US-based Nigerian Historian Honors Nobel Laureate in Mbaise Hometown

Professor James A. Robinson, the British-American political scientist who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has become one of the first Nobel Laureates to be celebrated in a grand style by a traditional Nigerian community. This memorable reception took place on Sunday, July 26, 2026, and was organized by Dr. Robinson’s long-standing collaborator, Prof. Chima J. Korieh who teaches African history at Marquette University in Wisconsin, United States. Dr. Korieh is also a professor at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and serves as the Onowu (Traditional Prime Minister) of the Umuchieze Autonomous community in Ahiazu Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. He considered it an honor to host the globally acclaimed scholar and several guests at his Umuagu residence.

The honorary reception in Mbaise expectedly attracted prominent Nigerian leaders and accomplished scholars from around the world. His Excellency, Mr. Peter Obi, former Governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) attended the event in the company of Prof. Pat Utomi, a notable political economist and an advocate for good governance in Nigeria and Africa. There was also Professor Ihechukwu Madubuike, the Federal Minister of Education (1979-1981) and Minister of Health (1995-1997), who graced the occasion alongside his wife.

For nearly a decade, an essential part of Prof. Robinson’s expertise has been to study the relationship between African traditional political institutions and the people’s economic development. In 2022, prior to becoming a Nobel Laureate, HRH Eze Enyeribe Onuoha of the Umuchieze village had recognized Prof. Robinson’s love for the Igbo heritage and conferred on him a chieftaincy title as Nwanne di na Mba, which translates as brotherhood/friendship can come from foreign land. The Eze and his people therefore showed rapturous hospitality to their illustrious guests, which also included professors Apollos O. Nwauwa of Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and Tochukwu Omemma, who is Director at the Institute of African Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

Indeed, as visiting professor, the UNN has become Prof. Robinson’s academic home in Nigeria. As director of the Pearson Institute for the Study and Resolution of Global Conflicts at the University of Chicago, Prof. Robinson has contributed immensely to transformative scholarship in Nigeria. This includes, among other avenues, his consistent funding support for the Annual Chinua Achebe International Conference. Many Nigerian scholars, established and up-and-coming alike, have benefited from partnering with the great Robinson team, comprising students and academics from diverse world regions, including Europe and America. In fact, some Nigerian scholars can attribute their first visit to University of Chicago to James Robinson’s dynamic mentorship and generous financial assistance. It was not surprising that many of such scholars witnessed the reception in honor of their cheerful benefactor at that historic village.

The event ended with profound gratitude from Prof. Robinson who described his close association with the Mbaise community as a privilege. Briefing newsmen, Prof. James Robinson used the opportunity to call upon the Federal Government of Nigeria to take more proactive and pragmatic measures to strengthen the country’s security architecture. The development economist underscored that the existence of reliable and effective security systems creates the salubrious environment required for local businesses, industrial productivity, and global partnerships to thrive. In the same vein, Robinson’s chief collaborator, Prof. Chima Korieh, emphasized the importance of history to Nigeria’s progress. Praising the restoration of history in the country’s school systems, the Professor of History hinted at the contents of the curriculum which determines the kind of history taught to citizens. Without good history, he concluded, it is difficult to understand where you are going or where you have made mistakes.