Olufemi Oluniyi

Rev. Dr. Olufemi Olayinka Oluniyi (1948-2021) was Executive Director of the Centre for Values and Social Change in Lagos, Nigeria, which he founded. Author of Reconciliation in Northern Nigeria: The Space for Public Apology, he was involved in peace, reconciliation, and social justice efforts in Africa for many years, and he had a particular interest in how European colonial policies toward Africa were shaped by Social Darwinism. Dr. Oluniyi was a C.S. Lewis Fellow of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in the summer of 2017, and he appeared as one of the featured experts in the Institute’s award-winning documentary Human Zoos: America’s Forgotten History of Scientific Racism.

Dr. Oluniyi earned a Master’s in Theology from the University of Edinburgh and was a Queen’s Cross scholar for his PhD at the University of Aberdeen, which focused on public theology and advocacy journalism. He previously taught at the Niger State College of Education, served as Dean for Academic Affairs for West Africa Theological Seminary, and served as Editorial Board Chair for the National Mirror Newspapers in Nigeria. He was also invited to be a Visiting Research Professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, although he was unable to accept the appointment. Dr. Oluniyi served as a minister in several congregations throughout his life, and he was on the staff of the Nigerian ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International from 1979-1981.