Bio of festus iyayi and associates

Festus Iyayi 29 September — 12 November was a Nigerian leftist writer, best known for advancing his politics through realist novels depicting the sociopolitical environment of contemporary Nigeria. He died in a road accident on his way to Kano. His family lived on little means but instilled in him strong moral lessons about life.

Festus Iyayi (29 September – 12 November ) was a Nigerian leftist writer, best known for advancing his politics through realist novels depicting the sociopolitical environment of contemporary Nigeria.

Iyayi left Nigeria to pursue his higher education, obtaining a M. D from the University of Bradford, England. In , he went back to Benin and became a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Benin. As a member of staff of the university, he became interested in radical social issues, and a few years after his employment, he became the president of the local branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities ASUU , a radical union known for its upfront style on academic and social welfare.

He rose to the position of president of the national organization in , but in , the union was briefly banned and Iyayi was detained. In that same year he won the Commonwealth Writers Prize for his novel Heroes. He was later removed from his faculty position by the Alele Williams administration and he got back his job after winning the court case against the school authority and the government with the help of human rights lawyer Femi Falana.

Iyayi was one of the best lecturers at the Department of Business Administration, University of Benin. His students spanned from Undergraduates to Postgraduates.

Festus Iyayi's three novels, Violence, The Contract, and Heroes, as well as his collection of short stories, Awaiting Court Martial, expose the abject penury and disenfranchisement that .

His interests included behavioural science in business, human resources management, key concepts such as work place alienation, Theory of needs, Work and task, Recruitment and Selection, different paradigms: radical, system, political etc. Dr Iyayi was a key resource person who delivered lectures in the University of Benin Business School MBA , whose graduates can attest to the qualities of his lectures and supervisions.

He would have been a year into his retirement if he had opted for early retirement but the unexpected happened.