LASU, NIS to Host ABORNE 2026 Conference as Vice-Chancellor Engages Key Agencies

Lagos State University (LASU) and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) are set to make history as co-hosts of the prestigious African Borderlands Research Network (ABORNE) Conference in September 2026. This will mark the first time Nigeria will host the international academic gathering focused on borderland studies.

The announcement was made by LASU's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, during her recent visit to the Comptroller General of NIS, Kemi Nanna Nandap, at the service’s headquarters in Abuja. The visit was aimed at initiating preparations for the high-profile event.

Accompanying the Vice-Chancellor were key stakeholders, including Dr. Willie Eselebor, founder and director of the Universal Research and Training Institute (URTI), Badagry; Acting Dean, School of Tourism, Film, Performing Arts and Cultural Studies, Professor Tunji Azeez; Director, Centre for Peace and Security Studies, Professor Adewunmi Falode; and the Vice-Chancellor’s Personal Assistant, Mrs. Fatima Ogunniyi.

Professor Olatunji-Bello emphasized the significance of the partnership between LASU and NIS in ensuring Nigeria delivers one of the best ABORNE conferences in history. She also used the occasion to introduce LASU’s newly established Border and Migration Studies programme, which will offer bachelor's, postgraduate, professional certificate, and diploma-level courses.

Dr. Willie Eselebor, who serves as a consultant on the Border and Migration Studies programme, underscored Lagos’ strategic position as Nigeria’s only state with land, air, and sea borders. He highlighted LASU’s location along the Lagos-Abidjan corridor as a major factor in securing the hosting rights for the conference. He also revealed that LASU and URTI have formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide professional training in border and migration studies.

The 2026 ABORNE Conference, themed ‘The Connected Borderlands, Socio-Cultural Integration and the Centrality of Policy, Research, and Security’, is expected to attract over 250 scholars, practitioners, and development organizations from across the globe.

In response, the Comptroller General of NIS expressed enthusiasm over the conference’s hosting rights being awarded to LASU and NIS. She assured the Vice-Chancellor of the service’s full support, noting the critical role of stakeholders in addressing border and immigration challenges in Nigeria, Africa, and beyond. She also pledged to formalize a partnership with LASU through a Memorandum of Understanding on training and development.

The LASU delegation also visited the Director-General of the National Boundary Commission, Surveyor Adamu Adaji, and the Executive Secretary of the Border Communities Development Agency, Dr. Dax Alabo George-Kelly. Both officials assured the university and NIS of their full backing towards ensuring the success of the conference.

With key institutions rallying behind the initiative, the ABORNE 2026 Conference promises to be a landmark event in borderland studies, fostering policy dialogue, research collaborations, and regional integration.