Omafume Friday Onoge (21 October 1938 – 12 July 2009) was a Nigerian professor of

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

social anthropology Social anthropology is the study of patterns of behaviour in human societies and cultures. It is the dominant constituent of anthropology throughout the United Kingdom and much of Europe, where it is distinguished from cultural anthropology. In t ...

as well as an activist.G. G. Darah and Sunny Awhefeada
"Omafume Onoge - Africa's Revolutionary Marxist (1)"
''Daily Independent'' (Lagos), 31 August 2009, via AllAfrica.

Early life

Onoge was born on 21 October 1938 in Uvwie, a local government area of

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

, southern Nigeria. He attended St. Andrew’s C.M.S. School in

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri, Udu, Okpe and Uvwie are the commercial ...

and in 1952, he was admitted into Urhobo College at

Effurun Effurun is a town and the headquarters of Uvwie Local Government Area in Delta State, Nigeria. It is an Urban center, densely populated with different infrastructural development. it borders its twin city Warri, also serves as an entrance to ...

, where he obtained the West African School Certificate in 1957. He later attended the Moore Plantation at

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

for a three-year agricultural superintendent course, and in 1961 he was a recipient of an undergraduate scholarship from the African Scholarship Program of American Universities (ASPAU). Onoge was subsequently accepted and admitted into

Macalester College Macalester College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate institution with an enrollment of 2,142 students in the fall of 2023. The college ha ...

St Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

, where he completed his undergraduate courses within two years, between 1961 and 1963. He received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in

and was on the Dean’s honour list throughout his undergraduate studies at the university. In 1963, he was admitted into

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he received a Master of Arts (M.A.) and was later awarded a doctorate degree (Ph.D) in anthropology in 1970.

Career

Onoge lectured at several universities in the United States, among them

, Macalester College, and the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

. He also lectured at the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) (Swahili: ''Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam'') is a public university located in Ubungo District, Dar es Salaam Region, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

, and in Nigeria at the

University of Ibadan The University of Ibadan (UI) is a public university located in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Initially founded as the University College Ibadan in 1948, it maintained its affiliation with the University of London. In 1962, it became an independe ...

, where he also served as warden for two years, between 1970 and 1972. He was appointed a professor and chair of the sociology department in 1982 at the

University of Jos The University of Jos, abbreviated as Unijos, is a federal university in Jos, Plateau State, central Nigeria. History What became the University of Jos was established in November 1971 from the satellite campus of the University of Ibadan. T ...

, where he also served as dean in the School of Postgraduate Studies, director of the Centre for Development Studies, and chairman of the board and elected senate member of the Council of the University and University Orator. Onoge retired on 20 October 2003 from the University of Jos. He served as Member of the Federal Government Delegation to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1976 in the area of Youth Affairs. (subscription required)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omafume Onoge 1938 births 2009 deaths People from Delta State Harvard University alumni Academic staff of the University of Ibadan Macalester College alumni Academic staff of the University of Dar es Salaam Academic staff of the University of Jos

Early life

Career

See also

References