The Vice-Chancellor of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, Professor Samuel Ogheneovo Asagba, has praised the delivery of the University’s 117th Inaugural Lecture by Professor Sunny Ijirhevwe Awhefeada, describing it as a brilliant literary exposition of the Nigerian state.
Professor Asagba gave the commendation at the lecture held on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the 750 Lecture Theatre A, Site III, where he was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Edmund Aviedo Atakpo.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the inaugural lecturer excellently captured the realities of Nigeria through literature, noting that the lecture vividly revealed the true condition of the nation.
“The inaugural lecturer skillfully relayed the happenings of the Nigerian state using literature. The lecture laid bare the true state of Nigerian society,” Professor Asagba said.
Delivering the lecture titled “The Literature of Our State: An Evolutionary Engagement with Modern Nigerian Literature,” Professor Awhefeada provided a sweeping and insightful narrative of the evolution of Nigerian literature from the colonial era to the present day.
The Professor of African Literature traced Nigerian literary history to the colonial period, when writers—particularly poets—used literature as a weapon of cultural nationalism. He noted that the works of that era were bold, assertive and unapologetic, reflecting the intense anti-colonial consciousness of the 1950s and 1960s.
He explained that Nigerian writers were driven by the urgency to tell their own stories, countering colonial narratives that portrayed Africa and Africans negatively.
Professor Awhefeada said the colonial phase later gave way to the post-colonial era, when the optimism of independence was soon replaced by disappointment as corruption, political instability and civil war defined the new nation.
According to him, Nigerian literature during this period became prophetic, accurately mirroring the nation’s struggles rather than the prosperity that independence promised.
The scholar further highlighted other major phases of Nigerian literature, including ideological ferment, the entry of women into the literary space, literature as therapy, memoirs and autobiographies, eco-literature, as well as millennial and emerging directions in Nigerian writing.
In his conclusion, Professor Awhefeada described Nigerian literature as the country’s greatest human capital endowment and a source of international prestige, stressing that it remains a powerful mirror of society.
“Nigerian literature is didactic, educative, entertaining and therapeutic. It reflects who we are as a people,” he said.
A major highlight of the ceremony was the decoration of Professor Awhefeada with the prestigious DELSU Inaugural Lecturer’s Medal by the Vice-Chancellor, alongside a special musical performance by the Department of Music and photo sessions with university officials, family and friends.
The event attracted a large gathering of dignitaries, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Hilary Ijeoma Owamah; Provost of Oleh Campus, Professor Augustine Atonuje; Registrar, Mrs Rufina Ufiofio; Bursar, Mrs Otimeyin Ekakitie-Omajuwa; University Librarian, Dr Josephine Eruterio Onohwakpor; Governing Council Chairman, General Alexander Ogomudia (Rtd); and Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Arthur Akpowowo, among many others.
Also present were former Vice-Chancellors, professors, government officials, traditional leaders, clergy, students and members of the Awhefeada family, including the inaugural lecturer’s wife, Professor (Mrs) Ufuoma Awhefeada, and his parents.
