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Last Man standing ❤️

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Bolanle Awe was not just Nigeria's first female professor of History; she was also the first female lecturer in any Nigerian university.

Born on January 28, 1933, in Ilesa, Osun State, Bolanle Awe was nurtured in a family that appreciated education. Her father, Samuel Akindeji Fajembola, was a manager with John Holt & Co., and her mother, Mosebolatan Abede, was one of the early female teachers trained in Ibadan.

Her early schooling took place in Ilesa and Ibadan before she earned a place at St. Anne’s School, one of Nigeria’s first girls’ secondary schools.

With unwavering ambition, she proceeded to the P***e School for Girls in Cambridge (1952–54) and then to the University of St Andrews, where she graduated with a degree in History in 1958. She furthered her studies at Somerville College, University of Oxford, obtaining a DPhil in History in 1964.

Upon her return to Nigeria in 1960, Bolanle Awe shattered glass ceilings as the first Nigerian woman formally appointed to academic office, joining the University of Ibadan’s Department of History as an Assistant Lecturer in October that year.

In 1967, she moved to the University of Lagos before returning to Ibadan in 1969, where she rose to the substantive rank of Professor of Oral History by 1976, becoming Nigeria’s first female professor of history.

Awe's scholarship was revolutionary. She championed oral history as a valid and vital method to reconstruct pre-colonial Nigeria and the intra-African past, especially among the Yoruba. Her academic work restored the reputations of historical women figures, including Efunsetan Aniwura, previously misrepresented in folklore and drama.

She also pioneered feminist historiography in Nigeria, critiquing universalist feminist frameworks and insisting on intersectional, culturally specific analysis.

In 1985, she founded the Women’s Research and Documentation Centre (WORDOC) at the University of Ibadan, the first institutional hub in Nigeria devoted to women’s studies and gender documentation. Under her leadership, WORDOC became a resource centre, advocacy platform, and intellectual network for advancing women's histories across Africa.

Awe’s influence extended beyond academia. She served as Commissioner for Education and Commissioner for Trade, Industries and Cooperatives in the then Western State (1975–78).

In 1990, she became the first Chairperson of Nigeria’s National Commission for Women, pioneering national women’s policy before resigning in 1992 amid political restructuring.

Later, she served as Pro‑Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and held leadership roles in multiple educational councils and boards, such as Ilorin Teaching Hospital and Ajayi Crowther University.

Her academic impact is enduring. Observers credit her with reshaping how Nigerian history is written; infusing it with women’s voices, oral traditions, and deeply contextual perspectives. Writing about her, Toyin Falola described her as the “matriarch of feminist history” and highlighted her as a crucial figure in reclaiming African agency in historiography.

In recognition of her contributions, Bolanle Awe was awarded the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 1983, became a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria, and later an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters and other institutions.

Even after her retirement in 1995, she continued to mentor scholars, attend church activities, serve as a diocesan historian, and uphold the ethos of community, scholarship, and service through her faith and family life.

At 92 years old, Professor Bolanle Awe remains a towering intellectual and moral giant. She taught that Africa’s stories, especially those of its women, deserve to be heard in their own voice. Her work transformed not just historical narratives, but also the possibilities of scholarship, activism, and collective memory in Nigeria and beyond.

Affectionately known as “Dodo Mayana,” Peter Rufai was to succeed his father as a king in 1998, but he rejected the crown for football.

Born on August 24, 1963, in Oshodi, Lagos, Peter Rufai came from a royal background: his father was a traditional ruler in the Idimu region of Lagos State. Despite expectations to inherit the throne, Rufai declined royal succession after his father’s death in 1998, choosing instead to pursue his passion for football.

Rufai began his playing career with local clubs Stationery Stores and Femo Scorpions, before embarking on a 20-year professional journey across Europe. He featured prominently at Dragons de l’Ouémé in Benin, and in Belgium (Lokeren, Beveren), the Netherlands (Go Ahead Eagles), Portugal (Farense, Gil Vicente), and Spain (Hércules, Deportivo La Coruña).

On the international stage, Rufai earned 65 caps for Nigeria between 1983 and 1998. He was Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper when the Super Eagles finally clinched the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia and helped guide Nigeria in its first-ever FIFA World Cup appearance later that year. He also represented the country again at USA 1994 and France 1998, anchoring the defence with composure and leadership.

Some career highlights include:

Scoring a rare international goal—he converted a penalty in Nigeria’s 6–0 victory over Ethiopia during AFCON qualifiers in 1993.

Playing a pivotal role in SC Farense’s historic qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 1994–1995 season, while conceding just 38 goals in 34 matches.

After hanging up his gloves, Rufai remained committed to football development. He enrolled at the National Institute for Sports in Lagos in 2023 to earn coaching credentials, founded the Staruf Football Academy in Lagos, and mentored countless young talents, emphasising the balance between sport and education.

Peter Rufai passed away on July 3, 2025, in Lagos after an extended illness. He was 61 years old.

The Nigeria Football Federation described him as “a giant of Nigerian football,” and tributes poured in from President Bola Tinubu, former Anambra governor Peter Obi, and numerous football colleagues, all acknowledging his legacy both between the posts and beyond.

Peter Rufai’s life epitomised discipline, passion, and national pride. He was more than a goalkeeper; he was a trailblazer, a mentor, and a symbol of Nigerian football excellence. His decision to forsake royal inheritance for football speaks of his devotion not to status but to purpose.

Though he has passed on, his legacy endures in the institutions he built, the players he mentored, and the countless saves that lifted the Super Eagles to global prominence.

Nigeria's Major-General John Mark Inienger as the Field Commandant of ECOMOG (Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group) in Monrovia, Liberia, during the First Civil War (1989–1996), 1994.

Born on April 16, 1945, in Mbaduku, now Vandeikya LGA, Benue State, John Inienger's father was Tiv from Mbaduku, and his mother, a member of the Bebuabung community in Obudu, Cross River State. He attended Mkar Primary School (1952–59), Nigerian Military School in Zaria (1960–63), and later trained at the Nigerian Defence Academy, before further honing his strategic acumen at the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College in Kingston in 1974.

Commissioned in 1967, Inienger served in successive roles, including adjutant and company commander in the 29 and 82 Infantry Battalions (1969–73), instructor at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (1975–76), and brigade major in Jaji (1973–74). He commanded the Nigerian Battalion in peacekeeping duties in Lebanon (1980–81), and rose to lead the 4th Mechanised Brigade by 1985.

In the wake of General Ibrahim Babangida’s 1985 coup, Lieutenant Colonel Inienger was appointed Military Governor of Bendel State, serving from September 1985 to July 1988. He presided over the region as it underwent significant economic and political reorientation under military rule.

He later commanded the elite Brigade of Guards, responsible for protecting the Head of State and the seat of power, from 1988 to 1989.

In 1993, he assumed command of ECOMOG, the Nigerian-led West African peacekeeping force deployed to Liberia during the First Liberian Civil War. Under intense operational pressures, he defended ECOMOG’s neutrality and resisted the narratives branding it an army of occupation. Inienger led the mission until 1996, after which he was appointed Commandant of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji.

Following the transition to civilian rule in 1999, Inienger was among over 90 senior officers retired from active service. He passed away on February 8, 2002, while travelling between Jos and Makurdi. He was 56.