The Founder and Chancellor of Baze University, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba Ahmed, has committed ₦25 million towards research into indigenous Nigerian knowledge systems, a pledge made shortly after a thought provoking inaugural lecture by the Institution's Vice Chancellor, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi, at the University's Abuja campus on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

The seventh Inaugural Lecture of Baze University drew academics, policymakers, traditional rulers, students, alumni, and media practitioners to the university auditorium. Prof Adeniyi spoke on the theme "How Your Village Is Following You: Mobility, Memory and the Mediated Persistence of Belonging."

Opening the event, Baba Ahmed described inaugural lectures as among academia's most cherished traditions, remarking that universities are ultimately judged by the quality of scholarship they offer to society. "Today marks an important moment in the continuous story of our university," he stated. "Universities exist to ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, expand the boundaries of knowledge, and help society better understand itself."

He pointed out that although Prof Adeniyi now holds the role of Vice Chancellor, the lecture had been arranged before his appointment. "Despite his new role, he remains a scholar, a teacher, a researcher, and an intellectual. At the heart of every great Vice Chancellor is a commitment to scholarship and learning," he added.

In his address, Prof Adeniyi argued that migration should not be viewed solely as physical relocation, since people carry their memories, identities and histories wherever they settle. "The village is not merely a geographical location; it is a moral archive, a symbolic anchor, and a continuing source of identity formation," he explained.

Tracing migration patterns from the eras of slavery and colonialism to present day movements shaped by economic realities and globalization, the communication scholar observed that many young Africans now link migration with opportunity. "There is a deep seated belief that fulfilment cannot be formed within existing realities. People think that if they want to give life meaning, they must have an alternative to Nigeria and Africa," he remarked.

He further noted that technology has strengthened, not weakened, people's connection to their roots, with mobile phones and digital platforms keeping migrants tied to their communities. "Invariably, the beginning point, the origin, the place is no longer where one comes from; it is where one continues to be seen from," he disclosed.

Former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, who has known Prof Adeniyi for over three decades, praised his consistency as a communication scholar, while also commending Baba Ahmed's vision for academic excellence at Baze University.