As debates on decolonisation continue to shape global intellectual and political discourse, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) will, on Monday, January 5 2026, convene a public symposium in honour of renowned scholar, Biodun Jeyifo, Professor Emeritus at Cornell (English) and Harvard (Comparative Literature and African and African American Studies), as he marks his 80th birthday. The symposium will take place at the AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 9:00am (WAT).
The symposium, themed ‘Who Is afraid of decolonisation?’, will examine Jeyifo’s enduring contributions to curriculum reform, cultural resistance, and critical thought, while interrogating the contemporary relevance of decolonial ideas in education, politics, and public discourse.
The programme will feature a keynote lecture by Priya Gopal, Professor of Post-Colonial Studies at the University of Cambridge, titled ‘Who’s afraid of decolonisation? Reflections on particular pasts and planetary futures.’
The event which will be chaired by Yemi Ogunbiyi (PhD), Chairman, Tanus Books, Lagos, Nigeria will have two panel sessions follow the keynote lecture. The first panel will offer critical responses to Gopal’s lecture and will feature Jibrin Ibrahim, Professor of Political Science and Chairman of the Editorial Board, Premium Times; Chidi Amuta (PhD), Chairman, Wilson & Weizman Associates, Lagos; and Akin Adesokan, Professor of Comparative Literature, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. The session will be moderated by Ropo Sekoni, immediate past Chair, WSCIJ and Professor of Literature in English.
The second panel, themed ‘Pedagogy for liberation: Then and now,’ will bring together former students and mentees of Jeyifo to reflect on his influence as a teacher, thinker, and institution-builder. Panellists include Bisi Anyadike (PhD), Proprietress, Sunshine Nursery and Primary School, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Kunle Ajibade, Co-founder, TheNEWS and PM NEWS; and Ogaga Ifowodo (PhD), lawyer and poet. The session will be moderated by Chima Anyadike, Professor of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
A major highlight of the symposium will be remarks by the celebrant, Jeyifo, reflecting on curriculum, society, and revolution across generations.
The symposium will convene students, scholars, writers, journalists, and cultural critics, and will conclude with audience interactions, networking, and reflections on Jeyifo’s enduring contribution to African scholarship and critical pedagogy. Members of the public are invited to attend.
