The Vice-Chancellor of Baze University, Abuja, Professor Abiodun Adeniyi, will chair the 4th Annual Colloquium of the Federal University Lokoja in honour of Emeritus Professor Olu Obafemi, one of Nigeria’s most distinguished literary scholars, playwrights and poets.
The event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at the university’s Multi-Purpose Hall, Felele Campus, Lokoja, and will form part of activities marking the institution’s 2026 convocation ceremony.
The colloquium is being organised by the Federal University Lokoja in collaboration with its Department of English and Literary Studies. Scheduled to commence at 12 noon, this year’s edition will explore the theme, “Creativity as Criticism in Olu Obafemi’s Works,” examining the relationship between artistic imagination, critical inquiry and the capacity of literature to interrogate society and inspire change. The programme will be delivered in a hybrid format, enabling both physical and virtual participation.
Emeritus Professor Obafemi, a recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit, has made enduring contributions to Nigerian literature, theatre, creative writing and literary criticism. The annual colloquium provides a continuing platform for engaging his intellectual legacy and examining the wider significance of his work for scholarship, artistic expression and society.
The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University Lokoja, Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, has described the colloquium as a living forum for celebrating an outstanding scholar, writer, teacher and mentor. Professor Ibileye has noted that the occasion holds particular personal significance for him because of Professor Obafemi’s enduring influence as a mentor and model of intellectual and ethical commitment.
He traced the origins of the colloquium to its inaugural edition in 2023, initiated under his predecessor, Professor Olayemi Akinwumi, who believed that a scholar of Professor Obafemi’s stature deserved more than ceremonial tributes. The intention was to establish a sustained programme of intellectual engagement that would interrogate the ideas, creative accomplishments and enduring relevance of his work. The second edition, held in 2024, and the third, held in 2025, further consolidated the colloquium as an annual academic and literary gathering.
Professor Ibileye has emphasised that although his relationship with the honouree is personally significant, the colloquium’s importance extends well beyond that bond. Its broader value lies in the intellectual conversations it generates around artistic responsibility, education, power, justice, cultural identity and shared humanity.
Explaining this year’s theme, the Vice-Chancellor noted that it invites scholars to consider creativity not merely as the production of artistic works but also as a critical means of engaging with the world. Through imaginative writing, literature can interpret social experience, expose contradictions, challenge established assumptions and open up possibilities for change.
The colloquium will feature distinguished scholars drawn from Nigerian and international universities. Expected paper presenters include Professor S. T. Babatunde of the University of Ilorin; Professor Sola Adeyemi of the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom; Professor Ofure Aito of the Federal University Lokoja; and Dr. Funke Aliyu of the University of Ilorin.
His Excellency, the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, will attend as Special Guest of Honour. Other distinguished guests expected at the event include the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor Wahab Egbewole; the Vice-Chancellor of Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Professor Abdulrahman Asipita Salawu; the Vice-Chancellor of Kogi State University, Kabba, Professor K. I. T. Eniola; and the Vice-Chancellor of Adeleke University, Professor Solomon Ajayi Adebo.
The gathering is also expected to attract the President of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, Professor Andrew Haruna, and its Vice-President, Professor Sunday Enessi Ododo; the President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Dr. Usman Oladipo Akanbi; the Secretary-General of the Pan African Writers Association, Dr. Wale Okediran; the Chairman of the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG), Dr. Adedapo Gbadega; and the Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Dr. Sonny Echono.
The event is expected to bring together principal officers of the university, academics, literary scholars, writers, students and other distinguished guests for an engaging celebration of Professor Obafemi’s decades of contributions to creative writing, literary scholarship and the development of Nigerian theatre and letters.
Enquiries concerning the programme may be directed to the Head of the Department of English and Literary Studies, Dr. Peter Okpeh; the Local Organising Committee Chairman, Dr. Abba Abba; or the Secretary, Dr. Grace Olarewaju.
