Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born

Updated: 30 Sep 2019

Professor Claude Ake, a Nigerian political scientist, was a visiting professor at Yale University where he taught political science. Ake died in a plane crash in 1996 when the airplane that he was travelling in crashed into a lagoon in a mangrove jungle 25 miles northeast of Lagos. There were no survivors. Ake’s death sparked speculation that his adversaries were behind it. He was vocal in political and social affairs in Nigeria; including his staunch opposition to exploitation by oil companies, corruption and authoritarian rule. Ake had taught in universities in Canada, Kenya and Tanzania. In 1991, he founded the Centre for Advanced Social Science, a think-tank for social and environmental research.

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01Akyeampong E.K. and Gates H.L. Jr. Dictionary of African Biography, Oxford University Press, Vol 6, Pp 142-144
02PCR, Claude Ake: A Biographical Note., from Department of Peace and Conflict Research, [online], Available at www.pcr.uu.se [Accessed: 30 January 2014]

Last updated · 30 Sep 2019

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South African History Online. (2014, February 14). Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born . South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0097061

South African History Online (2014) 'Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born ', South African History Online, 14 February. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0097061 (Accessed: 22 August 2026).

South African History Online, Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0097061, (accessed 22 August 2026).

"Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born ." South African History Online, 14 Feb. 2014, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0097061. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

South African History Online. "Nigerian Political Scientist Professor Claude Ake is born ." South African History Online. February 14, 2014. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0097061.