28/05/2026
BREAKING NEWS: DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINOLOGY AND SECURITY STUDIES RESEARCH TEAM RECEIVES 2025 AFFILIA PRAXIS AWARD
The University of Nigeria has recorded another major international milestone as a research team from its newly accredited Department of Criminology and Security Studies won the prestigious 2025 Affilia Praxis Award, a globally respected honour in feminist and interdisciplinary social science research.
This achievement comes at a time when the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, is intensifying efforts to strengthen the University's global visibility and academic reputation by promoting cutting-edge research, international collaborations, and strategic academic partnerships.
The internationally celebrated award, conferred by Affilia Journal, recognised the Department of Criminology and Security Studies under the leadership of Dr Nnanna Onuoha Arukwe and his research team for their contributions to feminist studies, interdisciplinary scholarship, and international research collaboration.
The award was bestowed in recognition of their article titled “A Postcolonial Feminist Perspective on Traditional Birth Attendants and Management of Pregnancy Complications Among Indigenous Women in Rural Nigeria”, co-authored by Dr Nnanna Onuoha Arukwe; Chukwudi Samuel Chime, a Senior Lecturer in the University of Nigeria Medical College and postgraduate student in the Department, and Francis Okoronkwo Okwara, a postgraduate student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The article was published in Affilia: Feminist Inquiry in Social Work (2025, Vol. 40(1), pp. 46–64).
According to a congratulatory correspondence jointly signed by the Awards Committee Chair and the editorial leadership of the journal, the publication emerged as the best article globally published in the 2025 edition of the journal owing to its relevance, innovation, feminist methodological rigor, and anticipated global impact on the social sciences.
The Affilia Praxis Award is one of the most respected international recognitions in the social sciences dedicated to advancing feminist inquiry, social justice scholarship, and international research diversity. The award reflects exceptional distinction in research excellence and acknowledges scholarly efforts aimed at empowering marginalised populations and influencing global discourse and policy.
The award has significantly enhanced the international profile and academic visibility of the Department of Criminology and Security Studies.
The award-winning study emerged from the robust international collaboration between the Department of Criminology and Security Studies, University of Nigeria, and the Graduate Institute of Development Studies of National Chengchi University.
Supported through strategic international partnerships involving the Graduate Institute of Development Studies and the Taiwan Centre for Security Studies, the research initiative has further strengthened academic exchange, collaborative learning, and interdisciplinary research engagements between Africa and Asia, in alignment with the Vice-Chancellor’s institutional vision for a globally competitive University of Nigeria.
The study addresses critical themes relevant to social work, security studies, sociology, development studies, public health, and African studies. Its policy relevance and scholarly significance have transcended continental boundaries through publication in the highly reputable and internationally indexed Affilia journal.
Reacting to the development, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, congratulated Dr Nnanna Onuoha Arukwe, Chukwudi Samuel Chime, Francis Okoronkwo Okwara, and the newly accredited Department of Criminology and Security Studies for the remarkable achievement.
He stated that the award has effectively announced the department’s arrival on the global academic stage and further affirmed the growing international reputation of the University of Nigeria as a centre of research excellence and innovation.
