As debates on decolonisation continue to shape global intellectual and political discourse, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) will, on Monday, January 5, 2026, convene a public symposium in honour of renowned scholar, Prof. Biodun Jeyifo, Professor Emeritus (English) at Cornell University, and Literature and Comparative Literature and African and African American Studies) Harvard University, USA, as he marks his 80th birthday.
Themed ‘Who Is Afraid of Decolonisation?’, and schedule to take place at the AGIP Recital Hall, MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos, at 9:00am (WAT), the symposium will examine Jeyifo’s enduring contributions to curriculum reform, cultural resistance, and critical thought, while interrogating the contemporary relevance of decolonial ideas in education, politics, and public discourse.
The event which will be chaired by Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, Chairman, Tanus Books, Lagos, will feature a keynote lecture titled ‘Who’s Afraid of Decolonisation? Reflections on Particular Pasts and Planetary Futures’ by Priya Gopal, Professor of Post-Colonial Studies at the University of Cambridge, and two panel sessions.
The first panel featuring Jibrin Ibrahim, Professor of Political Science and Chairman of the Editorial Board, Premium Times; Dr Chidi Amuta, Chairman, Wilson & Weizman Associates, Lagos, and Akin Adesokan, Professor of Comparative Literature, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA, will offer critical responses to Gopal’s lecture.
The session will be moderated by Ropo Sekoni, immediate past Chair, WSCIJ and Professor of Literature in English, Lincoln University, USA. The second panel, themed ‘Pedagogy for Liberation: Then and Now,’ will bring together former students and mentees of Jeyifo to reflect on his influence as a teacher, thinker, and institution-builder. The panellists will include Dr Bisi Anyadike, Proprietress, Sunshine Nursery and Primary School, Ile-Ife, Osun State; Kunle Ajibade, Co-founder, TheNEWS and PM NEWS, and Dr Ogaga Ifowodo, lawyer and poet.
The session will be moderated by Chima Anyadike, Professor of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. A major highlight of the symposium will be remarks by the celebrant, Jeyifo, reflecting on curriculum, society, and revolution across generations.
It will conclude with audience interactions, networking, and reflections on Jeyifo’s enduring contribution to African scholarship and critical pedagogy. Members of the public including students, scholars, writers, journalists, and cultural critics are encouraged to attend.