone for Balogun, one of Nigeria’s leading contemporary philosophers, whose academic career spans more than three decades of teaching, research, mentorship, academic leadership and public service. His scholarship has focused particularly on African philosophy and Yoruba philosophical thought, as well as indigenous epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, jurisprudence, metaphysics and conceptual decolonisation.

A product of the philosophical tradition of the University of Ibadan, Balogun has established himself as a leading voice in contemporary African philosophy. His research has examined such concepts as Ori — destiny and personhood in Yoruba philosophy — causality, communal ethics, democracy, human rights, meaningful life and indigenous conceptions of knowledge.

Balogun has authored and co-authored numerous books, chapters, journal articles and conference papers, with his works appearing in national and international journals. He has also contributed chapters to volumes published by academic publishers including Springer, Routledge, Wiley-Blackwell, IGI Global, Academic Press and Carolina Academic Press.

His service to the profession includes serving as Vice President of the Nigerian Philosophical Association from 2012 to 2016, while his contributions to African intellectual development, leadership and scholarship earned him the Thabo Mbeki Award of Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin in 2017.

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Professor Remi-Raji Oyelade, listed as a Regular Fellow for 2025, was also part of the convocation programme.

The Academy also honoured Professor Nwando Achebe as an Overseas Fellow. Achebe is an internationally recognised historian and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University in the United States. She is also President of the African Studies Association and founding editor-in-chief of the Journal of West African History.

Two personalities — the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji (Dr) Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai El-Kanemi, CFR, and Professor Ephraim Olabode Lucas — were invested as Honorary Fellows.

Renowned playwright and scholar, Professor Emeritus Femi Osofisan, was honoured as a Distinguished Life Fellow.

A major highlight of the convocation was the recognition of Kelani with the Academy’s Award of Excellence in Humanistic Practice, underscoring the place of creative and cultural practice alongside scholarship in the advancement of the humanities.

Kelani, whose career in filmmaking and cinematography spans decades, is widely associated with the adaptation and projection of Nigerian, particularly Yoruba, culture and literary traditions through film. His recognition added a creative dimension to a ceremony largely devoted to celebrating outstanding contributions to scholarship and intellectual life.

The Nigerian Academy of Letters is Nigeria’s apex body of scholars in the humanities and is committed to promoting scholarship, intellectual excellence and the development of the humanities in the country.

The ceremony was coordinated by the Secretary of the Academy, Professor Olakunbi O. Olasope, MNAL.