President Bola Tinubu has mourned the passing of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and one of Africa’s foremost literary scholars, Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo.
Jeyifo died on Wednesday, prompting an outpouring of tributes from across Nigeria and the global academic community.
In a condolence message to the family, friends, and associates of the late scholar, President Tinubu in a statement by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday, described Jeyifo as a towering intellectual whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, and cultural theory left an enduring legacy.
The President said that the late professor would be remembered for his incisive criticism and profound interpretations of the works of Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka.
The President also reflected on Jeyifo’s tenure as ASUU president, commending the temperance, foresight, and wisdom he brought to the union. He noted that the late professor played a pivotal role in shaping negotiation frameworks with government aimed at improving the welfare of university staff and enhancing the learning environment in Nigerian universities.
President Tinubu0 said Professor Jeyifo’s lifelong commitment to academic freedom and social justice would remain a source of inspiration for future generations.
He added that the late scholar’s impact went beyond academia, extending into political and cultural journalism, where he mentored numerous scholars, writers, and activists.
Tinubu condoled with ASUU, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Oberlin University, Cornell University, and Harvard University—institutions where Jeyifo studied, taught, or made significant scholarly contributions.
“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen,” the President said. “Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production 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.”
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals. Among several honours, he received the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.
