Prof. FALAIYE, Muyiwa Adebanjo

Prof Falaiye is currently the Deputy Vice- Chancellor (Management Services) of the University of Lagos. He is a Professor of African Philosophy and former Director of the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies as well as former Director of the University of Lagos Africa Cluster Centre of Excellence (Lagos ACC) of the University of Bayreuth Africa Multiple Cluster.

Identity and FocusI am a quintessential African Philosopher with nearly 40 years in academia. – Central mission: make philosophy relevant to African experience. – Contributions span socio-political philosophy and global Africana scholarship.

Three Landmark Areas 1. African Philosophy and Africana Discourse – Gained international recognition during late 1990s reparations debates. – Published “Africa vs. the West in the Court of Reparations” (1999), widely cited. – First to deliver a public lecture on African Philosophy at University of Florida. – Earned Schomborg Fellowship and led survey on American perceptions of reparations, fostering ties between University of Lagos and global institutions.

2. Philosophic Sagacity – Advocate of Sagacious Philosophy pioneered by Odera Oruka. – Studied Harlem Renaissance thinkers, notably Langston Hughes, highlighting diverse literary forms of sagacious thought. – Two decades of research led to editorial consultancy with Brill (Netherlands) and grants such as Women as Sages Project (2020).

3. African Philosophy in African Studies – Identified lack of synergy between philosophy and other disciplines. – Championed interdisciplinary Africana discourses. – Established African Philosophy as foundational to African Studies. – Promotes multidisciplinary African Studies programs grounded in philosophy.

Institutional Leadership – Founded and nurtured Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), University of Lagos. – Secured over $2 million in grants, plus numerous international research awards (Bayreuth, ECAS, DFG, etc.). – Positioned IADS as a hub for cutting-edge African scholarship.

Academic Engagements – Visiting scholar/researcher at Yale, Florida, SOAS London, Cape Coast Ghana, Leiden, Bahia Brazil, Bayreuth Germany. – Served on boards and associations including SORAC (New Jersey).

Mentorship and Recognition – Supervised 13 Ph.Ds, many now professors or senior academics. – Honored with Essays in Honour of Muyiwa Falaiye (2012) by former students.

My career trajectory reflects commitment to connecting African Philosophy with Africana discourse, refining philosophic sagacity, and embedding philosophy at the core of African Studies.