Former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Festus Iyayi died a few hours ago in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, in an accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Governor of the State Governor, Idris Wada.
Iyayi was on his way to Kano for a meeting of ASUU to consider the government’s position on the industrial action of the union that has been ongoing for more than four months ago when the tragedy occurred.
Information filtering in from ASUU indicates that Iyayi was killed on a bad portion of the road, with witnesses adding that he died on the spot of the accident due to the impact of the incident.
The late Iyayi was among leaders of the union who held a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja last week to discuss the strike and evaluate possibilities for ending it. He was aged 66.
Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Yomi Awoniyi confirmed that the governor’s convoy was involved in an accident, but remained reticent on details, saying he was out of the state.
Born in south-southern Edo State to a modest family, Iyayi began his education at Annuciation Catholic College in the old Bendel State (popularly known as ACC), graduating in 1966.
In 1967, he attended Government College Ughelli, graduating in 1968. In that same year, he was zonal winner in a Kennedy Essay Competition organised by the United States Embassy in Nigeria.
He travelled overseas for his higher education, obtaining an M.Sc in Industrial Economics at the Kiev Institute of Economics, in the former USSR and then his Ph.D. at the University of Bradford, England. In 1980, he returned to Benin as a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration, University of Benin.
As a member of staff of the University, he became interested in radical social issues; and a few years after his employment, he was elected Chairman of the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
He rose to the position of National President of ASUU in 1986; but in 1988, the union was briefly banned by General Ibrahim Babangida, then military head; and Iyayi was detained. That same year, he won the Commonwealth Prize for Literature for his book Heroes.
Iyayi was later elected President of the Committee for the Defence of Human rights (CDHR).
It would be recalled that in December 2012, Governor Idris Wada’s convoy was also involved in an accident that resulted in the death of the governor’s aide de camp before he arrived at the National Hospital, Abuja for medical attention.
President Jonathan`s Condolence Message
Already, President Goodluck Jonathan has sympathised with the leadership and members of ASUU on the tragic death, extending condolences to Iyayi’s family, colleagues, friends and associates across the country and beyond.
In a condolence message signed by Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the president mourned Iyayi, describing him as a renowned academic and award-winning writer who rose to national prominence in the 1980s with his courageous leadership of ASUU in its struggle for a better working environment for teachers and academics in the nation’s university system.
“The president joins them in mourning the renowned academic and award-winning writer who rose to national prominence in the 1980s with his courageous leadership of ASUU in its struggle for a better working environment for teachers and academics in the nation’s university system”, a part of the statement read.
“He is particularly dismayed by the fact that Prof. Iyayi has sadly lost his life while going to contribute to efforts to finally resolve the current ASUU strike which has unfortunately disrupted academics in most of the nation’s universities for over four months.”
President Jonathan prayed that God Almighty “will comfort all who mourn Professor Iyayi and grant his soul eternal rest.”
