Meet Professor Moses Ebe Ochonu, a proud Idoma son of Benue State, whose journey from Nigeria to the global stage is truly inspiring. As a history student myself, I find his works and achievements particularly fascinating—he isn’t just a scholar, he is a storyteller of Africa’s past and its complexities.
After completing his primary and secondary education in Nigeria, he earned his B.A. in History from Bayero University, Kano (BUK) in 1997, graduating with top honors and winning multiple awards, including the Michael Crowder Prize for Best Student in Modern African History. His passion for African history took him to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned his M.A. (1999) and Ph.D. (2004) in African History, later complementing his expertise with a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Management from Lipscomb University, Nashville, USA.
Today, Professor Ochonu holds the prestigious Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair in History at Vanderbilt University and is recognized globally for his groundbreaking research on African politics, society, and governance. His work has earned him fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Ford Foundation.
He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Emirs in London: Subaltern Travel and Nigeria’s Modernity (2022), Colonialism by Proxy: Hausa Imperial Agents and Middle Belt Consciousness in Nigeria (2014), which was a finalist for the African Studies Association Herskovits Prize, Africa in Fragments: Essays on Nigeria, Africa, and Global Africanity (2014), and Colonial Meltdown: Northern Nigeria in the Great Depression (2009).
Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Professor Ochonu continues to inspire students, researchers, and young Benue sons and daughters worldwide.
Today, I celebrate not just his achievements, but the passion, insight, and dedication that makes him a historian I deeply admire. His story reminds us that our roots can be a launchpad to global impact, and that, vision, excellence, and curiosity know no borders.
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