Olajide Aluko (3 June 1942 – 5 March 1991)[1] was a Nigerian scholar who in October 1977 became the first professor of international relations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He was a prolific writer and conference speaker who wrote and edited several books and journals concerning international relations.
He went on to study at the Nigerian College of Arts and Science from where he proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he graduated top of his class with a B.A.
However, with the fall in oil price, the illusion of a powerful Nigeria or stable foreign policy was shattered by the early 1980s.
In addition, he had to his credit over forty-five single authored publications in local and international journals across many countries in the world.
Jide Aluko, was a recipient of several international awards and honors notably: Departmental Prize, best student in History, 1964/65 sessions, University of Ibadan, visiting professor, Fellowship awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Dalhousie University, Halifax,[6] 1978; The Rockefeller Fellowship to study in the Rockefeller Study Centre,[7] Bellagio, Italy in April/May 1989.
[15] In his honour, Prof Tale Omole, the former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University 2011 - 2016 publicly acknowledged him in his Inaugural lecture, “Nigeria, France and the Francophone States”, delivered in May 2010, and Professor Abiodun Alao, a Professor of African Studies at the African Leadership Centre King's College London,[16] dedicated the book “Mugabe and the Politics of Security in Zimbabwe” to his memory.