The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, commissioned the newly re-modelled Learning Hub/Workstation and Postgraduate Lecture Room of the Centre for Digital Humanities, University of Lagos (CEDHUL), with a charge on leveraging digital technology to preserve African cultural heritage, document indigenous languages and expand the frontiers of humanities research.
Speaking shortly before commissioning the facilities, Dr. Hamzat, who was represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Relations, Mr. Olugbenga Oyerinde, commended the UNILAG Management for its commitment to educational excellence, innovation, research and the continuous advancement of knowledge.
He noted that the initiative reflects the need for institutions of higher learning to embrace digital transformation and prepare future generations of researchers, professionals and leaders for emerging challenges.
According to him, the Centre represents a strategic investment in the future of scholarship, with the potential to integrate digital technologies into the study of history, literature, languages, cultural heritage and social experiences.
He expressed the expectation that the facility will promote interdisciplinary research, digital archiving, cultural preservation and knowledge exchange, while equipping students and researchers with relevant digital competencies.
Dr. Hamzat further advocated that postgraduate and executive education should go beyond academic qualifications to cultivate strategic thinking, ethical leadership, innovation and the capacity to address complex organisational and societal challenges.
He encouraged students and postgraduate scholars to embrace curiosity, critical thinking, innovation, discipline and integrity, while urging academics and researchers to use the facilities to advance scholarship, preserve cultural heritage and develop practical solutions to societal challenges.
Representing the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics and Research, Professor Mathew Ilori, congratulated the team at CEDHUL led by Professor Tunde Ope-Davies on the milestone. He applauded the Centre’s promise to bring the enduring wisdom of the humanities into productive engagement with the transformative possibilities of technology.
Professor Ilori emphasised the undeniable impact of technology on almost every aspect of human existence and the indispensability of the humanities in deepening understanding of human experiences, values, culture, languages, histories and collective aspirations.
He noted that with the upgraded facilities, CEDHUL is better positioned to digitise Nigeria’s abundant indigenous languages, oral traditions, literary works, historical records, archaeological resources, artistic expressions and cultural knowledge for greater global visibility and deeper scholarly engagement.
In his words: “We need historians who can use digital tools to reconstruct and preserve our collective memory, linguists who can harness artificial intelligence to document and promote indigenous Nigerian languages, literary scholars who can explore new forms of digital storytelling, philosophers who can contribute to the ethical governance of emerging technologies, and cultural researchers who can make our rich heritage accessible to audiences across the world.”
Also speaking at the ceremony, the German Consul-General in Lagos, Mr. Daniel Krull, represented by the Deputy Consul-General, Ms. Katharina Ziegler, congratulated the University, the Faculty of Arts and CEDHUL on the achievement, describing it as a call for “young Africans to read about the past, question the present and create the future.”
She described the upgraded facilities as milestones that attest to the importance of global cooperation and expressed confidence that the Centre will help tell African stories with an African voice, preserve what must not be lost, and help imagine what has not yet been built.
Ms. Ziegler re-affirmed the German Government’s commitment to educational, cultural and academic cooperation, as well as funding for scholarly research, noting that such efforts underscore the importance of international collaboration in preserving cultural heritage and supporting new scholarship.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director of CEDHUL, Professor Tunde Ope-Davies, described the commissioning as a milestone in the Centre’s efforts to advance digital humanities scholarship and establish a platform for African ideas, culture and knowledge in the digital era.
He expressed appreciation to the University Management and other stakeholders for their support since the Centre’s inauguration in 2019, describing the new facilities as the fulfilment of a strategic vision.
According to him: “What began as a strategic blueprint has now materialised before us in the twin milestones we are commissioning today. With the backing of Senate, we now have sub-Saharan Africa’s first comprehensive postgraduate school in Digital Humanities.”
In his remarks, the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Professor Mudashir Ilupeju, appreciated the University Management for supporting the Faculty’s efforts to reposition humanities scholarship in response to an evolving research landscape shaped by science and technology. He described the upgraded facilities as significant additions to the Faculty’s infrastructure and its pursuit of multidisciplinary research.
The highlight of the ceremony was the unveiling of the commemorative plaque and the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon by Mr. Oyerinde on behalf of the Deputy Governor.
The re-modelled CEDHUL Learning Hub/Workstation and Postgraduate Lecture Room are located at Suites B302 and B303, respectively, in the Faculty of Arts Building, University of Lagos.
Report: Gbenga Gbelee
Photograph: Ayo Oloyede
