By Our Correspondent
The Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) has elected 13 distinguished professors as Fellows and conferred Honorary Fellowships on three eminent Nigerians, including the Obi of Onitsha, His Majesty Nnaemeka Achebe, and the Editor of Saturday Tribune, Dr. Lasisi Olagunju.
The President of the Academy, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, announced the development in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to him, the elections were ratified at the College of Fellows’ meeting held on July 8, 2025.
Those elected as Regular and Overseas Fellows span a wide range of disciplines.
In Classical Studies, Philosophy, and Religions, Professors Ebunoluwa Oduwole and Temisanren Ebijuwa were elected.
In Historical Studies, Prof. Emeritus Alkasum Abba and Prof. Akinwumi Ogundiran (elected as an Overseas Fellow) were honoured.
In Literary Studies, the new Fellows include Professors Gbemisola Adeoti, Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, and Victor Ariole.
Theatre, Cultural Studies, Creative Writing, and the Visual and Performing Arts category saw the election of Professors Mohammed Umar-Buratai, Ameh Akoh, and Charles Nwadigwe.
In the fields of Communication and Media Studies, and Linguistics, the new Fellows are Prof. Umaru Pate, and Professors Gideon Omachonu and Obiajulu Emejulu, respectively.
In addition to the Obi of Onitsha and Dr. Olagunju, the Academy conferred an Honorary Fellowship on culture advocate and journalist, Mr. Jahman Anikulapo.
Furthermore, the Academy’s Executive Committee approved the conferment of Awards of Excellence in Humanistic Practice on three individuals: veteran artist Mr. Laolu Ogunniyi, theatre producer Alhaji Teju Kareem, and media entrepreneur Mr. Musa Adedayo.
The investiture ceremony for the newly elected Fellows and award recipients will take place during the 27th Convocation of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, scheduled for August 14, 2025, at the University of Lagos.
