Long goodbye to Segun Osoba, radical historian and public intellectual, By Ahmed Aminu-Ramatu Yusuf

Dr. Samuel Olusegun Osoba, a distinguished radical historian and public intellectual, passed away on Thursday, May 14, at his residence in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. He was 92 years old.

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his “distinctive intellectual and human attributes” and his “love for history was contagious, and his ability to make complicated historical events comprehensible to his students, despite the embedded convolutions of philosophy, appeared to many a gift of nature.”

Osoba earned his first degree in History from the University of Ife, Nigeria, and later obtained a doctoral degree from Moscow State University. He dedicated a quarter of a century, from 1967, to teaching History at the University of Ife. Professor Toyin Falola, one of Osoba's former students, described his "distinctive intellectual and human attributes" and noted that his "love for history was contagious." Falola added that Osoba possessed a unique ability to make complex historical events comprehensible, making "history come alive" and relevant.

Osoba's influence extended beyond academia. Femi Falana revealed that Osoba's engaging teaching style attracted many unregistered students eager to audit his classes and public debates for critical analysis and inspiration. His ideas and critical scholarship resonated widely, inspiring many to challenge established norms. Professor Dung Sha of the University of Jos noted that Osoba taught them "never to suppress our voices in silence; to challenge hegemony; resist provincialism; push the boundaries of knowledge; and cultivate resilience in the struggle for transformative society."

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Osoba made “history come alive” and to be “relevant and interesting.”

His impactful article, "The Deepening Crisis of the Nigerian National Bourgeoisie," published in the Review of African Political Economy in 1978, significantly shaped the understanding of Nigeria's ruling and governing elites, characterizing them as dependent on Western imperialism. This legacy was honored at two well-attended symposia held in Ijebu Ode and Abuja on July 28, 2026. The theme, "The Historian as a Public Intellectual: Segun Osoba, Radical Historiography and the Defence of the Common People," brought together scholars, labor unionists, human rights activists, and former students. The symposium was chaired by Femi Falana, SAN, and included solidarity messages from the Ambassadors of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic and Cuba.

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taught us never to suppress our voices in silence; to challenge hegemony; resist provincialism; push the boundaries of knowledge; and cultivate resilience in the struggle for transformative society.