Completing the PhD: A Decade of Questions
In 2015, I stood in Jigawa State, Northern Nigeria, at the heart of Boko Haram's insurgency, researching invisible violence under a French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria) grant. What I witnessed was not just religious extremism - it was communities competing for survival, resources, and legitimacy in spaces where religious identity had become politicized. That experience planted a question that would define the next decade of my academic life: How do Christian and Muslim communities navigate - and sometimes compete for - shared social, economic, and political spaces?
That question became my PhD dissertation at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. In September 2025, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, titled "Pentecostalism and the Contestation of Public Space in Northern Nigeria (1973-2023)." This milestone culminated a decade-long research journey that began in 2015 when I received a French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA-Nigeria) grant to study invisible violence in Boko Haram-affected areas of Northeast Nigeria. What I witnessed in those conflict zones—communities competing for survival, resources, and legitimacy in spaces where religious identity had become deeply politicized—planted the central question that would drive my doctoral research: How do Christian and Muslim communities navigate shared social, economic, and political spaces when religious identity becomes the primary axis of competition?
The UMAPS Experience: A Transformative Catalyst
The University of Michigan African Presidential Scholarship came at a critical moment in my PhD journey. In 2024, I had the privilege of presenting my research at the African Studies Center in Ann Arbor, where conversations with leading scholars helped me see my Northern Nigeria fieldwork through comparative and theoretical lenses. The UMAPS team created an environment where African scholars could engage as intellectuals in global conversations about the continent. The seminars, workshops, and discussions enriched my dissertation in ways I could not have anticipated—challenging me to think beyond the specifics of Christian-Muslim dynamics in Kaduna or Jos and to consider broader questions about religious public sphere formation, colonial legacies, and pathways to inclusive development. I left Ann Arbor not just with a stronger dissertation, but also with a clearer vision of where my research needed to go next.
Looking Ahead: The Postdoctoral Phase
With my PhD completed, I am now pursuing postdoctoral opportunities that will allow me to deepen and expand this research comparatively. I am currently exploring how my Northern Nigeria research can contribute to broader conversations about religion, conflict, and public sphere dynamics across Africa. My goal for the postdoctoral phase is ambitious: to navigate not just how religious communities compete for space, but how they build bridges, negotiate differences, and create pathways to shared prosperity despite histories of conflict. The UMAPS experience taught me the importance of comparative thinking and interdisciplinary dialogue—lessons I will carry forward as I work toward scholarship that contributes to real-world pathways toward justice and peace.
Gratitude and Impact
The UMAPS experience was more than a line on my CV—it was a catalyst for thinking bigger about the impact my research could have. To the UMAPS team: thank you for creating space for African scholars to do our best work and for treating us as essential voices in global conversations about Africa's past, present, and future. The journey from Jigawa State's conflict zones to Michigan's African Studies Center to wherever the postdoctoral phase takes me is fundamentally about one thing: how we navigate differences with dignity.
