Abiola Irele
Abiola Irele | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 May 1936 |
| Died | 2 July 2017 (aged 81) |
| Other names | Francis Abiola Irele |
| Alma mater | Ibadan University; University of Paris, Sorbonne |
| Known for | Literary scholar and academic |
Francis Abiola Irele (commonly Abiola Irele, 22 May 1936 – 2 July 2017) was a Nigerian academic best known as the doyen of Africanist literary scholars worldwide. He was Provost at Kwara State University, founded in 2009 in Ilorin, Nigeria. Before moving back to Nigeria, Irele was visiting professor of African and African American Studies and of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.