By Segun Adediran
This is going to be my first tribute to a member of the Class of ’82 at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). Ademola Abimboye, a long-standing friend and distinguished journalist, just sent this message to me when he received my press release announcing my appointment as the GM/CEO of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN).
“Good evening.
Our colleague, Prof Siyan Oyeweso passed on this morning.
I attended the burial programme at Ede this afternoon.
May his soul rest in peace.”
I froze!
The good news of my appointment immediately turned to ashes in my mouth. It was a bitter disappointment! Siyan was just 64, though we were course mates at the University of Ife between 1979 when I was admitted by direct entry and 1982 when we all graduated, I am much older. He majored in History while I was a student of Political Science.
I don’t know what’s happening now at Ife. All of us, Political Science, History, Politics/Philosophy/Economics and sometimes Law students, met regularly in lecture rooms. I don’t want to start mentioning names, but you could not ignore Siyan and an equally young and vibrant Femi Mimiko, who eventually became a Vice Chancellor.
In all these years, I monitored Siyan’s meteoric intellectual strides and academic attainments. As he was at Ife, he remained a quiet worker of the brain. In fact, that is what distinguishes Ife graduates from the crowd. We don’t make noise.
Siyan was a thorough academic of the Ife mould. The academic world and the community of scholars focused on West African history are currently mourning the loss of him, a respected History Lecturer and International Studies at Osun State University.
Professor Oyeweso dedicated his career not just to teaching, but to the crucial work of correcting, deepening, and documenting the rich, often distorted, historical narrative of the Yoruba people, with a specific focus on Ile-Ife.
A committed academic, Professor Oyeweso was recognised for his passionate commitment to bringing “historical facts” into the right perspective.
His work went beyond conventional archives, acknowledging that many critical facts about the history of the Kaaro-o-o-jiire race (Yoruba people) remained locked in oral traditions, leading to distortions and an incomplete body of literature.
Truly, no one has iron-clad evidence of what the past was. No one.
But Professor Oyeweso’s defining accomplishment was his leadership in spearheading an international academic gathering dedicated to Ile-Ife and Yoruba civilisation.
This initiative was designed to serve two vital purposes: to secure the blessings and input of traditional institutions, such as the Ooni of Ife, and to substantially deepen the existing literature on the subject.
He was instrumental in challenging prevailing historical narratives, particularly those concerning the ancient city of Ile-Ife.
Oyeweso argued that Ile-Ife was not merely the “cradle” of the Yoruba race but the very place where the core Yoruba identity was definitively formed. His efforts were focused on systematically putting the three known phases of Ile-Ife history—Ife Oodaye, Ife Oyelagbo, and Ife Akanlubebe—into their proper and verifiable context, thus enriching the understanding of Oduduwa’s revolution and its lasting impact.
As an Oyo-born man and having read “The History of the Yorubas”, authored by the Reverend Samuel Johnson and considered the definitive, comprehensive historical text on the Yoruba people, I disagreed with him in many instances. But that is the academic world for you.
The significance of his work was officially commended by the Ooni of Ife, who recognised Professor Oyeweso and his team as “very passionate and fantastic people” working together to ensure that history is documented accurately for future generations.
Professor Oyeweso’s legacy is defined by his belief that history is a living, evolving body of knowledge that must be continuously interrogated and grounded in rigorous research. His commitment ensures that the deep, multi-layered history of the Yoruba people, which extends far beyond the current academic consensus, will continue to be explored and accurately documented, inspiring future historians to follow his path
Siyan was a true gentleman. To those of us who knew him as Siyan, the friend from our shared university days, he was an absolute anchor.
I remember countless late-night study sessions fueled by bad coffee and impossible deadlines, where Siyan’s calm resolve and dry wit kept us grounded. He was the one who could simplify the most complex problem, or, just as importantly, remind us to step away and laugh when we were taking things too seriously.
His friendship was a gift—a steadfast, dependable light that never wavered, treating everyone with the same genuine curiosity and respect.
Professor Oyeweso, embraced a true vocation, not just a career. His passion for his discipline was not just about imparting facts; it was about igniting intellectual possibility. He didn’t just teach courses; he curated intellectual adventures.
He had an extraordinary gift for seeing the nascent potential in every student, gently pushing us past our own perceived limits, and cultivating critical thinking with patience and rigour. He taught us that the greatest measure of a scholar is not the number of publications, but the intellectual curiosity they foster in others.
Siyan’s legacy lives on in the countless students he mentored, in the rigorous academic discussions he led, and in the sheer volume of kindness he showed every single day. He leaves behind not just scholarly work, but a generation of individuals who are better, sharper, and kinder because he cared enough to guide them.
Today, let us mourn the future conversations we will never have and the lessons we will no longer learn from him directly. But let us also celebrate the immense fortune of having known him. Let us honour Siyan’s memory by carrying forward his spirit of intellectual generosity, his dedication to the truth, and his unwavering kindness toward one another.
Though his time with us was tragically brief, the light Siyan cast was intensely bright. May we continue to see it.
Rest well, dear Siyan. You will be missed, deeply and forever.
Adediran writes via olusegunadediran@gmail.com
