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The University of Ibadan (UI) community has been thrown into mourning following the death of Professor Aituaje Irene Pogoson, the institution’s first female professor of Political Science with a specialisation in International Relations.
She passed away in the early hours of Saturday, October 25, 2025, at the age of 65.
Her passing was formally announced by the Head of the Department of Political Science, Professor Dhikru Adewale Yagboyaju, who described her death as a monumental loss to the department, the university, and the Nigerian academic community.
He extended condolences to her family, colleagues, and friends, praying for divine comfort for all who mourn her.
Professor Pogoson, who recently served as Head of the Department of Political Science, had an illustrious academic career that spanned over four decades.
She joined the University of Ibadan in 2000 and rose to become the first female lecturer and later the first female professor in the department’s history.
She earned her Bachelor’s degree in History in 1981, and her Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Political Science in 1984 and 1994 respectively—all from the University of Ibadan.
Before her appointment at UI, she worked with the Presidential Panel on Nigeria Since Independence History Project between 1981 and 2000 as a Research Fellow and Administrative Secretary. From 2005 to 2007, she served as a Policy Analyst on Governance with the Independent Policy Group, Abuja—a UNDP, Ford Foundation, and Soros Foundation-funded think tank that advised the Obasanjo administration.
Professor Pogoson was deeply involved in global academic and policy research circles. She served on the Advisory Council of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) under the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and was a member of the Scientific Committee of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA).
Her areas of expertise included Foreign Policy Analysis, Strategic Studies, Governance, Gender Studies, and International Relations. She was widely recognised for her scholarship, mentorship, and policy engagement, and had delivered UI’s 545th Inaugural Lecture in March 2024 titled “The World in Transition: Understanding Power in the International Political System.”
Until her death, Professor Pogoson was married to Professor Ohioma Ifounu Pogoson of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. She is survived by her husband and three children.
Funeral arrangements, according to the family, will be announced at a later date.
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