- Renowned Literary Scholar Biodun Jeyifo Dies At 80
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He taught at Ibadan, Cornell and Harvard.
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Jeyifo was former ASUU president and Soyinka scholar.
Renowned scholar of literature and culture, Biodun Jeyifo, has died at the age of 80.
Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, bringing to a close an intellectual career that spanned several decades across Nigeria and the United States.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement announcing his death, the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Andrew Haruna, described his passing as a profound loss to Nigeria and the global academic community. He said Jeyifo’s contributions to literary studies and cultural criticism earned him wide respect at home and abroad.
Born on January 5, 1946, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Jeyifo showed academic brilliance early in life. He graduated with a first class degree in English from the University of Ibadan, where he also obtained his master’s degree. He later earned a doctorate from New York University.
He began his teaching career at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, before taking up academic appointments overseas. Jeyifo later served in senior roles at Cornell University and Harvard University. At Harvard, he was Professor Emeritus of African and African American Studies and Comparative Literature.
Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of the works of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka. His scholarship advanced global understanding of African literature, postcolonial theory and comparative literary studies.
Beyond academia, he played an active role in university governance. He served as National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities and was involved in advocacy for academic freedom and improved conditions for lecturers.
On January 5, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism and other intellectual bodies held an international symposium in Lagos to mark his 80th birthday and celebrate his lifelong contributions to critical thought.
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