Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa died earlier this morning in an Abuja hospital. He was a former minister of of education and widely regarded as Nigeria's foremost authority on education.
Professor Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa died earlier this morning in an Abuja hospital. He was a former minister of of education and widely regarded as Nigeria's foremost authority on education.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
A source told Saharareporters that Prof. Fafunwa who turned 87 on September 23, was billed to deliver a keynote lecture at the Open University in Abuja but the event was cancelled for unknown reasons after Fafunwa had arrived Abuja.
He took ill later and was taken to a hospital where he died just minutes before 7 am Nigerian time.
Prof. Fafunwa is an author of numerous books on education and language. He earned his 1st degree from Bethune Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida and his Masters and Ph.D from New York University in New York city.
He worked briefly for the Nigerian govt in Washington, DC before returning to Nigeria and working for ESSO petroleum before taking up a career in teaching.
He was a professor of education at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and later at the University of Ife (Now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) where he taught until his retirement. He was for three years Nigeria’s minister for education under Ibrahim Babangida.
He will be buried tomorrow according to Muslim rites.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
Fafunwa is survived by his wife, Doris fafunwa, as well as four children and numerous grand children
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });