Nigerian Academic Abubakar Sule Sani Bags British Academy Global Professorship

BY NAJIB SANI

A Nigerian academic Abubakar Sule Sani has been listed among eight new global professors awarded by the British Academy.

Sani was a lecturer and former Head of Department (HOD) of Archaeology and Heritage Studies at the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

He was also a deputy director at ‘Arewa House Centre for Historical Documentation and Research and currently the Vice President of International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS-Nigeria) and President Archaeological Association of Nigeria (AAN).

Our correspondent reports that before he bagged this global professorship at the British Academy, he is the deputy director Institute for Development Research and Training of the Ahmadu Bello University.

In his submission, Professor Sani says “My vision for this Global Professorship is an innovative programme of research that will invigorate academic collaborations between the UK and Nigeria/West Africa and become a model for future engagement based on trust, co-production of knowledge and intellectual integrity.

” I aim to achieve this by combining archaeology, museum practice and stakeholder engagement to study large and under-researched collections from key Nigerian sites, drawing on archaeological, ethnographic and archival data held in British and Nigerian museums.

“This research will bring new understandings of African history, and of UK/Nigerian research histories, through academic outputs, online resources, exhibitions and outreach in the UK and Nigeria.”, he pledged.

The scholar adds that building on his experience as a field archaeologist, educator and collections researcher, and deploying extensive networks will make his research have a transformative impacts at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK where would conduct some research works while helping to remedy the current post-colonial issues concerning the role and value of museum collections.