A Nigerian history professor, Saheed Aderinto has been congratulated for becoming the first Nigerian to receive the $300,000 Dan David Prize.

The United States Mission in Nigeria sent the congratulatory message on its Facebook page late Monday.

The post read, “Congratulations to Nigerian-American Professor of History and African and African Diaspora Studies at Florida International University, Saheed Aderinto, on becoming the first Nigerian to receive the $300,000 Dan David Prize—the largest financial reward for excellence in the historical discipline in the world.

“Professor Aderinto is the Founding President of the Lagos Studies Association.”