…Charges them to be custodians of national memory

By Marie-Therese Nanlong

Jos – Graduates of the Department of History and International Studies, University of Jos, have been formally inducted into the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN), with academics and administrators urging them to uphold integrity, intellectual excellence and national service as emerging historians.

The induction ceremony, held on Monday, at the Naraguta Campus, marked the formal entry of the graduates into Nigeria’s foremost professional body for historians.

The event drew senior university officials, scholars, parents and invited guests, including renowned African historian, Professor Toyin Falola.

In her induction address, the Acting President of the HSN, Professor Zara Kwaghe, described the occasion as more than a ceremonial rite, but the beginning of a lifelong commitment to truth, scholarship and service.

She told the inductees that by joining the Society, they had become a part of a movement dedicated to preserving national memory and shaping informed public discourse.

Professor Kwaghe emphasised that history was not confined to “dusty books”, but remained central to understanding power, identity and change.

She charged the new members to challenge false narratives, speak truth with courage and carry themselves as worthy ambassadors of the Society in lecture halls, on social media, within their communities and throughout their future careers.

Character, she stressed, must complement knowledge, urging the inductees to embrace discipline, excellence and integrity.

Speaking earlier, the Acting Head of the Department of History and International Studies, Dr Rabi Nimlan, underscored the professional relevance of history, dismissing claims that historians merely imitate other professional disciplines.

According to her, historians are critical thinkers whose work interrogates the past to illuminate the present and guide the future.

Without historians, she said, a nation is left without memory, identity or direction.

Dr Nimlan traced the legacy of the Historical Society of Nigeria to its founding decades ago, noting its pivotal role in Nigeria’s decolonisation and nationalist struggles.

She recalled early indigenous historians whose scholarship laid the intellectual foundation for nation-building and university leadership, including Professors K.O. Dike, Tekena Tamuno and E.A. Ayandele, the first Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos.

Highlighting the pedigree of the department, she reminded the inductees that they were inheritors of a rich academic tradition shaped by distinguished scholars from Nigeria and abroad.

She listed notable pioneers such as Professor Elizabeth Isichie, the department’s first Head, alongside academics from the United Kingdom, Uganda and Nigeria whose collective contributions entrenched global intellectualism and cross-cultural learning.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Tanko Ishaya, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Joshua Chollom, charged the inductees with a threefold mandate: to serve as “custodians of the past, analysts of the present and architects of the future.”

History, he noted, remains the blueprint of societal progress.

Meanwhile, the Guest Speaker, Professor Toyin Falola, described the Historical Society of Nigeria (HSN) as a powerful instrument for intellectual freedom and moral guidance in post-colonial Africa.

He reminded the inductees that the Society, founded in 1955, was created to reclaim African history from Eurocentric distortions and safeguard national memory.

Professor Falola charged young historians to uphold intellectual honesty, courage and discipline, while responsibly engaging digital tools and artificial intelligence to preserve African narratives.

He reassured them of the relevance of history, urging them to serve society as truth-tellers, critical thinkers and custodians of Africa’s intellectual sovereignty.

The ceremony concluded with a call on the new members to view their degrees not merely as certificates, but as commissions to serve humanity and safeguard Nigeria’s heritage through rigorous scholarship and ethical leadership.