A former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Festus Iyayi, died on Tuesday in a car crash on Lokoja-Abuja Expressway.

Iyayi was returning from a meeting in one of the Northern ASUU chapters when the accident occurred.

He was in company with some ASUU leaders and they were said to be returning from Kano where they sought the views of members on ending the four-month-old ASUU strike.

Daily Times could not confirm the total number of casualties in the crash.

However, his death has led to the postment of ASUU's executive meeting, which was to have met Wednesday to decide whether they should call of their four-month old strike.

More details later.






www.dailytimes.com.ng/article/breaking-news-ex-ASUU-president-festus-iyayi-dead

I knew it..
.
Btw Rip..
1 like 1 respect

Sad. RIP

THE CASUALTIES OF ASUU STRIKE!!!
The ongoing industrial action by University Lecturers has claimed one of its biggest casualty. (The casualties are not only those who have been kept at home, the casualties are not only those whose wards have been rendered 'useless' for more than 16 weeks ... The fighters are also casualties...) The sudden death of the former President of ASUU Dr. Festus Iyayi via an auto crash enroute Kano for ASUU's NEC meeting is indeed the 'Biggest casualty". There was no need running around the country. Roads are in dilapidated condition and ASUU members know this. One has to be careful traveling around for 'trivial' issues. This strike is easy to be called off or sustained. Since the various chapters have voted, the votes should have just been communicated to the National leaders and they can make their input whether or not to suspend the ongoing strike. This is jet age and there are different ways to pass information. Moving from Ondo to Ibadan, Abuja to Markudi, Ososo to Sokoto, Benin to Kano e.t.c in the name of agitating for better education is quite risky and uncalled for. This should be a lesson to the lecturers' Union and ASUU leaders should amend these unnecessary processes before industrial actions are embarked on or suspended. We must learn to make things easy for ourselves in life.
May Dr. Iyayi's soul rest in peace. He died in the struggle and in active service!
Aluta continua!!!

i never believ if they pospone the meeting it will cost them more, those who already traveled down will have to go back and come again, which will increase the chances of them dieying by accident except dey lack reasons or maybe is NEMESIS alot of poeple cursed them

So those around should wait or go back.
Abeg do meeting jor and let those NEC go back jeje.
I understand that their colleague died but that shouldnt block their reasoning.

Booked

Its sad. AIT reported that it was a head on collision with the convoy of Kogi state governor. Those escort vehicles drivers are usually very bad and rough drivers. A year or two ago, the governor of kogi himself was involved in an accident.

Why did he not fly?

this is











bad News

Someone should come and tell me this is an 'act of God'.......this is a TRAGEDY.....RIP to the dead souls....
ALUTA CONTINUA
VICTORIA ASCERTA.

D spiritual always controls the physical..hope you guys knew d Lord unless God's mercy will embark on an eternity strike 4rm u...RIP#

Mo gbe! Y like this?

Kogi gov. in dis auto crash in dat auto crash. Is he d only gov. in nig
dis is his 4th crash since coming 2 office. Fg nid 2 cautn his reckles drivin 2 safe d lif of d innocent nigerians.
RIP

Dis wada of a tin as a thorns 2 d flesh of kogites is nw transferin it 2 d whole 9ja. His reckless drivin witin d state killing innocent citizen witot cautn
hmmmmmm nw a monumental lost 2 ASUU. Rip. May God grant ur family d fortitude 2 bear dis unxpeted nd sudden lost

Keneking: Why did he not fly?

hmmm d fastest route 2 RIP

All this beer parlour journalists, all reports said he was on his way to Kano while this people said he is coming back from the north? Also it was only Uniben ASUU president that made a statement on the likelihood of postponement.......may God save us from this unskilled, unprofessionals parading themselves as journalists.

I think the meeting will still hold, look at what the chairperson of Uniport chapter said:


Festus Iyayi, a writer and former ASUU President,
died on Tuesday.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), on
Tuesday, mourned the death of its former President,
Festus Iyayi.
Mr. Iyayi, a renowned writer, lecturer and activist, was
on his way to Kano to attend the national congress of
the union when the car he was travelling in got involved
in an accident.
The President of ASUU, Nasir Fagge, had earlier
confirmed the death of the unionist to reporters. He
said “the sad news was broken to the union in the
morning of Nov. 12.’’
PREMIUM TIMES had reported how Mr. Iyayi was killed
when a car in the motorcade of the Kogi State governor
rammed into his vehicle near Lokoja. He was said to
have died instantly.
Reacting to the news of the demise of the don, Mr.
Fagge told the News Agency of Nigeria in a telephone
interview that he was shocked and could not utter a
word.
He said “I cannot say anything right now. We have just
lost one of our own, Festus Iyayi, who was very dear to
us. I am mourning.’’
The immediate past President of the union, Ukachukwu
Awuzie, said the news came to him as a rude shock and
was still in doubt if it was true.
Mr. Awuzie, now the Vice-Chancellor, Imo State
University, also said on telephone that he had been
trying to get information on the
circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Iyayi.
“I know the NEC executives of the union should be on
their way to Kano, but I am still expecting the details of
the death.
“Until I get full details on the circumstances of his
death, I might not be able to say much,” Mr. Awuzie
said.
Ahunna Okerengwo, the Chairman, University of Port-
Harcourt chapter of ASUU, said the death of Mr. Iyayi
was shocking.
When contacted on phone, Mr. Okerengwo said that she
was on her way to ano for a meeting concerning the
ASUU strike and was still shocked by he news.
She said that she would have a better appraisal of the
situation when she got to the meeting. Toni Kan, a
journalist and author of “Nights of a Creaking Bed”
said that Mr. Iyayi’s death was a sacrifice.
He said it was another sad loss of one of the nation’s
best. Damian Opata, the Head, Department of English,
University of Nigeria,
Nsukka, said the death was unfortunate. “It is very sad
coming at this time,” he said.
Born in 1947 in Ugbegun, Ishan in Edo, late Mr. Iyayi
obtained a Master Degree in Industrial Economics from
the Kiev Institute of
Economics in the former U.S.S.R. He became a lecturer
in 1980 at the Department of Business
Administration, University of Benin.
Mr. Iyayi, who was the ASUU president in 1986, was also
a known author with four books to his credit.
The late unionist won the Commonwealth Prize for
Literature for one of his books “Heroes’’ in 1988.
The titles of other books to his credit are Violence, The
Contract and Awaiting Court Martial.
(NAN)

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/149485-ASUU-lecturers-mourn-festus-iyayi.html

may his soul rest in peace....

Ok... RIP

Kogi to Kano by road... Is that not too far?

Alexcollins: THE CASUALTIES OF ASUU STRIKE!!!
The ongoing industrial action by University Lecturers has claimed one of its biggest casualty. (The casualties are not only those who have been kept at home, the casualties are not only those whose wards have been rendered 'useless' for more than 16 weeks ... The fighters are also casualties...) The sudden death of the former President of ASUU Dr. Festus Iyayi via an auto crash enroute Kano for ASUU's NEC meeting is indeed the 'Biggest casualty". There was no need running around the country. Roads are in dilapidated condition and ASUU members know this. One has to be careful traveling around for 'trivial' issues. This strike is easy to be called off or sustained. Since the various chapters have voted, the votes should have just been communicated to the National leaders and they can make their input whether or not to suspend the ongoing strike. This is jet age and there are different ways to pass information. Moving from Ondo to Ibadan, Abuja to Markudi, Ososo to Sokoto, Benin to Kano e.t.c in the name of agitating for better education is quite risky and uncalled for. This should be a lesson to the lecturers' Union and ASUU leaders should amend these unnecessary processes before industrial actions are embarked on or suspended. We must learn to make things easy for ourselves in life.
May Dr. Iyayi's soul rest in peace. He died in the struggle and in active service!
Aluta continua!!!

Hahaha... True talk.... U even mentioned my village-ososo

In tears...RIP Prof.

Eyah!
RIP.
Is he from Uniben? So he was on his way to vote for the continuation of this strike without any pity for the students who have been crying to see the end of the impasse?
Rest in Peace sir! May your soul find eternal rest with the Lord. By the way sir, the strike will be called off.
Once again, rest in peace.

Cuteclem: i never believ if they pospone the meeting it will cost them more, those who already traveled down will have to go back and come again, which will increase the chances of them dieying by accident except dey lack reasons or maybe is NEMESIS alot of poeple cursed them

Lol, you no well oo!
#hahaha @ "increase the chances of them dying by accident"

Eh yah...

Sorry guys!

But on a serious note, I never knew Festus Iyayi was a lecturer, not to talk of a former ASUU chairman, way back in the 80's.

I remember him for his book, 'Violence' which I read for NECO way back in 2005, it was the best book I read then and the story really touched me. The book was later adapted into a movie with Liz Benson as part of the cast.

I hope he and others rest in the bosom of our Lord.

Stupid rumour. Where did dey tlk abt postponing the meeting here nw all this negative minded people wey no wan make strike end. I go soon chase una commot nairaland

sakaguchi: Eyah!
RIP.
Is he from Uniben? So he was on his way to vote for the continuation of this strike without any pity for the students who have been crying to see the end of the impasse?
Rest in Peace sir! May your soul find eternal rest with the Lord. By the way sir, the strike will be called off.
Once again, rest in peace.

my point. Only GOD know why it happened that way. May b the man 4 cause more calamity 4 the nec meeting. Rip prof

chaiiii
May his soul rest in perfect peace........
na bed things now make me 2 go rest in peace

r.i.p comrade

sakaguchi: Eyah!
RIP.
Is he from Uniben? So he was on his way to vote for the continuation of this strike without any pity for the students who have been crying to see the end of the impasse?
Rest in Peace sir! May your soul find eternal rest with the Lord. By the way sir, the strike will be called off.
Once again, rest in peace.

I love your use of sarcasm here...although hilarious,yet inappropriate for the issue at hand...respect to the dead