OLASUPO OLAKUNLE THOMPSON

Dr Olasupo Olakunle THompson teaches History and Political Science to both undergraduate and postgraduate students. His areas of specialsations are on Social and Politcial History. He has published in local, national and international journals including AFrika Focus, African Identities, Ethnic Stueis Review among others. He is a fellow of Institute of French Studies in AFrica (IFRA), member of the Historical Soceity of Nigeria (HSN) and Social Studies Assocaition of Nigeria (SOSAN).

EDUCATION

University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos, Nigeria
University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Nigeria

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

History, Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, Political Science and International Relations

FUTURE PROJECTS

Scopus Publications

Dark Cloud Ahead? Formation of the Fulani Nomad Volunteer Vigilante Group and its Implication on Nigeria’s (In)Security
Olasupo Thompson, Olugbenga S. Aina, Ridwan T. Idris, Andrey Kovalev
African Studies Quarterly, 2026
Nigeria’s persistent insecurity, marked by insurgency, farmer–herder conflicts, and banditry, has fostered the proliferation of vigilante groups. In January 2024, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore launched the Fulani Nomad Volunteer Vigilante Group (NVVG) to address cattle rustling, kidnapping, and rural insecurity. This study interrogates the drivers, political context, and potential implications of its formation. Anchored on social contract theory and state fragility framework, it argues that state failure to provide security and equitable justice fuels ethnically aligned security initiatives. Data was obtained through qualitative documentary analysis of media reports, policy documents, academic literature, and expert commentaries. It revealed that while the NVVG may provide localized protection and employment, it risks legitimizing illegality, fueling arms proliferation, exacerbating ethnic tensions, and undermining state authority. The article concludes that without robust regulation and oversight, ethnically based vigilante formations could deepen Nigeria’s insecurity and fragment national cohesion.
‘It is their creation, let them face it’: conscientious objection to armed forces recruitment in Southeast Nigeria and its implications for counterinsurgency and national security
Olasupo Thompson, John Daniel, Olugbenga Aina, Oluwadamilola Oduyemi
Small Wars and Insurgencies, 2026
From colonial legacies to contemporary challenges: understanding and addressing Nigeria’s fragility
Olasupo Thompson, Olugbenga S. Aina, Surajudeen Oladele, Olatunji Awotayo, Comfort Onifade
African Identities, 2026
When waste cost more than lives: The scrap scavengers (Baban Bola-Bola) and (in)security in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria
Olasupo Thompson, Olugbenga Seun Aina, John Daniel, Tobi Olayinka Popoola, Surajudeen Oladele
African Security Review, 2026
A Town once blessed with Two ‘Witches’: A Study of Lady Jane McCotter and Gertrud Biersack in the Health Services if Abeokuta, 1928–2014
West Bohemian Historical Review, 2025
‘Beyond our pregnancies and bodies’: benefits and barriers to antenatal care clinic utilisation among pregnant women in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria
Olasupo Thompson
African Identities, 2025
Public reactions to school closures during Ramadan in northern Nigeria and implications for Christian-Muslim relations, peacebuilding, and development
Olasupo Thompson, Uche S. Odozor, Olugbenga Aina, Tokunbo Dada, Surajudeen O. Oladele
African Identities, 2025
‘Carry us along and you will see wonders’: COVID-19 pandemic and search for local cures in Nigeria
Ridwan Tosho Idris, Olakunle Olasupo Thompson
African Identities, 2024
This paper examined how the panic created by the advent of corona virus (COVID-19) pandemic led to the search for local cures, the responses and reactions of the government to the local cure as well as why the government preferred Western solution over local cures in spite of its investments and efforts to develop local cures in Nigeria. The study adopted the qualitative methods and thus relied on data elicited from books, journals, COVID-19 news reports, bulletins, and newspapers. The study finds a gap in the manner in which the government adopted the Western cures over its own in spite of its huge investments in local solutions. The rationale for reliance on western solutions were the lack of data, lack of replicability among others. The paper concludes that local search for the COVID-19 vaccine if encouraged would not have only saved the nation huge export of scarce financial resources but would have also created the take-off for novel therapeutic or prophylactic products for the prevention and treatment of endemic and emerging diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and other preventable diseases. One of the recommendations for the study is the need for adequate funding and political will to support local cures. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of African Identities is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)
"If You All Don't Save Me, I Will End My Life": An Assessment of (Il)legal Online Digital Lenders (Loan Sharks) in Nigeria
Olasupo Thompson, Funmi Bode-Alakija, Phoebe D. Awange
Afrika Focus, 2024
This article examines the activities of (il)legal online lenders in Nigeria. A qualitative method was adopted in which literature, media reports, commentaries and indepth interviews were deployed. We argue that the insufficient regulatory role of the government, the laxity of laws, a failure to initiate social security, poor access to loan facilities, corruption and poverty, among other factors, account for the incursions of illegal online lenders (loan sharks) who deploy unorthodox methods in reclaiming their loans from defaulters in Nigeria, and that use of force remains ineffective. We recommend a more robust and holistic framework to tackle (il)legal online lenders. This must, among other things, start from the government’s political will, revamping the economy, establishing an effective regulatory role of government and its agencies in the online and offline financial institutions, and creating job opportunities, access to loans and an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic: Effects, Responses and Challenges for Education in Abeokuta, South-West Nigeria
Olasupo Thompson, Alphonsus Adebiyi, Modupe Obi, Ridwan T. Idris, Lawrence C. Olise
Afrika Focus, 2024
The study investigated the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on education, the challenges and the responses, in Abeokuta, south-west Nigeria. It adopted the case study design and qualitative method of data collection. It found that the Covid-19 pandemic, exacerbated by the lockdown, affected all stakeholders in the education sector from governments at all levels to pupils. Responses through the provision of palliatives, the introduction of online classes and internet connectivity cost reduction by network providers were less effective than they might have been as a result of certain hindrances, such as poor funding and erratic power supply. The study concluded that stakeholders in the education sector must provide the enabling environment for education to thrive for both learners and teachers in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. The study recommends investment in education through adequate funding, setting up early warning systems and the enforcement of child rights acts.
Nigeria: Birthed by Decree, Struggling under Democracy
Handbook of African Intelligence Cultures, 2023
Beyond the 2019 general election: Critical lessons for Nigeria's democratic experiment
Uche S. Odozor, Olasupo O Thompson, Ngozi S. Atata, Stanislaus O. Okonkwo
Nigeria S 2019 Democratic Experience, 2022
Beyond the Capture of ‘Camp Zero’: Terrorism and Insecurity in a Failing-Weak State
O. O. Thompson, A. S. Afolabi, A. Shola Abdulbaki
India Quarterly, 2019
Sweeter with age: The enigmatic Miss Jane McCotter in the colonial services of the Egba Native administration in Abeokuta, Nigeria, 1929-1955
Journal of International Women S Studies, 2019
A Conceptual and Ethical Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa’s Development Crisis: The Marange Experience
U. S. Odozor, R. R. Aduradola, O. O. Thompson, E. O. Akintona
Csr Sustainability Ethics and Governance, 2019
‘The World Against Us’: The Vulnerable Group, Marange Diamond Mines and the Corporate Social Responsibility Question
O. O. Thompson, R. R. Aduradola, U. S. Odozor, O. G. F. Nwaorgu, A. S. Afolabi, et al.
Csr Sustainability Ethics and Governance, 2019

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

From colonial legacies to contemporary challenges: understanding and addressing Nigeria's fragility
OO Thompson, OS Aina, S Oladele, J Awotayo, C Onifade
AFrican Identities 24 (1) , 2026
2026
Citations: 2
‘It is their creation, let them face it’: conscientious objection to armed forces recruitment in Southeast Nigeria and its implications for counterinsurgency and national security
O Thompson, JO Daniel, OS AIna, O Oduyemi
Small Wars and Insurgencies 37 , 2026
2026
Sexual Harassment Among Secondary School Students in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria.
OO Thompson, Aduradola, R., RT Idris, OA Alabi, AO Ajayi, F Nkwuda, ...
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems, 1-24 , 2026
2026
From Change to Chain? Democratic Governance and Leadership Challenges under the Muhammadu Buhari Administration (2015-2023).
OO Thompson, M Ayokunle, SO Oladele, SO Aina, JO Daniel
Gombe Journal Of Administration and Management (GJAM), 8 (1), 43-56 , 2026
2026
Dark Cloud Ahead? Formation of the Fulani Nomad Volunteer Vigilante Group and its Implication on Nigeria’s (In)Security
OO Thompson, OS Aina, RT Idris, A Kovalev
African Studies Quarterly 24 (1) , 2026
2026
From Campus to Global Battlegrounds: The Global Spread of Nigerian Cult Gangs, Responses, and Impact on National Development
OO Thompson, RT Idris, A Kovalev, OS Aina, SO Oladele
The Palgrave Handbook of Global Social Problems , 2026
2026
Marketer or Crime Fighter? The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Political Defections and the Struggle for Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria, 2015–2025.
OO Thompson, OS Aina, B Oshode, T Popoola
Contemporary Socio-Political National Issues and Sustainable Development … , 2025
2025
Invisible Protectors: The Role of Deities in Security and Its Implication for Indigenous Knowledge Systems Among the Imasayi of Yewa North, Ogun State Nigeria.
D Thompson, O., Folorunso, O., Ariyibi, O., Popoola, G., & Folorunso
FUDMA Journal of Humanities, Social Science and Creative Arts , 1(2), 58-70 … , 2025
2025
Public reactions to school closures during Ramadan in northern Nigeria and implications for Christian-Muslim relations, peacebuilding, and development.
Thompson, Olasupo, US Odozor, O ., Aina, T Dada, SO Oladele
AFrican Identities 24, 1-21 , 2025
2025
Beware the hand that serves what it will not taste: Presidential medical tourism and implications for healthcare development (2015–2025)
OO Thompson, RT Idris, SO Oladele, KG Adesoun, T Dada
The Nigerian Journal of Business and Social Sciences, 12 (1), 146-171 , 2025
2025
Beyond the Cross and the Scalpel: Jean-Marie Coquard’s Impact on Healthcare Services in Egba, Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria (1890–1933)
OO Thompson
Social Sciences and Missions 38 (3-4), 364-396 , 2025
2025
Globalisation and the cultural identities of the Remo, Ijebu, Yewa and Egba (RIYE) peoples of Ogun State, Nigeria1
O Thompson, O Folorunso, A Kupoluyi, M Ogunbiyi
Humanus Discourse 5 (7) , 2025
2025
Digital Electoral Reforms and Democratic Consolidation: A Critical Assessment of BVAS and IReV in the 2023 Nigerian General Elections
O Thompson, TR Idris, OS AIna, JS Adekola, SO Oladele
Gusau International Journal of Management and Social Sciences 8 (2), 314-342 , 2025
2025
A Glitched State: Technology, Public Institutions and the Nigerian Captured State
OO Thompson, TS Dada, OS Aina, SO Oladele, J Daniel
CONCRESCENCE JOURNAL OF MULTI-DISCIPLINARY RESEARCH 2 (3) , 2025
2025
‘Beyond our pregnancies and bodies’: benefits and barriers to antenatal care clinic utilisation among pregnant women in Abeokuta, southwest Nigeria
O Thompson
African Identities 23 (3), 878-895 , 2025
2025
Citations: 2
SHARIA NO TERRITÓRIO IORUBÁ: EXPLORANDO O PLURALISMO RELIGIOSO E AS TENSÕES ÉTNICAS NO SUDOESTE NIGERIANO
O Thompson, TS Dada, OS Aina, B Jinadu, SO Oladele
Revista Brasileira de Estudos Africanos| Porto Alegre| v 10 (20), 190-227 , 2025
2025
Nigeria's 2023 General Elections" from below". Continuities, transformation, and variations
SE Husaini, D Manetta, A Adebayo, OL Ikefuama, OO Thompson
2025
Philosophical Analysis of Inter-Religious Conflicts in Contemporary Nigerian Socio-Political Space
OS Aina, O Thompson, T Olaifa
Sapientia Journal of Philosophy 21 (1), 26-35 , 2025
2025
Assessing Public Reception and Effectiveness of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s Covid-19 Short Message Service (SMS) Campaign In Alabata, South-West, Nigeria
AA Adebiyi, OO Thompson, RT Idris, F Falobi, AA Ibraheem, ...
African Journal of Social and Behavioural Sciences 15 (4) , 2025
2025
Citations: 1
The Word and the World: Prince of Peace and Conflict Management in the Canonical Gospel Narratives
A Olugbenga Seun, TA OLAIFA, OO THOMPSON
OCHENDO: An African Journal of Innovative Studies 6 (1) , 2025
2025

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Management of organizational conflict in nigeria polytechnics, an empirical study of the federal polytechnic, ede osun state
A Adebile Olukayode
International Journal of Asian Social Science 2 (3), 229-243 , 2012
2012
Citations: 31
United we fall, divided we stand: Resuscitation of the Biafra state secession and the national question conundrum
OO Thompson, CC Ojukwu, OGF Nwaorgu
Journal of Research in National Development 14 (1), 1-14 , 2016
2016
Citations: 29
Beyond the capture of ‘Camp Zero’: Terrorism and insecurity in a failing-weak state
OO Thompson, AS Afolabi, AS Abdulbaki
India Quarterly 75 (3), 303-322 , 2019
2019
Citations: 12
Defying the Odds: Nigeria’s Spiralling Insecurity and Failure of State Responses
OO Thompson, IA Adams
The Indian Journal of Politics 55 (1-2), 89-113 , 2021
2021
Citations: 10
Preparations Of The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) And Outcome Of The 2023 General Elections In Nigeria
OO Thompson, R Idris, O Ademola, M Obi
Journal of African Elections 22 (2), 114-148 , 2023
2023
Citations: 9
‘When I See the ‘Broom’, I Will Pass over You’: An Assessment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria, 2015-2019
O Thompson, AS Afolabi, AN Raheem, CA Onifade
UJAH: Unizik Journal of Arts and Humanities 21 (2), 195-232 , 2020
2020
Citations: 9
‘Carry us along and you will see wonders’: COVID-19 pandemic and search for local cures in Nigeria
TR Idris, O Thompson
African Identities 21 (2) , 2023
2023
Citations: 8
From Love at First Sight to Public Enemy: The Emergent Lakurawa Terrorist in Northern Nigeria
O Thompson, O Aina, SO Oladele, BJ Jinadu, SI Egwu
Lapai Journal of Humanities 15 (2), 1-17 , 2024
2024
Citations: 7
Mutiny, desertion and state response in the Nigeria armed forces and its implications
O Thompson
Ife Social Sciences Review 29 (1), 14-30 , 2021
2021
Citations: 7
Gender violence in Nigeria: An unremitting allotment of a frankenstein
OO THOMPSON
J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Crtv. Arts 7, 14-29 , 2012
2012
Citations: 7
Public reaction to federal government’s farmer-herder conflicts through the RUGA policy-can one continuously do the same and expect different result?
A Afolab, O Thompson, O Ademola, O Nwaorgu, A Onifade
Africa Insight 49 (4), 88-103 , 2020
2020
Citations: 6
Terrorism, the Vulnerable Population and Social Inclusion Question in Nigeria
O Thompson, R Aduradola
ASUU journal of Humanities 3 (3), 1-14 , 2016
2016
Citations: 6
Protracted Boko Haram Terrorists ‘violence And Financial Commitments To Counter-Terrorism Efforts By The Nigerian State: Between Optimism And Despair
OS Aina, OO Thompson
PROCEEDINGS , 2024
2024
Citations: 5
Has banditry come to stay? Triggers, impacts and failures of responses to banditry in Northern Nigeria
OO Thompson, PD Awange, M Obi, O Aina, K Adeosun, B Jinadu
Journal of Politics and Administrative Studies 17 (1), 380-402 , 2024
2024
Citations: 5
Sweeter with Age: The Enigmatic Miss Jane McCotter in the Colonial Services of the Egba Native Administration in Abeokuta, Nigeria, 1929–1955
OO Thompson, SA Afolabi, OGF Nwaorgu
Journal of International Women’s Studies 20 (7), 334-348 , 2019
2019
Citations: 5
Blood on the Dance Floor: Police Brutality,# EndSARS Protest Movement and Responses in Lagos, Nigeria
OO Thompson, IA Adams, PD Awange, SO Adekoya, OS Aina, ...
Journal of Administrative Science 21 (2), 118-146 , 2024
2024
Citations: 4
When gods Return in Body Bags: The Evolution of Depositions, Exiles and Medical Tourisms among Yoruba Traditional Rulers in Southern Nigeria, c. 1476–2016
OO Thompson, OGF Nwaorgu
Social Evolution and History 23 (1) , 2024
2024
Citations: 4
A History of Maternal Healthcare Services in Abeokuta, 1895-1987
O Thompson
University of Ilorin , 2021
2021
Citations: 4
An Appraisal of the Amotekun Security Corps in Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria
OO Thompson
University of Lagos , 2021
2021
Citations: 4
The Implication of Fake News, Hate Speech and Government Responses in Nigeria, 2015-2019
OO Thompson, OGF Nwaorgu, A Afolabi, Aduradola, R., US Odozor, ...
Journal of Communication and Media Research 11 (2), 159-171 , 2019
2019
Citations: 4

Publications

Thompson, O. O., Adeosun, K. G., Chinaguh, E. C., Adebiyi, A. A. 2024. Destroy their Tongue and Identity so that they will Never build the House: Language, Identity and (Under)development of Africa. Journal of Policy and Development Studies (JPDS), Vol. 15, 2: DOI: . Published by the Department of Public Administration, Nnamdi Azikwe Univerisity, Awka. ANambra State.
1. Thompson, O. O and Nwaorgu, O.G. F. 2024. When gods Return in Body Bags: The Evolution of Depositions, Exiles and Medical Tourisms among Yoruba Traditional Rulers in Southern Nigeria, c.1476-2016. Social Evolution and History Vol. 23: (Scopus).
2. Thompson, O. O.. Alakija, F. B., and Awange, P D. 2024. ‘If you all don’t save me, I will end my An assessment of (Il)legal online lenders (Loan Sharks) in Nigeria. Afrika Focus Vol 35, 1: 91-121. (Scopus)
3. Thompson O.O, Aina O. S., Obi M. A., Phobe D Awange 2024 Youth Challenges And Failures Of Stakeholders’ Interventions in Africa: The Experience Of The Nigerian ‘Lazy’ Youths. Indian J. Soc. & Pol. 11 (01):23-34. Published by the Winsome India Educational Trust, Mau, U.P. India
4. Thompson, O. O., Ridwan Idris, Oluniyi Ademola, and Modupe Obi, 2023. Preparations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Outcome of the 2023 General Elections in Nigeria Journal of African Elections 22, 2: 114-148 Education Institute of South Africa.
5. Thompson, O.O., Bukola Kanumuangi, Aduradola, R

INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

11 years Experiece in Research and Teaching