President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of renowned literary scholar and former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, who passed away on Wednesday.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the President extended his condolences to the family, friends and associates of the distinguished academic, describing his passing as a profound loss to Nigeria and the global intellectual community.
President Tinubu paid glowing tribute to Professor Jeyifo’s towering contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies and cultural theory, noting that he would be sorely missed for his scholarly depth and his masterful interpretations of the works of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.
The President also recalled the leadership qualities Jeyifo brought to ASUU during his tenure as president of the union.
He highlighted the late scholar’s temperance, foresight and wisdom, which, he said, helped shape constructive engagement and negotiation frameworks with government authorities aimed at improving working conditions for lecturers and strengthening the learning environment in Nigerian universities.
According to the President, Professor Jeyifo’s steadfast advocacy for academic freedom and social justice will remain a defining feature of his legacy.
He further noted that the late intellectual’s influence extended beyond the classroom into political and cultural journalism, where his ideas and writings inspired generations of scholars, writers and activists, many of whom he mentored.
President Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin College, Cornell University and Harvard University, institutions where Professor Jeyifo studied, taught or made significant scholarly contributions to African literary studies and research.
Describing him as “a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said Nigeria and the international academic community had lost an intellectual giant who devoted his life to the production of knowledge and the promotion of human dignity.
“I share a strong personal relationship with him. His contributions to literary and cultural advancement and to society at large will be missed,” President Tinubu stated.
Professor Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals.
Over the course of his career, he earned several honours, including the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019, in recognition of his scholarship and contributions to global intellectual discourse.
President Tinubu prayed for the repose of the soul of the departed scholar and for comfort for his family and the academic community he leaves behind.
Wale Igbintade
