The Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ibadan, has expressed deep sorrow over the death of renowned scholar and pioneer President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Biodun Jeyifo, a professor.
In a press statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Director, Ṣọlá Ọlọ́runyọmí, a professor, the Institute described the late Mr Jeyifo as a towering figure in African and global intellectual life, whose contributions to scholarship, radical thought and academic unionism left an enduring legacy.
Mr Jeyifo, who was born on 5 January 1946, died yesterday, 11 February at the age of 80.
Exhibition, condolence register announced
The IAS noted that as ASUU’s pioneer President, Mr Jeyifo stood at the forefront of struggles for academic freedom, institutional integrity and the dignity of intellectual labour in Nigeria’s university system. He was also described as a Marxist thinker, public intellectual and committed trade unionist whose courage and intellectual clarity shaped generations of scholars.
“At the Institute of African Studies, we honour his extraordinary contributions to African letters, radical thought and the university as a space of democratic possibility. His courage and intellectual clarity will be greatly missed,” the statement read.
An alumnus of the University of Ibadan, Mr Jeyifo served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Institute of African Studies alongside eminent scholars such as Dan Izevbaiye, Femi Osofisan, Adesanoye and Niyi Osundare. The Institute recalled him as a friend and mentor to several of its faculty members, including Professors Dele Layiwola and Ohioma Pogoson.
The Institute announced that a condolence register would open in his honour from 12 noon on Thursday and remain available until the date of his interment.
It further disclosed plans to host an exhibition in tribute to the late scholar. The exhibition, sponsored by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) and the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA), will be curated by Mr Pogoson, the Institute’s Honorary Curator.
Extending condolences to the deceased’s family, colleagues, comrades and students across the world, the Institute described his passing as a profound loss to African scholarship and progressive intellectual traditions.
