Pentouch 
Professor Maruf Suraqat Animasaun, the Senate representative and the current Chairman, Lagos State University Independent Indigene Verification Committee (LASU-IIVC), and the Director, LASU-Museum, will on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 deliver the university’s 128th inaugural lecture, focusing on Arabic Literary Theory.
The lecture, titled: “Gleanings of Curiosities From the Harvest-Fields of Arabic Literary Theory: The Journey, the Agony, and the Milestone,” is scheduled to hold at the Buba Marwa Auditorium, LASU, Ojo Campus, at 1.30pm.
The event will be chaired by the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.
Professor Animasahun is expected to examine and focuses on the historical evolution, intellectual struggles, and major turning points in classical and modern Arabic literary criticism and poetics.
A major component of the lecture to be delivered by Professor Animasahun will be tracing the historical development of Arabic literary theory from early classical rhetoric (Balaghah) and Qur’anic aesthetics to systematic critical frameworks.
The don is also expected to examine and explore the theoretical challenges, debates, and intellectual tensions faced by Arab scholars over concepts like meaning versus expression, innovation versus tradition, and truth versus poetic license.
According to Professor Animasahun, the milestone will highlight key breakthrough texts, seminal figures, or paradigm shifts that permanently shaped the tradition of Arabic letters among others.
The lecture is expected to attract scholars, researchers, technology experts, policymakers, industry leaders, students and members of the public interested in the future of Arabic language and literature.
The lecture is open to the public, with guests expected to be seated by 1:30pm.
Professor Animasahun was born in the year 1968 to a Sufi Mystic of Mahdiyyat Islamic Congregation and a revered astute Islamic Scholar, Waliyyullah Suraqat Kehinde ANIMASHAUN of No. 25th Itungbehin quarters, Epe town, Lagos State.
He attended Ansar-Ud-Deen primary school, Epe, and Epe Divisional Grammar School, Ita-Marun, Epe 1982.
He proceeded to the most prestigious MARCAZ Arabic and Islamic Training Centre, Agege, Ikeja, under the tutelage of the Most revered Nigerian Arabic & Islamic Scholar, Sheikh Adam ABDULLAH, Al-Alory, between 1982-1989, where he did his Al-Idaadiyyah (Arabic ‘O Levels) and Tawjeehiyyah (‘A’ Levels) respectively. He graduated in 1989.
Prof. Maruf Animashaun, thereafter continued his Arabic Studies in the prestigious Lagos State University, Ojo and bagged a B.A (Hons) Arabic Literary Studies, 1992.
His NYSC 1995. He proceeded to have a Master in Public Administration with Specialization in Human Resource & Personnel Mgt. 1998. He earned his M.A. Arabic Studies also from Lagos State University.
He proceeded to Malaysia and bagged his Ph.D. in Arabic Criticism & Middle Eastern Studies from the Malaysia premier university, University of Malaya, Kuala-Lumpur, Malaysia, 2012. And also, in his yearn for scholarship, he also had M.Ed. (Educational Management) in University Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia 2013. He also had PGDE (Education) from Lagos State University, Ojo, 2018 and TRCN respectively.
Prof. Animashaun Maruf, joined the service of Lagos State University, in the Department of Foreign Languages, 1998. He rose through the ranks from Graduate Assistant (1988 -2002), to Assistant Lecturer (2002 – 2007), to Lecturer 1 1 (2007 – 2013), to Lecturer 1(2013-2016), to Senior Lecturer (2017-2020), to Associate Professor (2020-2023), to Professor (2023).
He was the Programme Coordinator for Arabic Part-Time 2007 to 2008. He was also Arabic Coordinator for the Sandwich Degree Programme, 2013-2017.
He became Head of Department of Foreign Languages, 2019-2020. He was given a university appointment as Director of Centre for Museums and African Heritage from 2021 till date. And also, he was also appointed to be the Chairman, LASU-IIVC from 2022 till date.
Professor Animashaun has attended many Local and International Conferences around the globe, such as: Yale University, USA, Egypt, Cairo, Hong-Kong, Taiwan, BruneiDarees-Salam, Malaysia, Rwanda, Kigali and others.
Professor Animashaun Maruf is married with highly promising children.
