Professor Olayiwola Abegunrin (1946-2020)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of an active member of the Nigerian Studies Association and dedicated Africanist, Professor Olayiwola Abegunrin.
Professor Abegunrin was educated at Dallas Baptist University, B.Sc., 1973; North Texas State University, M.A., 1975; Howard University, Ph.D., 1980. On returning to Nigeria in 1980, he taught at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, as a senior lecturer in International Relations and Department Chair from 1980 to 1990. He returned to the United States as a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 1989-1991, and was a consultant to the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense. At the time of his death, Professor Abegunrin was an affiliate Professor of International Relations, African Studies, and Political Economy at Howard University, Washington, D.C., and the University of Maryland, College Park Campus, USA.
Professor Abegunrin is a consummate scholar with a variety of publications that emphasize his research interest in Africa’s political economy, international relations, foreign and military policy. His numerous publications attest to his interest in African Affairs and International Studies. His latest co-authored book published in 2019 African Intellectuals and the State of the Continent: Essays in Honor of Professor Sulayman S. Nyang examines the contributions of Sulayman Nyang to African affairs. He further published China’s Power in Africa: A New Global Order (Politics and Development of Contemporary China), 2019, that also examines and evaluates the historical background of the contemporary China-Africa relationship in the twenty-first century.
In addition to being an avid member of the Nigerian Studies Association, Professor Abegunrin is a member of the International Studies Association, African Studies Association, Royal African Society (London, England), and Phi Beta Delta. He is also a member of the Honor Society of International Scholars as well as a member of the advisory board for Global Studies: AFRICA. Pre-deceased by his parents Amuda and Ejiyola Abegunrin, he is survived by his wife Funmilola and his children, grandchildren, and many mentees.
Professor Abegunrin is known to be a kind and generous mentor and will be missed by all who knew him. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and all those who like us in the Nigeria Studies Association, had pleasant interactions with him. Africa has lost another great one!
Sussie Okoro Ph.D. & Chika Okoye
for the Nigerian Studies Association
