[3] Afterward, he held a variety of posts, at the African Journal of Political Economy, on the Social Sciences Council of Nigeria, and elsewhere.

He wrote in 1985, in an essay on the African state: "Power is everything, and those who control the coercive resources use it freely to promote their interests.

"[4] Apter said that Ake had "crackling intelligence and an outspokenly severe view of African politics and nevertheless, underneath that, a quality of understanding which was remarkably subtle and complex.

"[4] On November 16, 1995 Ake resigned from the Steering Committee of the Niger Delta Environmental Survey,[8] doing so to protest the execution of a minority rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa.

It also played a practical role, functioning in the early 1990s as an honest broker concerning oil revenues and environmental issues between local officials and representatives of several minority groups in the oil-producing area in southeastern Nigeria.

[6] This is in addition to the fact that Ake was a mentor to the slain author, Ken Saro-Wiwa and a brain behind the Ogoni agitations against exploitation.

His son Ibra Ake is a Grammy Award winner and renowned creative director,[13] most popular for directing the video for This Is America by Donald Glover (Childish Gambino).