It is with great sadness that the African Studies Centre has learned of the passing of Professor Abdul Raufu Mustapha on 8th August 2017. Associate Professor of African Politics at Oxford's Department of International Development, Raufu was for many years a good friend of the African Studies Centre. He was one of Africa's foremost scholars on a host of questions ranging from the politics of rural societies to ethnicity and democratization. Over the years, Raufu played key roles in the policy arena. At the time of his passing he was lead researcher on the Islam Research Project which made policy recommendations on interfaith relations in northern Nigeria. In the recent past, Raufu was involved in writing the report on ethnic minorities for the Working Group on Ethnic Minorities, UN Commission on Human Rights, and the project on 'Ethnic Structure and Public Sector Governance' for the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) in Geneva. Raufu also for many years made critical contributions to the work of the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (Codesria).
We at the African Studies Centre send our heartfelt condolences to Raufu's partner, Kate Meagher and his two children, Asma'u and Seyi.