The community of Nigerian writers, scholars and journalists announces
with great shock and sadness the sudden and painful passing of our
friend, colleague and brother, Professor Pius Adesanmi who was aboard
the Ethiopia Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 that crashed on the morning of
March 10, 2019 in Addis Ababa.
He was en route Nairobi as a participant at the ECOSOCC Meeting organised by the African Union.
Pius Adesanmi was born in
Isanlu, in Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria.
He took a BA (First Class Honours) from the University of Ilorin in
1992, then a Masters in French from the University of Ibadan in 1998,
and a PhD in French Studies from the University of British Columbia in
2002.
From 2002 to 2005 he was Assistant Professor of Comparative Literature at the Pennsylvania State University, USA.
Adesanmi joined Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada in 2006 as a
Professor of Literature and African studies. He was previously a Fellow
of the French Institute for Research in Africa (IFRA) from 1993 to 1997,
as well as of the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) in 1998 and
2000.
A poet and essayist, Prof. Adesanmi, who is survived by a wife and
two daughters, was a public intellectual without peer. He was active on
social media where he flagellated the Nigerian ruling class with well
thought out interventions, amassing a huge following in the process.
For many years, Adesanmi maintained a regular column for Premium
Times and Sahara Reporters. His writings were often satirical, focusing
on the absurd in the Nigerian social and political space. His targets
often included politicians, pastors, and other relevant public figures.
He spoke truth without fear or favour.
In September 2015, his scathing piece on the decision of the Emir of
Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, to take an underaged wife generated
substantial conversation and even elicited a response from the Emir, who
responded to Adesanmi by name.
An award winning author, he was a highly sought after speaker and
facilitator whose expertise and breadth of knowledge was a delight to
all who had the pleasure of hearing him speak.
In 2015, he gave a TED talk titled “Africa Is The Forward That The
World Needs To Face.” His talk at the televised The Platform programme,
held in Lagos, was a national sensation. Among his many endeavours in a
prolific career as a public intellectual, Adesanmi maintained a column
on the popular Nigeria Village Square website, and was a long-standing
member of the editorial team. He was also a member of the Advisory Board
of the Ake Arts & Book Festival.
Many Nigerian writers had the privilege of knowing Pius Adesanmi for
about 25 years, from the moment he burst onto the Ibadan/Lagos literary
scene with his creativity, his wit, his love for literary criticism and
his infectious laughter. Even then, it was clear that he was special. He
was driven, politically astute and he would become one of the most
gifted satirists of his generation.
His awards include a 2017 Canada Bureau of International Education
Leadership Award; Penguin Prize for African Writing in the Non-Fiction
category for his book ‘You’re Not a Country, Africa’; and the
Association of Nigerian Authors’ Poetry prize for his poetry collection,
‘The Wayfarer and Other Poems.’
Funeral arrangements to be announced by the Family.
Signed
Lola Shoneyin
Lola Shoneyin
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