Tinubu Mourns Renowned Scholar, Former ASUU President Biodun Jeyifo

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 condolence message issued on Thursday, the President described Professor Jeyifo as a towering intellectual figure whose contributions to African literature, postcolonial studies, cultural theory, and literary criticism earned him global recognition. He particularly noted the late scholar’s mastery in interpreting the works of Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.

Tinubu recalled Jeyifo’s years of service in ASUU leadership, highlighting what he called the professor’s temperance, foresight, and wisdom in guiding negotiations with government authorities to improve working conditions for university staff and strengthen Nigeria’s academic environment.

The President also praised Jeyifo’s lifelong advocacy for academic freedom, social justice, and intellectual engagement, noting that his impact extended beyond academia into political and cultural journalism, where he mentored generations of scholars, writers, and activists.

He condoled with the late scholar’s family, 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 Jeyifo studied, taught, or influenced research in African literary studies.

“Nigeria and the global academic community have lost a towering figure and outstanding global citizen. Professor Biodun Jeyifo was an intellectual giant who dedicated his entire life to knowledge production and the promotion of human dignity,” Tinubu said, adding that he shared a strong personal relationship with the late academic.

Professor Jeyifo, widely regarded as one of Africa’s most influential literary critics and public intellectuals, received numerous honours during his lifetime, including the prestigious W.E.B. Du Bois Medal in 2019.

The President prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul and urged the academic community to sustain the values and ideals he championed.