Ajayi Crowther University (ACU), Oyo, has paid tribute to Professor Emeritus Ayo Bamgbose, Nigeria’s first Professor of Linguistics.
The university described him as a leading scholar whose work transformed linguistics in Nigeria and across Africa. ACU announced his passing in a statement on Tuesday. Bamgbose died on July 25, 2026, at the age of 94.
The university praised his lifelong commitment to linguistic research, indigenous languages and education.
Vice-Chancellor praises Bamgbose’s legacy
In a condolence letter to Bamgbose’s family and the National President of the St. Andrews College Old Boys Association (SACOBA), Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ebunoluwa Oduwole described him as an exceptional academic.
“As the first Professor of Linguistics in Nigeria, he did not merely occupy a chair – he built the discipline itself. His works remain timeless classics that continue to illuminate the structural beauty of our indigenous languages,” Oduwole said.
She also described his death as a major loss to the university.
“His passing marks not only the loss of a towering intellectual figure but also the departure of a foundational pillar of Ajayi Crowther University itself,” she added.
Scholar helped establish ACU
The university said Bamgbose played an important role in ACU’s development. He represented SACOBA on the Governing Council of St. Andrew’s College of Education, Oyo, from 1999 to 2003.
Later, he joined the university’s Implementation Committee. He also helped prepare the Academic Brief that secured ACU’s operating licence on January 7, 2005.
The institution added that Bamgbose served on ACU’s first Governing Council from 2005 to 2014 under Professor Emeritus Ayo Banjo. According to the statement, he helped shape the university’s academic structure, governance and identity.
Lasting impact on education
The university also recalled that Bamgbose led SACOBA’s donation of its national secretariat building to the St. Andrew’s Campus of ACU. It later honoured him by naming one of its campus roads after him.
Bamgbose began his academic journey at St. Andrew’s College, Oyo, in 1948. He qualified as a Grade Two teacher in 1951 before building a distinguished academic career.
Reflecting on his impact, Oduwole said:
“His legacy is not merely in the books he wrote or the honours he received, but in the scholars he inspired, the departments he built, the disciplines he institutionalised, and the students who now carry his torch.”
The university said his contributions would continue to influence its programmes, institutions and future generations of scholars.
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