Baze University sets up ₦25 million grant for indigenous calendar research

Baze University, Abuja, founder, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, has announced a whopping ₦25 million grant to support academic research into indigenous calendar systems.

Mr Baba-Ahmed made the pledge on Tuesday during the university’s seventh inaugural lecture delivered by the Vice-Chancellor, Abiodun Adeniyi, a professor, at the university campus in Abuja.

The announcement came shortly after the Obaro of Kabba, Solomon Awoniyi, spoke about the existence of a unique calendar system used by his kingdom.

Mr Awoniyi, in his address after the inaugural lecture, wished the audience a happy new year, explaining that it is a new year in his kingdom’s calendar.

“Our own January is in the month of June. Our own new year and festival starts today. That’s why I am saying happy new year to everybody,” the traditional ruler had said at the beginning of his address.

Speaking, Mr Baba-Ahmed expressed surprise that such a tradition exists anywhere in Nigeria, describing it as a significant intellectual discovery.

He said it is a revelation that has implications for Nigeria’s cultural and historical heritage.

“If there is anything I got from this lecture, in fact, in a very long time, it is to discover that there is a Nigerian culture that has a calendar. This is huge,” Mr Baba-Ahmed said. “I am blown away by the fact that there is a Nigerian culture that has a calendar. Do you know how important this is?”

He compared the discovery to the well-known calendar systems of ancient civilisations such as the Maya, Aztec and Inca civilisations, as well as the Chinese and Indian calendars.

He said Nigeria had not done enough to document and promote its indigenous knowledge systems.

Mr Baba-Ahmed subsequently announced that anyone interested in conducting research on the subject would be eligible to apply for funding.

“There is a Nigerian culture that has a calendar, and we have been quiet about it. Baze University will not allow this to remain untouched. I am opening the floodgates. Whoever wishes to research into the Nigerian calendar, I have dedicated ₦25 million for this.”

The founder also stressed the importance of universities as centres of intellectual inquiry, saying academic discourse remains critical to uncovering knowledge that can contribute to national development.

Earlier, the Base University vice-chancellor, Mr Adeniyi, presented the inaugural lecture, titled “How Your Village Is Following You: Mobility, Memory, and the Mediated Persistence of Belonging.”

In the lecture, he explored how technological advancement and digital communication have transformed migration, leaving people connected to their indigenous communities regardless of where they live.

According to him, migration in the digital age no longer represents a complete departure from one’s roots, as people now remain constantly connected to their families, communities and cultural identities through digital platforms even after they have migrated.

Mr Adeniyi, therefore, called for regulation and ethical safeguards to improve security and governance in the digital spaces.

Mr Adeniyi’s career spans journalism, academia, consultancy, and public engagement.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Ahmadu Bello University and earned a master’s degree in International Communications from the University of Leeds, England, through the Chevening Scholarship. He later obtained a doctorate from the same university, where he also served as a teaching assistant at the Institute of Communication Studies.

He previously worked as communications consultant for the World Bank-supported Economic Reform and Governance Project at the Bureau of Public Procurement in Abuja.

Mr Adeniyi joined Baze University as a senior lecturer in Mass Communication and served as head of department from 2016 to 2023. He became an associate professor in 2018 and attained the rank of professor in 2021.

He is also a visiting professor at Kogi State University, Anyigba, and the University of Abuja, a federal institution.