The Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy in Ekiti State and former Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Professor Rasaki Ojo Bakare, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), the country’s highest academic honour in the humanities.
The announcement was made on Friday, with Professor Bakare joining the elite body of distinguished scholars recognised for their outstanding scholarly publications, research contributions and theoretical advancements in the humanities.
The Fellowship of the Nigerian Academy of Letters is regarded as the highest academic recognition for scholars in the humanistic disciplines, signifying national acknowledgement of their enduring contributions to knowledge and scholarship.
Professor Bakare will be formally invested as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters during a ceremony scheduled to hold at the University of Lagos on August 13, 2026.
Born on November 8, 1964, in Aramoko-Ekiti to an Aramoko-Ekiti father and an Ado-Ekiti princess, Professor Bakare began his academic journey at AUD Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, before attending United High School, Ilawe-Ekiti. He later studied at the College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, the University of Calabar and Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Before joining the Federal University Oye-Ekiti in 2011, he lectured at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and the University of Abuja. At FUOYE, he served as Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies, where he played a significant role in strengthening postgraduate education and research.
Since December 2019, Professor Bakare has served as the Ekiti State Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Creative Economy. He also chairs the Forum of Commissioners for Arts, Culture, Tourism, Heritage and Creative Economy in Nigeria.
His election as a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters is widely seen as a recognition of his remarkable contributions to scholarship, theatre arts, cultural development and public service
