Renowned Scholar Biodun Jeyifo Dies Days After Celebrating 80th Birthday

Nigerian academic, literary critic and Professor Emeritus Biodun Jeyifo, is dead. He was 80.

Jeyifo was widely regarded as one of the foremost scholars of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.

His passing was announced by the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Andrew Haruna, in a statement on Wednesday, saying the scholar passed away on 11 February.

The Nigerian Academy of Letters expressed condolences to his family and the academic community, describing his passing as a significant loss to literary scholarship in Nigeria and beyond.

In January, an international scholarly gathering was held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos to mark his 80th birthday.

The event drew academics, writers and cultural figures in recognition of his lifelong contributions to literary studies and intellectual life.

Colleagues have often described Mr Jeyifo’s writing as both intellectually rigorous and accessible, blending critical depth with clarity of expression.

Beyond Soyinka studies, he was known for his wide-ranging engagement with world Anglophone literature, cultural theory and postcolonial thought.

Born on 5 January 1946, Mr Jeyifo was a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and a prominent public intellectual whose career spanned several decades of teaching, research and mentorship across Nigeria and the United States.