Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem
Born	6 January 1961
Died	25 May 2009(2009-05-25) (aged 48)
Nationality	Nigerian
Occupation(s)	General Secretary of the Seventh Pan-African Congress, Director of Justice Africa, the Deputy Director of United Nations Millennium Campaign of Africa
Known for	general secretary of the Pan-African Movement, director of Justice Africa, the Deputy Director of United Nations Millennium Campaign for Africa, as well as a writer for newspapers and journals across Africa
Movement	Pan-Africanism

Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem (6 January 1961 – 25 May 2009) was a Pan-African scholar and activist. His most prominent function was as the General Secretary of the Seventh Pan-African Congress in 1994. He also served as director of Justice Africa, the Deputy Director of United Nations Millennium Campaign for Africa, as well as a writer for newspapers and journals across Africa.^[1][2]

Childhood and studies

Abdul-Raheem was born in Funtua, Nigeria in 1961.^[3]

Abdul-Raheem obtained an undergraduate degree in political science from Bayero University Kano and was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford University, where he obtained his PhD in politics.^[3] He also studied at Buffalo University.^[4]

Activist and author

Abdul-Raheem moved to London in 1989. While living here, he co-founded the Africa Research and Information Bureau (ARIB) in 1990. He went on to rise to prominence as the General Secretary of the Seventh Pan-African Congress that took place in Kampala in 1994. He was encouraged to take on this post by the former Tanzanian politician A.M. Babu.^[5] He also served as director of Justice Africa, the Deputy Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign for Africa, as well as a writer for newspapers and journals across Africa.^[4]

Taju, as he was fondly called, dedicated his life to the Pan-African vision and the peaceful unification of Africa. He left behind a wife, Mounira Chaieb, and two daughters, Ayesha and Aida. ^[4]

A thinker and writer, but above all a mighty talker, he inspired and influenced a whole generation of Africans and Africanists with his mixture of passion and humor. It is considered ironic that he died on 25 May – Africa Day.^[4]

Death

Abdul-Raheem died at the age of 48 in a road accident on 25 May 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya. He was on his way to the airport to catch a flight to Rwanda, where he had been scheduled to meet with the President of Rwanda.^{[3] [6]} According to geographer Patricia Daley, the accident took place in unclear and possibly suspicious circumstances: "Those who saw the body said his injuries were not consistent with driving at a high speed and there was no other vehicle involved."^[7]

References

1. "Pan-Africanist dies in car crash". BBC News. 25 May 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
2. "Obituary: Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem". The Guardian. 9 June 2009.
3. "Dr. Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, 1961-2009". Millennium Campaign. 25 May 2009. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
4. Ebuka Onyeji (24 May 2017). "Activists remember Africanist, Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, eight years after". Premium Times. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
5. Patricia Daley, "Thomas Sankara and Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem", in A Certain Amount of Madness: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara (London: Pluto Press, 2018), p. 161.
6. Tributes to a fallen giant Pambazuka News
7. Patricia Daley, "Thomas Sankara and Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem", in A Certain Amount of Madness: The Life, Politics and Legacies of Thomas Sankara (London: Pluto Press, 2018), p. 162.

External links

• He was to Africa what Che Guevara was to South America by Dimas Nkunda, The Observer, May 27, 2009
• Tajudeen Will Turn the Angels Into Pan Africanists by Nathan Byamukama, All Africa, May 31, 2009