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Festus
Iyayi
(1947-2013)
 Nigerian leftist writer,
he wrote several radical, realist novels about Nigeria. In the
1980's he was active in a progressive academic staff union,
eventually becoming its president. Detained several times for
his activism during the military dictatorship of Ibrahim
Babangida. Always deeply concerned about social justice and
with no faith in the ruling class, Iyayi remained a committed
and principled radical. Murdered by the same corrupt,
comprador political class he regularly denounced in his novels
and political activism. On 12 November 2013, on his way to a
union meeting meant to deal with an ongoing strike, his car
was hit by the reckless, criminal convoy of a ruling-party
state governor.
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