BJ, a personal tribute

By Omofolabo Ajayi

On Wednesday, February 11, 2026, BJ’s full name, “Emeritus Professor Biodun Jeyifo” flashed across my screen. I thought it was either an update on the celebrations of his 80th birthday celebrated just thirty-eight days earlier, on January. 5, an interview he had given, or a 3rd-party authored article about him. The organizers of the stellar intellectual gathering of January 5 had promised the celebration would continue in more, not-be missed appropriate national activities touching more deeply on BJ as a Scholar, Teacher and Activist.

I threw a closer glance at the headline. No way! how could BJ and RIP condolences be in the same sentence! I adjusted my phone, then my glasses. I must be dreaming. No, it must be a horrible nightmare. But the dawn continued to break, and the sun broke through the sky and the beams crashed into my bedroom. It was real; BJ was gone. Haba, BJ! Why? How could this be?

Simply BJ to all who knew and loved him, Emeritus Professor Biodun Jeyifo was a phenomenal scholar, a beloved teacher and a passionate activist. Most of all, he was my friend.

My first memorable encounter with BJ was at the UI Bookstore. I was flipping through Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago trying to decide if I was ready for such a heavy reading (over 600 pages.) BJ suddenly materialized by my side, convinced me it was worth reading and promptly bought it for me after giving me a brief literary review of the book. I thought it would be a book to read and cast aside, but it became defining. And for the next fifty years, BJ became a presence in my life.

A year or so later, I started work at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo (OAU), where BJ was already a Senior Lecturer in Dept of English. BJ and the subtle mentoring continued through heated debates and arguments at the Staff Club on a sundry of topics – the exploding corruption in the country, the revolving door of unbridled military power, integrity and independence of the academe, and the Takalawa downtrodden masses. BJ could argue from morn till sundown; he was an indefatigable debater, but his impatience with the state of the nation was palpable and his passionate quest for a better nation was sincere.

BJ was not just all talk; he took actions to affect his reformation debates. The Nigerian university system was at its nadir; scholarship had ceded independence to political favours. ASUU that he helped to found was radically committed to academic excellence. I was active in ASUU, and at BJ’s prompting, I became the Secretary of OAU Branch and was soon became a representative of ASUU National. Clash with the government was inevitable I, along with a few others became reluctant guests of General. Babangida’s Secret Service outfit at Agodi Ibadan. BJ also facilitated my Postdoctoral Melon fellowship to Cornell university in 1988 where he was also teaching at the time.

As a scholar, BJ bestrode the seamless field of knowledge as if it was a playground littered with hidden gems; he was rigorous, discerning, and his critical mind left nothing unexamined. He unearthed enough gems to reconstruct the structure and the meaning of the playground to accommodate anyone willing to enter in with probing questions looking for meaningful answers.

To BJ knowledge is dynamic and purposeful and must be constantly subjected to rigorous analysis and questioned for truthfulness within the test of time and relevance as situations evolve. This was BJ’s “questing playground” for critical scholarship, progressive effective socio-national theories and productive activism. They were all integrated in him as the academician, teacher and socialist activist for the advancement and the liberation of all oppressed peoples – the Talakawas of the world.

Ever the consummate teacher, no opportunity to impart and clarify a point could sneak past BJ Not even on his 80th birthday could he resist seizing a teachable moment when a presenter made a not-so clear analysis at the panel of discussion celebrating him. I had to smile – so quintessential BJ. No matter what, his passion and sincerity inspired and motivated his multitude of students to excellence, to seek more and to question always. In debates and arguments, BJ was indefatigable. Anytime, anywhere, bring it on, he was ready; indisputable facts rolling off his tongue effortlessly and fervently. Debating was an extension of his teaching that went beyond the classroom to anywhere he could find space to dissect knotty topics with friends and colleagues.

Activism was the third leg of the tripod of who BJ was. He was an activist dyed-deep in the Marxist hue. The collapse of the Soviet Union affected BJ deeply and it was reflected on his answering machine; his message went from a very lengthy exhortation of the workers’ solidarity to a terse, “leave a message.” Nonetheless, BJ’s relentless quest for a more just, equitable, and less corrupt Nigeria was indisputable. He crisscrossed the country raising working people’s consciousness wherever he could and was deeply revered for his compassionate and genuine support for the voiceless exploited workers in Nigeria.

Responding to the special card I created for his 80th birthday, BJ joked that he could not wait for my 80th birthday to ‘retaliate.’ But here we are. BJ has become an ancestor. He is now in the esteemed company of all our past literati.

Akoni BJ, the Scholar Activist Warrior, he fought the battle of life well. He fought bravely and with determination, but as living beings, death is a constant reminder of the debt we owe life. My heartfelt condolences to the immediate and extended Jeyifo family. May you be consoled and find comfort in the memories you created together. Sleep well, BJ. Good night, my dear friend and mentor.