Federal University Lokoja to hold 4th Colloquium in honour of Emeritus Professor Olu Obafemi
Lokoja
The Federal University Lokoja, Kogi State, is set to host its 4th Annual Colloquium in honour of Emeritus Professor Olu Obafemi on Wednesday, November 11, 2026.
The programme is being organised by the University in collaboration with its Department of English and Literary Studies. It will hold at 12 noon at the Multi-Purpose Hall, Felele Campus. It will form part of the events slated for the university’s 2026 convocation ceremony.
Professor Obafemi, a National Merit Award recipient, is a highly respected Nigerian literary scholar, playwright and poet whose works have contributed to the development of literature and theatre in Nigeria.
The theme of this year’s edition is “Creativity as Criticism in Olu Obafemi’s Works.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Gbenga Solomon Ibileye has described the event as a living forum for celebrating an outstanding scholar, writer, teacher and mentor. Prof. Ibileye notes that the occasion carries special personal significance for him, because Professor Obafemi has remained a mentor and model of intellectual and ethical commitment.
He traces the history of the colloquium to its inaugural edition in 2023, initiated under his predecessor, Prof. Olayemi Akinwumi, who believed a scholar of Obafemi’s stature should be honoured through a continuing programme of intellectual inquiry, not just ceremonial tributes. The second edition held in 2024 and the third in 2025 consolidated it as an annual gathering.
Prof. Ibileye stresses that although the honoree is his mentor, the significance extends far beyond their personal bond, and lies in the rich discourses the series generates about artistic responsibility, education, power, justice, cultural identity and shared humanity.
On the theme, the Vice-Chancellor explains that this year’s focus invites scholars to consider creativity not simply as production of art, but as a means of questioning the world — how imaginative writing interprets social experience, exposes contradictions and opens possibilities for change.
The Chairman of the occasion will be Prof. Abiodun Adeniyi, Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja. The expected paper presenters are Prof. S. T. Babatunde of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Sola Adeyemi of the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom, Prof. Ofure Aito of Federal University Lokoja, and Dr. Funke Aliyu of the University of Ilorin. The delivery mode will be hybrid. .
The literary feast is expected to bring together principal officers of the University, academics, literary scholars, students and other guests to celebrate Professor Obafemi’s several decades of contributions to creative writing and literary criticism.
Special guest of Honour is His Excellency, Ahmed Usman Ododo, Governor, Kogi State.
Other distinguished guests include the Vice- Chancellor of University of Ilorin, Prof Wahab Egbewole; Vice-Chancellor, Confluence University of Science and Technology Osara, Engr. Prof. Abdulrahman Asipita Salawu; Vice-Chancellor, Kogi State University, Kabba, Professor K. I. T Eniola, and Vice-Chancellor, Adeleke University, Professor Solomon Ajayi Adebola.
Others are Prof Andrew Haruna, President, Nigerian Academy of Letters, and its Vice President, Prof Sunday Enessi Ododo, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi, President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Dr. Wale Okediran, Secretary General, Pan African Writers Association (PAWA), Dr. Adedapo Gbadega, Chairman, Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG), and Dr Sonny Echonor, Executive Secretary, TETFUND.
For enquiries about the program, please contact the Head of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Dr. Peter Okpeh, the LOC Chair, Dr. Abba Abba, or the Secretary, Dr. Grace Olarewaju.
