Just In: Former ASUU Chairman Idenyi Dies From Throat Cancer, "A Beacon of Brilliance"
- The Igboesa General Assembly described Professor Ndubuisi Idenyi as a rare gem and a man of peace after his death on October 3, 2026
- Idenyi, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and former First African Distance Learning University (FADLU) Vice Chancellor, died after a battle with throat cancer
- A community stakeholder raised concerns over Idenyi's alleged suspension from Ebonyi State University and Nigeria's healthcare system
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Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering basic and tertiary education in Nigeria and worldwide.
Abakaliki, Ebonyi State - The Igboesa General Assembly has mourned the death of Ndubuisi Idenyi, a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and former Vice Chancellor of the First African Distance Learning University (FADLU), who died on Saturday, October 3, 2026, after a battle with throat cancer.
Legit.ng reports that in a condolence message dated Tuesday, October 6, signed by the President General Tony Edeh and Secretary General Joel Ebenyi, the group said it received news of Idenyi's passing with "profound shock and deep sorrow." The statement described him as a proud son of Nkalaha Community who carried the identity and values of Igboesa clan with dignity wherever he went.
Source: Facebook
The assembly called his death a major loss to his family, Nkalaha community, the wider Igboesa clan and the academic world at large.
"We pray that God in His infinite mercy grants his gentle soul eternal rest in His bosom," the statement read, adding, "May his soul rest in perfect peace. Amen. Adieu, Prof!"
Ojiabor questions Idenyi’s medical treatment
Community stakeholder Ojiabor Igboesa also paid tribute to the late professor in a Facebook post on Wednesday, October 7, but went further to raise questions about the circumstances surrounding Idenyi's illness and the treatment he was able to access.
Ojiabor described the atmosphere across the Igboesa clan as one of "sorrow, disbelief, and the aching weight of loss," and used the occasion to criticise what he called Nigeria's failing healthcare priorities.
"Ebonyi State today boasts over twenty flyovers scattered across communities, yet lacks a single decent, functional general hospital outside the Federal Teaching Hospital," he wrote, adding, "What comfort is a flyover to a dying man who cannot access good medical care?"
Ojiabor also alleged that Idenyi, who served as chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at Ebonyi State University (EBSU), was suspended allegedly without pay in October 2016 alongside other union leaders during the administration of former Governor David Umahi. He claimed the suspension arose from demands over unpaid professorial promotions dating to 2014 and salary reductions the academics considered unlawful.
He further alleged that an Industrial Court of Arbitration ordered in September 2023 that withheld salaries owed to Idenyi and Professor Ikechukwu Igwenyi be paid, along with N6 million in dissuasive compensation, but that the order was not carried out until 2025, when Governor Francis Nwifuru lifted Idenyi's suspension. These claims could not be independently verified.
Idenyi remembered for academic excellence
Beyond the controversy, both Ojiabor and the Igboesa General Assembly paid tribute to Idenyi's scholarly legacy. He authored more than 80 publications in international journals, with research spanning ceramics, polymers, composites, corrosion monitoring and green inhibitors. He also served on the Academic Board of Mechanical Engineering at Ebonyi State University.
"He was a mentor, a gentle soul, a beacon of humility and brilliance. His life was a gift. His death is a wound," Ojiabor wrote.
Read Ojiabor's Facebook post on Prof. Idenyi's death in full below:
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Pioneer ASUU president Jeyifo is dead
Earlier, Legit.ng reported the death of Biodun Jeyifo, a renowned Nigerian scholar and public intellectual.
The Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ibadan, expressed grief over the death of Jeyifo, who passed away on February 11, aged 80.
Source: Legit.ng
