Timothy Mofolorunso Aluko (14 July 1918 – 1 May 2010) was a Nigerian writer.

Biography

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

, Aluko was born in

Ilesha Ilesa () is an ancient town located in the Osun State, southwest Nigeria; it is also the name of a historic kingdom (also known as Ijesha) centred on that village. The state is ruled by a monarch bearing the title of the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ij ...

in Nigeria and studied at Government College,

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

, and Higher College, Yaba in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

. He then studied

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

and

town planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water, ...

at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He held a number of administrative posts in his home country, including Director of Public Works in

Western Nigeria The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region. In 1976, the state was subdivided into thre ...

. He departed from civil service in 1966 and from then until his retirement in 1978 he pursued a career as an academic, earning a doctorate in municipal engineering in 1976. He received several awards and honours including Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1963 and Officer

Order of the Niger Nigeria became an independent country on 1 October 1960 and in 1963 became the Federal Republic of Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Repu ...

(OON) in 1964. His novels, including '' One Man, One Wife'' (1959), '' One Man, One Matchet'' (1964), '' Kinsman and Foreman'' (1966), '' Chief the Honourable Minister'' (1970) and ''His Worshipful Majesty'
(1973)
are satirical in tone, and deal with the clash of new and old values in a changing Africa. In 1994, he published his autobiography, '' My Years of Service'', an account of his activities as an engineer and university teacher. His later autobiographical book, ''The Story of My Life'', published in 2007, provides a more in-depth look at Aluko's life, expounding on his childhood and his work as a civil servant. T. M. Aluko died on 1 May 2010 in

, aged 91.

References

External links

Review of Chief the Honourable Minister

Encyclopædia Britannica's Biography of T.M. Aluko: Nigerian author
1918 births 2010 deaths Alumni of the University of London Nigerian male novelists Officers of the Order of the British Empire Officers of the Order of the Niger Yoruba writers People from Ilesha Government College, Ibadan alumni 20th-century Nigerian novelists English-language writers from Nigeria 20th-century male writers {{Nigeria-writer-stub