Professor Biodun Jeyifo, emeritus professor and one of Nigeria’s foremost scholars of literature and culture, has died at the age of 80.
Jeyifo passed away on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by Andrew Haruna, President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL). Haruna described his death as a profound loss not only to Nigeria but to the global intellectual community.
Born on January 5, 1946, in Ibadan, Oyo State, Jeyifo, fondly known as “BJ” built an academic career that spanned several decades and continents. He earned a first-class degree in English from the University of Ibadan, where he also completed his master’s degree, before proceeding to New York University for his doctorate.
He began his teaching career at the then University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), where he established himself as a leading voice in literary scholarship. Jeyifo later took up academic appointments abroad, holding senior positions at Cornell University and subsequently at Harvard University.
At Harvard, he served as Professor of African and African American Studies and Comparative Literature, and later became Professor Emeritus. Over the years, he earned international acclaim as one of the most authoritative interpreters of the works of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
Beyond his academic contributions, Jeyifo was actively involved in university administration and advocacy. He once served as National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), where he played a prominent role in the struggle for academic freedom and improved conditions within Nigeria’s university system.
