Professor Saheed Aderinto was, until he won the Dan David Award, little recognised in Nigeria. This is mainly because he teaches at the Florida International University in the United States. Although only 44 years old, he has been a trailblazer in historical research as he is a Professor of History and African Diaspora. He is not new to winning awards. He had also won the Nigerian Studies Association Book Prize for “When Sex Threatened the State”, among others.

By winning the Dan David Prize in History, he and his works have now been projected on the global stage, not mainly because of the $300,000 that accompanied the award, the highest financial reward for excellence in the historical discipline in the world, but because of the eulogy of his works by the Dan David Foundation, the encomiums it attracted from Nigerian leaders and media interest in him. He is the first Nigerian to win the coveted award.

At a time when the Western world and press are wont to focus on negative developments in Africa and about Africans, any academic who is able to break the glass ceiling deserves the accolades his feat has attracted. His work has once again brought to the fore the place of History as an academic discipline and social development.

Until recently when the Buhari administration lifted the lid on teaching history in Nigerian schools, students had been denied the opportunity to know their past and history of the world. This has affected their understanding of the present, not to talk of projecting into the future. We hope, however, following the world acclaim that the Professor of History has received, that the federal and state governments will intensify the teaching of our history to save the younger generation the low esteem that they are exposed to when Western scholars twist our history to suit their purpose.

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The foundation noted that Aderinto’s work depicts “outstanding scholarship that illuminates the past and seeks to anchor public discourse in a deeper understanding of history”. It also noted that: “Recipients must be engaged in outstanding and original work related to the study of the human past, employing any chronological, geographical, and methodological focus.” They “should exhibit strong potential for future excellence, innovation, and leadership that will help shape the study of the past for years to come.”

He has published eight books, 36 journal articles and book chapters, 40 encyclopedia articles, and 20 book reviews.

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