By Aduwo Ayodele

The University of Ibadan has appointed Professor Senayon Olaoluwa, who is the founding head of Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, as the pioneer Director of the TETFund Centre of Excellence for Diaspora Studies.

According to a public release by UI Directorate of Public Communication on Sunday, March 24, 2024, the “Diaspora development watchers had noticed when a decade ago, the Institute of African Studies, UI, birthed Africa’s flagship, full-fledged postgraduate departments of Diaspora Studies, and Gender Studies” recognizing the expertise of Professor Olaoluwa who was sought to head the department.

The fresh Diaspora Centre, which is to be headed by Professor Senayon, is rooted “in anchoring the dream of the African Union”.

With Professor Senayon’s appointment “with effect from 1st March, 2024, in the first instance,” the Diaspora Centre has also “received a TETFund take-off grant to the tune of N250, 000, 000.00 for research towards establishing a credible database for the Nigerian Diaspora, among others”.

The new Centre has also been granted a building infrastructure to the tune of N1, 000, 000, 000.00 by TETFund.

Also, in what appears as some kind of happy coincidence, Prof. Senayon Olaoluwa’s Diaspora theory-inspired project won a pilot grant at the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, USA.

“Using the theory, “extalgia” by Prof Olaoluwa, the consortium comprising scholars from College of Public Health, University of Iowa, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, will be investigating “Emigration and Mental Health Outcomes among the Left-behind Families in Ibadan, Nigeria” the UI broadcast release reads.