More tributes have have been paid as Nigerians mourn the death of ex President of Academic Staff Union of Universities,ASUU,Professor Festus Iyayi.He was killed in a car crash yesterday on his way to Kano for the meeting of ASUU.Here are some of the latest tributes
Iyayi lived and died for education – Atiku
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has described the late former national chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Professor Festus Iyayi as a consummate scholar, writer, activist and gentleman per excellence.
The former Vice President in a statement by his media office in Abuja yesterday noted that “Professor Iyayi lived and died for the good of Nigeria’s education.”
The former Vice President noted that he is diminished by the death of any individual but that the death of Prof. Iyayi in a ghastly auto accident Wednesday afternoon left him benumbed.
“Prof Iyayi, no doubt, lived and died for the good of Nigeria’s education. He not only belonged to the crème-de-la-crème of the global literary world, his activism in ensuring that the standard of education in Nigeria is uplifted will doubtlessly register his name in the Hall of Fame of Nigeria’s education,” Atiku said.
The Turaki Adamawa regretted that the death of Iyayi on his way to Kano to find a solution to the intractable crisis in the Nigerian university education was a price too high to pay, especially to his family.
He noted that it was high time all stakeholders including government and ASUU reach an accommodation on outstanding issues to pave way for the end of the strike.
“I believe it’s time for reason to prevail for FG and ASUU to reach accommodation and end this intractable logjam. All stakeholders have lost so much to this strike and the loss of Iyayi should be a wake-up call to end the ASUU strike so that the students can get on with their studies,” Atiku said.
Atiku, however, mourns with the family and friends of the late Professor Festus Iyayi, ASUU and the Nigerian and global intellectual community on the loss of this doyen of the country’s education.
Iyayi was a a true, dedicated Comrade, says Oshiomhole
Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has described the late Prof Festus Iyayi as a true and committed Nigerian who gave up his personal comfort and joined the masses in the trenches in the fight for a better society.
In a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, Comrade Oshiomhole said: “Iyayi was a distinguished Nigerian who served not only ASUU, but the whole Nigerian academic community. He had a passion for education and I am proud that he came from Edo State. I found him so resourceful that I appointed him a member of the Governing Council of the Ambrose Alli University.
“The history of popular struggles in Nigeria today will not be complete without a mention of Prof Iyayi’s selfless sacrifices and intellectual contributions.
“He was a radical comrade capable of interrogating power and facing those in authority eyeball-to-eyeball on critical matters that affect the people, without calculating the political or economic consequences of his actions. Iyayi not only stood up and spoke out, but he inspired many to do same through his literary engagements and academic interventions in his quest for social justice, equity and fairness in the country.
“As comrades in the struggle, we had robust debates, and sometimes disagreements on the best methods to achieve the best results, but there was never a doubt of his patriotism, his unrepentant commitment that the country ought to be much better than it is.
“Even as he had left ASUU as President, his passion for education led him to continue to play an active part in the affairs of the Union.
“Today is a sad day for the people of Edo State, it’s a sad day for the Progressive Forces, it’s a sad day for the radical movement and it’s a sad day for the community of Academic and even Non-Academic Staff. We truly have lost an illustrious Nigerian, a Pan-Nigerian who believes that this country can do better.
My heart goes to his family and friends, the ASUU President and the entire Nigerian Academic Community and I pray God to console them and grant the late Iyayi eternal rest.
Festus Iyayi:May his soul rest in peace-Aremu
Comrade Issa Aremu writing on behalf of Textile workers’ Union said “We received with heavy heart this afternoon the death of comrade Dr Festus Iyayi, one time President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) reportedly in a ghastly motor accident involving the convoy of the Governor of Kogi State. Nigeria labour movement has indeed lost a tested and committed activist of decent work in the universities and Nigerian labour Market in general. Late Dr Festus would be remembered for the honesty, and commitment as well as abundant energy he brought to the struggle of working men and women for improved working and living conditions. The fact that he tragically died while
reportedly travelling for the resolution of the 4-month long strike of universities lecturers was an eloquent testimony to his life and deed; service to the working people and humanity! Fighters and comrades like comrade Festus hardly say goodbye. The death of Dr Festus is a sobering and cruel reminder to the Federal government to urgently put a permanent end to the persistent crisis of funding of public education in general and university education in particular. Lecturers including late Festus as well as students should be on the campuses not on bad roads, if not for the recent avoidable crisis.
In literary and metaphoric terms, Dr Festus is the latest major casualty of Nigeria’s crisis of governance. Accidents are the norms (not exceptions) along the notorious Kogi-Lokoja road which for well over a decade remains under permanent “constructions” and “rehabilitation” despite serial awards of contracts by various Federal governments. It was however worse that it was a governor’s convoy which involved in an “accident” that would add to the endless
list of victims along this road (of no return to many) killing Dr Festus Iyayi. Convoys of Executive governors murdering citizens they swore to secure and protect are unacceptable and palpably criminal.
May the death of Dr Festus, a globally acclaimed author and one time winner of Commonwealth prize for Literature touch the hearts of our leaders to promote and work for good governance. We condole the leadership of ASUU, the people and government of Edo state for this singular loss of human capital in Africa, a continent begging for scarce human resources. May his soul rest in peace.
Kalu mourns Iyayi
A former Governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Kalu, has expressed sadness over the death of a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Festus Iyayi.
Kalu said Iyayi would be missed by not just the academic community but all Nigerians, many of whose lives he had impacted on positively both as a unionist and an intellectual.
In a statement on Wednesday by his Special Adviser, Oyekunle Oyewumi, Kalu described Iyayi as one of the few upright Nigerians that lived in the last decade.
He said Iyayi never failed to speak the truth to the powers that be, especially when he was at the helm of affairs of ASUU.
He commiserated with the Iyayi family; the President of ASUU, Dr. Nasir Fagge; the leadership and members of ASUU; the University of Benin community; the Edo State Government; the labour family; and all Nigerians over the death of Iyayi.
Kalu equally prayed for the repose of his soul and quick recovery for those injured in the accident that claimed Iyayi’s life.
Festus Iyayi: We have lost a labour avatar-Esele
The immediately past President of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, comrade Peter Esele has described the tragic and gruesome murder of former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU as a great loss to the Labour Unions, Civil Society groups, academic world and the nation at large.
In a statement issued by his Media Strategist, Mr. Chris Ogbodo yesterday, comrade Esele said the death of Iyayi in the hands of mindless elements he strove to liquidate in all his struggles has robbed the labour unions of an intellectual activist of uncommon repute.
Comrade Esele said the former ASUU President's trade union training, versatility, genius and ingenuity would be missed by all lover of society justice and participatory democracy.
Until his death in the hands of power-drunk and bloodlust Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada on Tuesday, Prof. Iyayi had been very active as a unionist, human rights crusader and an astute university administrator. Comrade Iyayi was killed by Kogi State Governor's convoy that drove reckless on one way along Lokoja/Abuja road.
He was a labour avatar of no mean repute, a warrior of the pen and a brilliant academic.
There is no gainsaying the fat that the nation has lost a rear gem, a mobile activist and fighter Who has fought the course of the oppressed and the downtrodden unto death.
Not only would his tenacious liberating feat be missed as a man who used his intellectual strength and physical struggle to collapse the dictatorial prison wall erected by the military boys against Nigerians, but also his creative literary acumen that has pointed the part to good governance.
On behalf of myself, fellow comrades, those he shared the same progressive platform and my family, I offer our condolences to the entire families, immediate and extended, of one of our dimmed glorying egg heads in the labour movement,Esele said.
We pray that his soul finds solace in the bosom of his Creator, Esele said.
CISLAC Mourns The Death Of Festus Iyayi
In a statement,Executive Director of CISLAC,Auwal Musa Rafsanjani said “It is with profound sadness that Civil Society Legislative Advocacy (CISLAC) mourns the tragic death of Nigerian renowned writer, academic and leading democratic activist, Professor Festus Iyayi, whose death occurred after a ghastly motor accident on Tuesday 11th November 2013 along the Auchi and Lokoja highway on his way to the national congress organized by Academic Staff Union of University in Kano.
CISLAC remembers the tireless and committed efforts put in by this development oriented intellectual in the struggle for a better Nigeria. We say without any fear of contradiction that the deceased was a famous university don, who has contributed to progressive agitations and advocacy for people oriented development, citizen’ welfare and emancipation. We recall his tough stance on social and political issues, intelligent articulation of trade union and progressive positions, thought provoking opinions and pro-poor alternatives canvassed through his several publications.
CISLAC recollects that his sojourn as the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU), he fought tirelessly to save university education from total collapse. His contribution towards nation education development would forever be celebrated. It is sad to note that 23 years after his initial struggle, the state of university education has deteriorated further and Iyayi met a painful death fighting the same cause.
CISLAC recalls with nostalgia, the personal contribution of Festu Iyayi to the development of civil society in Nigeria as he was a mentor and source of inspiration to several activists and organizations in the sector with his insightful advice and constructive inputs. We view now with deep pain, lying in our library, his last contribution as a CISLAC Resource Person, the Assessment of the implementation of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Act and Process in Nigeria.
We regret once again, that one of Nigeria’s leading light in social activism and progressive struggle is lost to the death traps we call roads in Nigeria, which continues to claim the lives of innocent people on a daily basis. This painfully calls to mind the loss of Chima Ubani, a renowned activist who died in a similar circumstance several years ago on his way from Maiduguri where he had participated in a sensitization rally organized by the labour movement to resist the plan by the Nigerian state to increase the cost of petroleum products and make life more miserable for the toiling poor masses of the country.
CISLAC is sad that Iyayi died in an accident that involved the convoy Kogi State governor. We note with concern the arbitrary use of convoys and the recklessness with which they drive on our highways, endangering the lives of innocent people. One would have thought that after surviving an accident under such circumstances, the governor would be more circumspect in his ways.
We call on the government to pay attention to the quality of our roads and ensure that they are safe for motorists to prevent avoidable deaths on our highway.
We also call on all elected and appointed political leaders to deist from the use of unnecessary convoys and caution their drivers to drive carefully, respect traffic regulations and respect the rights of other road users.
We call on the police authorities to investigate the circumstances resulting in the accident and ensure that any defaulting parties are brought to justice in accordance with our laws.
We call on the federal government to immediately take steps to revamp the state of university education in Nigeria, a cause for which Iyayi lived and died so that his death would not have been in vain
We sympathize with all members of ASUU, the University of Benin, all progressively minded activists and civil society as a whole on this painful loss. We particularly pray that God grants his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
