R-L Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU); Professor Biodun Jeyifo; Etsu Nupe(Bida), Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Chancellor, OAU; Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Pro-Chancellor, OAU during the Instituition’s 43rd Convocation Ceremony

R-L Professor Eyitope Ogunbodede, Vice Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU); Professor Biodun Jeyifo; Etsu Nupe(Bida), Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Chancellor, OAU; Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, Pro-Chancellor, OAU during the Instituition’s 43rd Convocation Ceremony

Professor Biodun Jeyifo while delivering his acceptance speech

Miss Arinola Blessing Olaiya;2015 2016 Best Graduating Student and His Royal Highness Alhaji Dr Yahaya Abubakar

Graduating students at the 43rd Convocation Ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

Graduating students at the 43rd Convocation Ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University

On Friday 14 December 2018, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, conferred the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on Professor Biodun Jeyifo during the instituition’s 43rd Convocation Ceremony.

Biodun Jeyifo, a Professor Emeritus in the English Department at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA and currently a professor of Comparative Literature/African and American Studies at Harvard University, Boston, USA, was born and bred in Ibadan 72 years ago. Jeyifo, a highly gifted and respected scholar was, according to the preface to his interview published in TheNEWS in February 2016, one of the pioneers of radical, Marxist Literary tradition in African universities. He was, as contained in the report, also the first National president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities in Nigeria. With incredible courage, commitment and intellectual panache he led a winning team of unionists—among who were Festus Iyayi, Mahmud Tukur, Dipo Fasina and T.U. Nwala.