Full Name: Tai Solarin
Birth: 20th August 1922, Ikenne, Ijebu, Yorubaland, Nigeria
Education: Attended Wesley College, Ibadan; earned a Bachelor’s degree in History and Geography from the University of Manchester, UK, in 1952
Military Service: Served in the British Royal Air Force during World War II
Profession: Social critic, educator, human rights activist
Nickname: “Uncle Tai”
Distinctive Style: Wore shorts, sneakers, and khaki hunting cap
Beliefs: Advocated atheism and secular humanism
Major Achievement: Founded the Mayflower School in 1959, a leading secular school in Yorubaland
Marriage: Married Sheila Mary Tuer on 14 September 1951; the couple had two children, Corin (b. 27 June 1952) and Tunde (b. 15 December 1956)
Public Service: Served in several government roles, including:
Member of the Somade Commission on Education
Public Complaints Commissioner for Oyo, Ondo, and Ogun States
Member of the Justice Akinola Aguda Panel for Nigeria’s New Federal Capital Territory
Human Rights Activism: Detained multiple times for activism:
First major detention: 12 October 1974 by General Gowon’s regime
Last major detention: 12 March 1984 by Buhari/Idiagbon administration, serving 17 months in prison
Defended by Kehinde Sofola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Death: 27th July 1994
Legacy: Institutions and monuments named after him, including the Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu, Yorubaland
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