USA Africa Dialogue Series - Nigeria's Oldest Writer, T.M. Aluko, Dies At 91
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Hetty ter Haar
May 2, 2010, 10:08:52 AM5/2/10
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Nigeria's Oldest Writer, T.M. Aluko, Dies At 91
By Gregory Austin Nwakunor, Anote Ajeluorou and Femi Alabi Onikeku
TIMOTHY Mofolorunso Aluko, whose famous works, One Man, One Wife and
One Man, One Matchet, symbolise conflict between tradition and
modernity, identity, religion and the individual in society,
corruption and value systems, has died. He was 91.
Nigeria's oldest living writer, died early yesterday morning at a
hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos, his son, Seye, said.
His death has widened the vacuum in the literary community.
Some days ago, the country also lost Prof. Ossie Enekwe, a professor
of Dramatic Literature at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
According to Seye, in the last one year, his father had been in and
out of the hospital. He said the family is in a pensive mood now, and
"would have loved selfishly to see him all the time, but that he had
decided to sign off."
Seye said his father died quite a happy and a dignified man "because
he was at peace with himself, as he had accomplished more than any
average person. He lived an exemplary life and he had a distinguishing
professional life as an engineer and also had literary
accomplishments."
He said the late Aluko would love to be remembered for his writing and
his wish to make society better than it is.
He revealed that funeral arrangements would be announced as soon as
members of the family met to take decision.
Immediate past Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA),
Lagos, Chike Ofili, said the late Aluko was a testimony to the
resilient spirit of man.
While condoling the family, he said Aluko had taught us "not to
surrender to the adversities of life."
Born on June 14, 1918, in Ilesha, Osun State, the late Aluko studied
at Government College, Ibadan, and Higher College, Yaba, in Lagos. He
then studied civil engineering and town planning at the University of
London. He held a number of administrative posts in the country,
including Director of Public Works in Western Nigeria.
He departed from civil service in 1966 and from then until his
retirement in 1978 he pursued a career as an academic, earning a
doctorate in municipal engineering in 1976. He received several awards
and honours including Officer Order of the British Empire (OBE) in
1963, and Officer Order of the Niger (OON) in 1964.
In 1994, he published his autobiography, My Years of Service, an
account of his activities as an engineer and university teacher.
His The Story of My Life is a narrative about his childhood and work
as a civil servant.
Last year, he launched his last literary offering, Our Born Again
President to celebrate his birthday.
T.M Aluko, as he was known in the literary community, also celebrated
50 years of writing last November.
He created an incredible volume of literary works that made him
famous.
From One Man One Wife to his last work, his writings show a remarkable
concern for issue of public concern.
Themes of tradition versus change, corruption in public institutions,
political leadership, poor governance that characterise most African
nations are some of the issues that agitated his mind. Like his other
writer colleagues, issues of political leadership stood out in his
works. Like the philosopher-king, he was impatient with the crop of
leadership that emerged on the scene to lead the continent.
Our Born Again President could well be regarded as his literary
epitaph. It also showed his impatience with the moral health of
leaders, and proposes spiritual renewal for them as a means of doing
what is right at all times.
He was a board of trustee of the Association of Nigerian Authors
(ANA).
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/
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By Gregory Austin Nwakunor, Anote Ajeluorou and Femi Alabi Onikeku
TIMOTHY Mofolorunso Aluko, whose famous works, One Man, One Wife and
One Man, One Matchet, symbolise conflict between tradition and
modernity, identity, religion and the individual in society,
corruption and value systems, has died. He was 91.
Nigeria's oldest living writer, died early yesterday morning at a
hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos, his son, Seye, said.
His death has widened the vacuum in the literary community.
Some days ago, the country also lost Prof. Ossie Enekwe, a professor
of Dramatic Literature at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
According to Seye, in the last one year, his father had been in and
out of the hospital. He said the family is in a pensive mood now, and
"would have loved selfishly to see him all the time, but that he had
decided to sign off."
Seye said his father died quite a happy and a dignified man "because
he was at peace with himself, as he had accomplished more than any
average person. He lived an exemplary life and he had a distinguishing
professional life as an engineer and also had literary
accomplishments."
He said the late Aluko would love to be remembered for his writing and
his wish to make society better than it is.
He revealed that funeral arrangements would be announced as soon as
members of the family met to take decision.
Immediate past Chairman of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA),
Lagos, Chike Ofili, said the late Aluko was a testimony to the
resilient spirit of man.
While condoling the family, he said Aluko had taught us "not to
surrender to the adversities of life."
Born on June 14, 1918, in Ilesha, Osun State, the late Aluko studied
at Government College, Ibadan, and Higher College, Yaba, in Lagos. He
then studied civil engineering and town planning at the University of
London. He held a number of administrative posts in the country,
including Director of Public Works in Western Nigeria.
He departed from civil service in 1966 and from then until his
retirement in 1978 he pursued a career as an academic, earning a
doctorate in municipal engineering in 1976. He received several awards
and honours including Officer Order of the British Empire (OBE) in
1963, and Officer Order of the Niger (OON) in 1964.
In 1994, he published his autobiography, My Years of Service, an
account of his activities as an engineer and university teacher.
His The Story of My Life is a narrative about his childhood and work
as a civil servant.
Last year, he launched his last literary offering, Our Born Again
President to celebrate his birthday.
T.M Aluko, as he was known in the literary community, also celebrated
50 years of writing last November.
He created an incredible volume of literary works that made him
famous.
From One Man One Wife to his last work, his writings show a remarkable
concern for issue of public concern.
Themes of tradition versus change, corruption in public institutions,
political leadership, poor governance that characterise most African
nations are some of the issues that agitated his mind. Like his other
writer colleagues, issues of political leadership stood out in his
works. Like the philosopher-king, he was impatient with the crop of
leadership that emerged on the scene to lead the continent.
Our Born Again President could well be regarded as his literary
epitaph. It also showed his impatience with the moral health of
leaders, and proposes spiritual renewal for them as a means of doing
what is right at all times.
He was a board of trustee of the Association of Nigerian Authors
(ANA).
http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfric...@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
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