Nigeria is a country filled with intellectuals and people whose academic achievements inspire the new generation of compatriots. Many young people have these accomplished Nigerians as their role models
Hotmedia.ng brings you Eight Best Nigerian professors.
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1. Chinua Achebe
Chinua Achebe who is called “the father of modern African writing”, Chinua Achebe was one of the most widely read novelists from Nigeria who played a pivotal role in the development of African literature. Considered to be a major writer in not just the country of his birth but throughout the world, his debut novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ has sold over 12 million copies worldwide and has been translated into more than 50 languages.
As an academically brilliant student at school he was often praised by his teachers for his reading skills. He easily got accepted into a prestigious college where he discovered his love for African culture and reading. He began writing during his university years and became a teacher after graduation.
A voracious reader, he was disappointed with the European interpretation of African culture and disturbed by the non-African authors’ ignorance about Africa and its people. Determined to present a realistic picture of Africa to the world, he set about writing his novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ which was published after considerable editing and revising. The book was well received and went on to become one of the most significant books in African literature.
He wrote several other critically acclaimed novels and eventually won the Man Booker International Prize.
2. Adebayo
Adedeji Adedeji was a Nigerian economist. Adedeji, who was born on December 21, 1930, became a professor at the age of 36, Wikipedia reports.
He was Nigeria’s federal commissioner for economic development and reconstruction from 1971 to 1975. Adedeji died on April 25, 2018.
3. Ayodele Awojobi
Awojobi was a Nigerian academic, author, inventor, social crusader and activist. Awojobi, who was born in 1937, quickly advanced in his field to become the youngest professor in mechanical engineering at the University of Lagos, Nigeria in 1974.
He died in 1984.
4. Ambrose Alli
Alli was a medical professor who served as governor of the defunct Bendel state (now Edo and Delta states) between 1979 and 1983.
He was born on September 22, 1929, and breathed his last in September 1989.
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5. Dora Akunyili
Akunyili was a pharmacist and the director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) from 2001 to 2008.
She was born on July 14, 1954, and died on June 7, 2014.
6. Babalola Borishade
Borishade was a Nigerian politician. He was born on March 7, 1946. He was a four-time federal minister in Nigeria, between 1999-2011.
He was known as an electrical engineer, teacher and political strategist. He died on April 26, 2017.
7. Wole Soyinka
Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet and essayist. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first African to be honoured in that category.
Soyinka was born on July 13, 1934.
The world acclaimed playwright has inspired a lot of Nigerians through his work.
8. Niyi Osundare
Niyi Osundare is a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He was head of English (1993–97) at the University of Ibadan. His art and criticism is associated with activism.
