Nigerian wins US fellowship

An Interdisciplinary Humanities doctoral candidate at the University of California, Omowumi Omole, has been awarded the 2026 Dean’s Dissertation Fellowship from the School of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts.

The fellowship, valued at $27,000, will support her dissertation fieldwork and data collection in Lagos, Nigeria.

In a statement made available to Diaspora Tales, the fellowship is designed to help doctoral candidates make steady progress on their dissertations.

“It releases Omole from her teaching responsibilities for the Fall 2026 semester so that she can devote her full attention to research,” it stated.

“Omole’s dissertation examines how Pentecostal marriage teachings shape women’s political subjectivity, particularly their views on laws meant to protect them from violence.

“Her work looks closely at the debate over the non-criminalisation of marital rape in Nigeria, a debate that gained fresh attention after the widely publicised death of gospel singer Osinachi Nwachukwu.”

Her ethnographic study follows women through marriage classes at two Lagos churches and examines churchgoers’ attitudes towards issues such as bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.

Omole has also conducted research among Nigerian diaspora congregations in Dallas, Texas, and plans to continue the study at a church in Houston, to see how the same teachings are embodied abroad.

Biodun Busari is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with five years of experience reporting on human interest, crime, diaspora issues, and feature storytelling. He focuses on producing engaging, informative stories that enlighten the public and provide context on complex topics. Biodun’s work demonstrates hands-on newsroom experience and a strong commitment to accurate, purpose-driven journalism.

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