Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: Nigerian writers mourn Professor Pius Adesanmi

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 Airbus 737 MAX 8 that crashed on the morning of Sunday, March 10, 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.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News on Legit.ng News App

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that one Nigerian and at least 32 Kenyans were among the victims of the ill-fated Sunday, March 10, Boeing 737-800 MAX plane crash belonging to Ethiopian Airline.

A spokesperson of the airline, Asrat Begashaw, said the gory accident killed one Nigerian 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, six Egyptians, nine Ethiopians, seven French, eight Americans and seven Britons among other nationalities.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

My life after the plane crash – Nigerian plane crash survivor Kechi Okwuchi speaks to Legit TV

Source: Legit.ng

from Nigeria News today & Breaking Naija news ▷ Read on Legit.ng 24/7 https://ift.tt/2EQKQHL
via EDUPEDIA24/7

Nigerian Academy Of Science Inducts First Female President

The Nigerian Academy of Science has inducted a professor of Parasitology/Epidemiology, Ekanem Ikpi Braide, as its 19th President on Thursday. In a statement issued by Oladoyin Odubanjo, the Executive Secretary of the Academy, Braide is the Academy’s first female President in 44 years of existence. It read, “Braide was a member of the national committee that achieved the laudable feat of guinea worm eradication in Nigeria. “She has a rich professional experience as a researcher and an administrator. In July 2010, Professor Braide was honoured by the President of Nigeria with the award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) for her contribution to disease control in Nigeria. “She was nominated by the Honourable Minister of Health to serve in the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19 Health Sector Response (MEACoC-HSR). “Professor Braide served as Vice-Chancellor, Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH) Calabar, Nigeria (2004 to 2009) and as P...

NLNG Signs Letter Of Intent On Delayed Gas Expansion Project

The Nigerian Natural Liquefied Gas LTD has signed a letter of intent for the engineering, procurement and construction of its long held up Train Seven project. In a statement released by the company on Wednesday, it said that the $10bn project will be executed by a consortium of Italian firm Saipem, Japan’s Chiyoda and South Korea’s Daewoo. The statement reads, “The project will form part of the investment of over $10bn including the upstream scope of the LNG value chain, thereby boosting the much needed Foreign Direct Investment profile of Nigeria.” Managing Director of NLNG, Tony Atta, said in 2018 that the Final Investment Decision would be made in the fourth quarter of that year. This did not however, materialize. According to the release, the project will have a four to five-year execution time after the signing of the FID. The project is expected to add an extra 8 million tons per annum of gas to the 22 mtpa currently exported by the company. Oil News AddThis :...

Former Maritime Agency Boss, Buba Galadima, Accuses AMCON Of Witch-hunt After Property Takeover

A former Director-General of the Nigeria Maritime Agency, Buba Galadima, has accused the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria of witch-hunt after the agency took possession of his business and assets on Tuesday in Abuja. Galadima, an ardent critic of President Muhammadu Buhari, claimed that he did not borrow money or have unpaid debt with Unity Bank, which lodged a complaint against him and occasioned AMCON’s move on Tuesday. The properties taken over include House No. 15, Addis Ababa Crescent, Wuse Zone 4, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and House No. 4, Bangui Street, Wuse 2, also in Abuja. Reacting to the situation, Galadima said, “This is an attempt to disgrace and break me down. This is injustice and an attempt to humiliate me. "But I am unbreakable and they can never silence me. They sacked me and over 50 people that sleep in the apartment. "We don’t know where to go. We will remain on the streets. We will remain on the streets until God provi...

EDUPEDIA247

Search This Blog