The Federal University Lokoja (FUL) has announced plans to establish an Institute of African Heritage and Museum Studies, to be named after renowned Nigerian batik artist and cultural icon, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye.
The new institute, to be known as the Nike (Okundaye) Institute of African Heritage and Museum Studies, will function as a research and training centre, offering diploma and postgraduate certificate programmes in African Heritage and Museum Studies.
The initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with Okundaye, whose lifelong commitment to promoting African art and culture earned her the honour.
Project Coordinator, Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Kolade-Paul Tubi, said the decision to name the institute after Okundaye was in recognition of her pivotal role in bringing the project to fruition.
Okundaye, a native of Ogidi in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, is internationally acclaimed for popularising batik art and other indigenous African artistic expressions across the globe. She is the founder of the Nike Art Gallery chain with outlets in Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo and Ogidi.
As part of the initiative, Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, will on Monday, February 9, 2026, inaugurate the Nike University Gallery at FUL’s Felele Campus in Lokoja. The event forms part of the legacy projects of the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, whose tenure ends on Friday, February 13, 2026.
Governor Ododo will also formally flag off the establishment of the Nike Institute of African Heritage and Museum Studies, perform the groundbreaking ceremony for the university’s Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and lay the foundation stone for an ethnographic workshop.
Speaking on the initiative, Professor Akinwumi said the institute was conceived to renew national interest in Nigeria’s heritage and history, noting that while developed nations continue to invest heavily in preserving their past, many Nigerians undervalue their cultural legacy.
According to him, the institute is intended to refocus national attention on heritage studies and stimulate a long-overdue Nigerian cultural renaissance.
Akinwumi added that naming the institute after Okundaye was a straightforward decision, revealing that she funded the construction of the institute’s physical structures and furnished them with valuable and significant artworks.
He said dedicating the institute to her name was the university’s way of expressing appreciation for her exceptional generosity and unwavering commitment to preserving African heritage.
FUL Names New African Heritage Institute After Batik Icon Nike Okundaye
