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| Raufu Mustapha obituary | Raufu Mustapha obituary |
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| My colleague Raufu Mustapha, who has died of stomach cancer aged 63, taught African politics at Oxford University for two decades, having previously taught at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Nigeria. | My colleague Raufu Mustapha, who has died of stomach cancer aged 63, taught African politics at Oxford University for two decades, having previously taught at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) in Zaria, Nigeria. |
| His areas of interest ranged from democratisation in Africa to identity politics and ethnicity, and to the politics of rural societies in Africa. Raufu sought to communicate the ideas of the marginalised masses to a wider audience. | His areas of interest ranged from democratisation in Africa to identity politics and ethnicity, and to the politics of rural societies in Africa. Raufu sought to communicate the ideas of the marginalised masses to a wider audience. |
| Raufu himself was from Ilorin, the geographical, cultural and political crossroads of Nigeria. He was a classic embodiment of his country’s complexity: having been born in the eastern Nigerian city of Aba, he spoke the country’s three main languages of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba fluently. His father, Ishola, was a foreman at Niger Motors, while his mother, Rabia, was a trader. | Raufu himself was from Ilorin, the geographical, cultural and political crossroads of Nigeria. He was a classic embodiment of his country’s complexity: having been born in the eastern Nigerian city of Aba, he spoke the country’s three main languages of Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba fluently. His father, Ishola, was a foreman at Niger Motors, while his mother, Rabia, was a trader. |
| His secondary schooling was at the Federal Government college in Sokoto, after which he studied for a BA and MSc in political science at ABU (1974-79), where he then taught until 1996. | His secondary schooling was at the Federal Government college in Sokoto, after which he studied for a BA and MSc in political science at ABU (1974-79), where he then taught until 1996. |
| Raufu sought in his scholarship and his activist politics to serve as a bridge between the north and south of the country, debunking stereotypes about each region. He was a first-rate scholar who wrote and spoke lucidly, thought profoundly and was never afraid to take an independent line. | Raufu sought in his scholarship and his activist politics to serve as a bridge between the north and south of the country, debunking stereotypes about each region. He was a first-rate scholar who wrote and spoke lucidly, thought profoundly and was never afraid to take an independent line. |
| In 1990 Raufu obtained his doctorate in politics at St Peter’s College, Oxford, where he enjoyed a close friendship with his South African tutor and mentor, Gavin Williams. He was also particularly proud to have been an AHM Kirk-Greene fellow, named after the English Nigerianist. Raufu taught at the university from 1996 until his death. | In 1990 Raufu obtained his doctorate in politics at St Peter’s College, Oxford, where he enjoyed a close friendship with his South African tutor and mentor, Gavin Williams. He was also particularly proud to have been an AHM Kirk-Greene fellow, named after the English Nigerianist. Raufu taught at the university from 1996 until his death. |
| I co-edited the book Gulliver’s Troubles: Nigeria’s Foreign Policy After the Cold War (2008) with him. Among his other publications are the edited or co-edited volumes Turning Points in African Democracy (2009); Conflicts and Security Governance in West Africa (2013); Sects and Social Disorder: Muslim Identities and Conflict in Northern Nigeria (2014); and the forthcoming Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria. | I co-edited the book Gulliver’s Troubles: Nigeria’s Foreign Policy After the Cold War (2008) with him. Among his other publications are the edited or co-edited volumes Turning Points in African Democracy (2009); Conflicts and Security Governance in West Africa (2013); Sects and Social Disorder: Muslim Identities and Conflict in Northern Nigeria (2014); and the forthcoming Creed and Grievance: Muslim-Christian Relations and Conflict Resolution in Northern Nigeria. |
| Raufu met Kate Meagher, who teaches at the London School of Economics, at a conference in Sheffield in 1988 and they married two years later. She and their two children, Asma’u and Seyi, survive him. | Raufu met Kate Meagher, who teaches at the London School of Economics, at a conference in Sheffield in 1988 and they married two years later. She and their two children, Asma’u and Seyi, survive him. |