TRAGIC: Former ASUU President, Festus Iyayi Killed By Kogi State Governor’s Convoy in a Road Accident
The
ongoing strike of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has
claimed its biggest casualty, as the renowned writer, university teacher
and activist Dr. Festus Iyayi died in a road accident on his way to the
national congress of ASUU in Kano.
The
President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge, confirmed his death to the
reporters. He said the sad news was broken to the union in the morning
of November 12, 2013, Tuesday.
According
to report, Mr. Festus Iyayi was killed when a car in the convoy of the
Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, rammed into his vehicle near Lokoja in
Kogi State.A police source as well as an eyewitness told a national daily that Mr. Iyayi died instantly at the scene of the ghastly accident.
With today’s accident, Governor Idris has further consolidated his reputation as having one of the most reckless convoys in Nigeria where drivers attached to governors and other top officials are known for driving
dangerously.
In a brief telephone conversation today, Kogi’s Deputy Governor, Yomi Awoniyi, confirmed that the governor’s convoy was involved in an accident earlier today. But Mr. Awoniyi said he had not obtained the details of how the accident happened, saying that he was away in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom State, on official duty.
Mr Iyayi was born in 1947, in Ugbegun, Ishan, Edo State.
In
1968, he left the shores of Nigeria to pursue his higher education,
obtaining a M.Sc in Industrial Economics from the Kiev Institute of
Economics, in the former U.S.S.R., and then his Ph.D from the University
of Bradford, England.
In 1980, he went back to Benin and became a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Benin.
A
well known author, with four books to his credit (Violence, The
Contract, Heroes, and Awaiting Court Martial), Dr. Iyayi won the
Commonwealth Prize for Literature for his book Heroes in 1988.
In his writing, Dr. Festus Iyayi used to have a tough and even radical stance on social and political issues.
He was the President of ASUU from 1986, but in 1988 the union was briefly banned and Iyayai was detained. May his soul Rest In Peace.
