Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Obituary: Professor Kunle Lawal

Professor Kunle Lawal died yesterday. As a younger friend and colleague, he should be the one to announce my demise; that I am doing so compounds the tragedy and trauma. I have known him since the mid-1980s when he was doing his cutting edge research on decolonization in Nigeria. While in London, he and Professor Abiodun Alao (University of London) and Dr. Kayode Fayemi (Governor of Ekiti State) formed a formidable trio of intellectual power and Lawal and Fayemi later became distinguished politicians and administrators. They welcomed me in their small apartment in London in 1988, and Dr. Lawal hosted me in Lagos a number of times.

A versatile scholar, he emerged as the leading scholar of the politics of British disengagement from Nigeria in addition to critical examinations of various aspects of Islam in Nigeria.  His contributions to the larger study of decolonization/transfer of power in the British Commonwealth since 1945 are well regarded, as well as major studies on urbanization processes in Lagos. His last set of essays covered aspects of the foreign policy of the U.S. toward Africa since 1945.  His publication and research records were excellent, and his passion for teaching was incredible. He was a creative thinker, someone who took pleasure in making fertile connections, and one whose curiosity enriched his studies. In particular, Professor Lawal's commitment revealed itself through the execution of significant academic work. His research progressed smoothly over the years, reflecting a great capability to accumulate additional materials, to pursue fresh leads, to conduct additional fieldwork, and to synthesize a large body of data. His professional and teaching activities complemented the academic.

His reputation was strikingly international: He was well known within the discipline because of his participation in various conferences and the themes covered by his mature scholarship. The publications, especially those on decolonization and Islam, were all innovative in the way he addressed old issues and responded to new ones. What was innovative about his approach were the linkages that he clearly established between national and international politics, things that many had failed to do. His ability to avoid cheap polemics invested his statements with an aura of profoundness and seriousness. He was one of the most engaged scholars to focus specifically on the category of emerging leadership in the decolonization phase of Nigerian history.   

 

He started his teaching career in 1984 with the Lagos State University as a pioneer faculty. In later years, he took responsibility as a Head of Department, Program  Coordinator, Dean of Faculty and Director of academic centers. He served in Lagos as the Commissioner for Education and Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.  

 

His professional, teaching, and academic accomplishments were laudable. His record for bringing a project to an excellent and timely completion was fully established. Without a doubt, he became one of the most talented scholars in the pool in which he belonged.  He was visible in the profession, and his publications, based on original research, were solid and respected. He was dynamic and creative, and he contributed to the professional and scholarly development of others through his works. In addition, his scholarship had implications for policy-making and assessment.  

            His enterprises reflected mature judgment. He was a skilled facilitator and mediator among diverse groups because of his personal qualities, broad background, and impressive academic record. Nigeria has lost an outstanding historian, a great mind, a collegial person, and a resourceful administrator.

May his soul rest in perfect peace. 

 

Toyin Falola

 

 

Toyin Falola

Department of History

The University of Texas at Austin

104 Inner Campus Drive

Austin, TX 78712-0220

USA

512 475 7224

512 475 7222 (fax)

http://www.toyinfalola.com 

http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa  

http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs 

http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue   

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