Professor Pius Adesanmi, a Nigerian-Canadian writer, literary critic and satirist, has been confirmed dead in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi that crashed on Sunday.
Global Affairs Canada listed Adesanmi as one of the 18 Canadians killed in the crash.
Fellow writer, Gimba Kakanda, also tweeted a confirmation on Sunday evening, ending hours of speculation on social media.
“The world has lost a fine intellectual, one of a rare breed of thinkers and good governance advocate. It’s confirmed, people, we lost Professor Pius Adesanmi in that Ethiopian Airlines crash,” Mr Kakanda wrote.
Until his death, Adesanmi was a professor of English at Carleton University in Canada.
Another Nigerian, Ambassador Abiodun Bashua, is also reported to have been on the ill-fated aircraft.
All 157 persons on board the plane are confirmed dead.
