Ayodeji Oladimeji Olukoju ( Yoruba: Ayọ̀ọ́dèjì Ọládiméjì Olúkòjú; born June 9, 1959, in

Oka Akoko Oka-Akoko is the capital city of Akoko South-West Local government, Local Government of Ondo State, Nigeria. It is a majorly agricultural community with hilly terrain. The traditional ruler of the city is the Olubaka of Oka Kingdom. Reference ...

) is a Nigerian University distinguished professor of history at the

University of Lagos The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is a Public university, public research university located in Lagos, Nigeria, which was founded in 1962. UNILAG is one of the education in Nigeria#First generation universities, first generation universities in ...

, Nigeria. He was a two-term

vice chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth countr ...

Caleb University Caleb University is a private university located in Imota, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded in 2007. Courses offered in Caleb University Below is a list of courses offered in Caleb University * Accounting * Architecture * Banking and ...

Imota Imota is a district in Ikorodu, Lagos State. Their leaders are called Oba Ranodu of Imota. They are Yoruba language, Ijebu-speaking people. Etymology The name Ikorodu Road, Imota is coined from "UMU-OTA" meaning "Near the Ota tree". History ...

between 2010 and 2016. Olukoju's research interests are in the area of

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

, transport,

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

corporate A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as "born out of s ...

and

urban history Urban history is a field of history that examines the historical nature of cities and towns, and the process of urbanization. The approach is often multidisciplinary, crossing boundaries into fields like social history, architectural history, ur ...

of Nigeria.

Education and career

Olukoju earned a bachelor's degree (with a First Class Honours) from the

University of Nigeria The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal and public research university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, South-east Nigeria. Founded in 1955 by Nnamdi Azikiwe who was Governor-General of Nigeria between 1960 and 1963 ...

Nsukka Nsukka is a town and a Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria. Nsukka shares a common border as a town with Edem, Opi (archaeological site), Ede-Oballa, and Obimo. The postal code of the area is 410001 and 410002 respectively, re ...

in June 1980, and master's and doctorate degrees in history from the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

in 1982 and 1991 respectively. From 1984 to 1987, Olukoju lectured at

Ogun State University Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state-owned university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 29 May 2001, i ...

(now

Olabisi Onabanjo University Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye is a state-owned university located in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, Nigeria. The university was founded on 7 July 1982 as Ogun State University (OSU) and was renamed Olabisi Onabanjo University on 29 May 2001, i ...

). In September 1987, he joined the University of Lagos' department of history and strategic studies. In 1998, Olukoju was appointed a substantive professor of history, and a university distinguished professor twenty years later. He served as the head of the history department from 2001 to 2004, and then as the dean of the faculty of arts from 2005 to 2009. He was a DAAD Guest Professor of Economic History at

University of Bayreuth The University of Bayreuth (German: Universität Bayreuth) is a public research university located in Bayreuth, Germany. It is one of the youngest German universities. It is broadly organized into seven undergraduate and graduate faculties, with ...

, Germany from May to August 2022. At different times in his career, Olukoju has held postdoctoral visiting research fellowships of the

Japan Foundation The is a Japanese foundation that spreads Japanese culture around the world. Based in Tokyo, it was established in 1972 by an Act of the National Diet as a special legal entity to undertake international dissemination of Japanese culture. I ...

, the

British Academy The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...

, DAAD,

Institute of Developing Economies Institute of Developing Economies (IDE; アジア経済研究所) is a semi-governmental research institute under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and the largest institute on social science in Japan. Current status is a body of the J ...

, as well as of the Henry Charles Chapman Foundation and the A. G. Leventis Foundation at the

Institute of Commonwealth Studies The Institute of Commonwealth Studies, founded in 1949, is the sole postgraduate academic institution in the United Kingdom devoted to the study of the Commonwealth. It is also home to the longest-running interdisciplinary and practice-oriente ...

, London. He also earned a West African Research Association (WARA) residency at

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

, Atlanta. Olukoju was University of Lagos best researcher in the arts/humanities in 2006 and 2009. Olukoju is currently a member of the editorial advisory board of ''

Journal of Global History The ''Journal of Global History'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic history journal covering the study of comparative, world, and global history. It was established in 2006 and is published by Cambridge University Press. The editor-in-chief ...

''. At various time between 1998 and 2015, he has served on the editorial advisory boards of ''

Journal of African History ''The Journal of African History'' (JAH) is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1960 and is published by Cambridge University Press. It was among the first specialist journals to be devoted to African history and arc ...

'', ''

African Economic History ''African Economic History'' is an annual academic journal covering research on all aspects of the economics of the African past, including its historiography, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan, colonial and post-colonial themes. It was established ...

'', ''Afrika Zamani: Journal of the Association of African Historians'', and ''

History in Africa ''History in Africa: A Journal of Debates, Methods, and Source Analysis'' is an annual peer-reviewed academic journal covering the historiography and methodology of African history. It is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the ...

''. In 2008, he was elected as the first African on the executive committee of the International Maritime History Association. Olukoju was inducted Fellow of the

Nigerian Academy of Letters The Nigerian Academy of Letters is a national academy and apex body of arts and literature in Nigeria. It is an autonomous, scholarly and non-political state institution for advancing scholarship and public interest in the humanities at the highes ...

in 2011. He is the incumbent pro-chancellor and chairman, governing council of

Chrisland University Chrisland University is located in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. It was founded in 2015 and is accredited by the National Universities Commission. History On September 17, 2015, the Federal Republic of Nigeria's National Universities Commi ...

Publications

Olukoju is the sole author of five scholarly monographs. They are: * * * * ''Infrastructure Development and Urban Facilities in Lagos, 1861-2000'' (Ibadan: IFRA-Nigeria, 2003) and * Olukoju has also edited, singly or jointly with others, six volumes, which include: * ''Nigerian Peoples and Cultures'' (1997) * ''Fundamentals of Economic History'' (2003) * ''Northeast Yorubaland: Studies in the History and Culture of a Frontier Zone'' (2003) * ''Global Understanding in the Age of Terrorism'' (2008) * ''Security Challenges and Management in Modern Nigeria'' (2018) and * He has also authored numerous scholarly publications in peer-reviewed academic journals such as ''

African Affairs ''African Affairs'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press on behalf of the London-based Royal African Society. The journal covers any Africa-related topic: political, social, economic, environmental a ...

African Studies Review The ''African Studies Review'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering African studies. The journal also publishes book and film reviews. The journal was established in 1958 as the ''African Studies Bulletin'', obtaining its current name in ...

, ''

The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History ''The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the history of the British Empire, colonial and settler colonial histories, Commonwealth histories and comparative European colonial experiences. It w ...

'', ''

'', Journal of Third World Studies, Journal of Transport History, ''

International Journal of Maritime History The ''International Journal of Maritime History'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers all aspects of maritime history. The European Science Foundation's European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) ranks it as a "Class One" journa ...

'',

International Review of Social History The ''International Review of Social History'' (IRSH) is a scholarly journal founded, in its current format, in 1956, by the International Institute of Social History (IISH). The current academic journal revived an earlier publication by the same ...

, ''

The Journal of African History ''The Journal of African History'' (JAH) is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal. It was established in 1960 and is published by Cambridge University Press. It was among the first specialist journals to be devoted to African history and arc ...

'', ''

International Journal of African Historical Studies The ''International Journal of African Historical Studies'' (IJAHS) publishes peer review, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of African history. The journal was established in 1968 as ''African Historical Studies'' before changing to its curre ...

'', Afrika Zamani,'' among others. Olukoju also contributes opinion essays about current socio-political issues in Nigeria, especially with regards to education and the university system, in different publishing medium such as ''

The Conversation ''The Conversation'' is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written, produced, and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gene Hackman as a surveillance expert who faces a moral dilemma when his recordings reveal a potential ...

,'' among others. In 2013, in celebration of Olukoju's scholarship,

Saheed Aderinto Saheed Aderinto (born January 22, 1979) is a Nigerian Americans, Nigerian American Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at Florida International University, an award-winning author, and a filmmaker. He is the Founding Pr ...

and Paul Osifodunrin published an edited

festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...

titled ''The Third Wave of Historical Scholarship on Nigeria: Essays in Honor of Ayodeji Olukoju''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Olukoju, Ayodeji Living people Nigerian academics Academic staff of the University of Lagos University of Ibadan alumni University of Nigeria alumni Academic staff of Olabisi Onabanjo University Nigerian historians 1959 births