Adigun Ade ABIOUDUN 1939 - 2025

A Time to Be Born

Ade landed on the planet earth on September 26,1939, in Aroromi Abiodun village, Ogun State, Nigeria, the village founded by his father. He spent time on his father’s farm helping to harvest the produce which his mother would then take to the market for sale. Those were happy years growing up with his sister, Omolabake. At nine years old, when his father died, his family circumstances changed significantly. He and his sister were relocated to Abeokuta (Nigeria) where he attended the renowned Mrs. F. Kuti’s school.

A Time to Grow & Develop 

Ade’s education and professional growth spans three continents. He started in Nigeria, where he completed his secondary education at Egdabo College in 1959. When opportunities were opening up for African students to seek higher education abroad, Ade applied for an academic scholarship from the American Universities, African program. He left Nigeria for the USA in 1962 on scholarship to study Civil Engineering at the University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. Once there, he completed his undergraduate and graduate degree in Civil Engineering, attaining his PhD in 1971.

A Time to Serve 

Ade served as a Civil and Hydraulics Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (1966-68), and with the Boeing Company (1968-71), both in Seattle, right up to his graduation as a PhD candidate. After that, he returned to his home country, Nigeria, to assume an academic post in the faculty of Agriculture and Engineering at the University of Ife, now called Obafemi Awolowo University.  However, Ade was looking for new opportunities to gain experience and grow. Thus in 1973, he secured a post-doctoral fellowship from the National Research Council of Canada (Canada Center for Remote Sensing, Ottawa) to study and conduct research in Space Science and Technology, with an emphasis on Water Resources Engineering. This started Ade on the path of acquiring and honing his skills and knowledge in the field of Space Science and Technology. In 1977, he was seconded by the Nigerian government to United Nation (U.N), Outer Space Affairs Division (UNOOSA), in New York City. Then in 1981, he was appointed the United Nations Expert on Space Applications. In this capacity, among his many achievements was his work to establish U.N. Regional Centers for Space Science and Technology Education, in Brazil/Mexico, India, Jordan, Morocco, and Nigeria. He retired from the U.N. in September 1999. He also led the efforts of the UN in the development of ‘A Space-Based Cooperative Information Network (COPINE) – Linking Scientists, Educators, Professionals and Decision Makers in Africa’.

A Time to Love

Ade’s first great love was for his mother Regina Ibiyemi Abiodun. Wherever his travels took him - and his work for the United Nations took him all over the world - he always found a way to get back home to show her his love and affection, until her death in 1996. Ade was married twice. He met and married fellow college student Betty Sneed in 1965. Together they had two beautiful children, Oluwakemi, and Ololade Abiodun. The family lived together in Seattle and later travelled with him to live in Nigeria. His first marriage dissolved, and he later married Judith Burgess, with whom he built a life in New York and Vienna where he was posted by the U.N. from 1992 to 1999.

A Time to Travel & Built up

After years of building indigenous capacity in space science and technology in the developing countries, upon his retirement Ade decided to try to give back to his own country, Nigeria. He served for three plus years as the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria (then, President Olusegun Obasanjo) on Space Science and Technology (2000-03. He also had many international engagements, including as a member of the College of Commissioners of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission of Iraq (UNIMOVIC), 2000-07. He also served as a member of the Association of Space Explorers’ Panel on the Mitigation of Asteroid’s Impact. He served as Chairman, Board of Directors, Space Week International Association, now called World Space Week Association, 2001-04.  In 2004, he went back to the U.N. to Chair the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, the committee he had previously served while he worked as the U.N. Expert on Space Applications until 2006.  

He founded the African Space Foundation (ASF). He also co-founded the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment (AARSE); African Leadership Conference (ALC) on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development; and African Space Leadership Institute (ASLI). He served as a member of the African Union Space Working Group (AUSWG) which developed the African Space Policy and Strategy and laid the foundation for the establishment of the African Space Agency. 

A Time to Settle Down

Ade came to live in Westbury, New York in 1984, but he was always travelling. His wife Judith kept the home fires burning and encouraged him to stop living out of a suitcase. He moved his Methodist membership to the Westbury United Methodist Church by the 2000s and became continually active there. Ade served on many church committees including as a Trustee. He was a consistent participant in the Sunday Bible Study program and was a member of the Chancel Choir. Once he retired and became settled at home, he had more time to write. He published his full-length book: Nigeria’s Space Journey: Understanding Its Past, Reshaping Its Future in 2016. Ade also had a passion for photography and for his garden. He grew a wide variety of vegetables, and the hottest peppers, which he shared with family and friends. 

With his wife Judith by his side, Ade passed away on February 3, 2025, at NYU Langone Hospital in Mineola, New York.  Surviving family members include: his wife Judith Burgess Abiodun, daughter Ololade Franklin, son-in-law Emmanuel Franklin and grandson Joshua Franklin; daughter Oluwakemi Quinn, son-in-law Daryl Quinn and granddaughter Shavyala Belonozhko and grandson-in-law Alex Belonozhko; brother Olatokunbo Abiodun and family; sister Atinuke Okesiji and family; and brother Oluyinka Abiodun and family. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. 

Ade leaves behind an outstanding record of service to his church, family, friends, the institutions to which he belonged, his home country and the world. He was truly a Global Citizen. Abiodun’s dedication, leadership, and contributions continue to inspire future generations of scientists, engineers, and policy makers in Africa and Global Africa. His legacy remains an enduring testament of his unwavering commitment to advancing space science for the benefit of humanity.  

We deeply mourn his passing, but we celebrate his remarkable life and his many decades of commitment to Africa and pan Africanists. Rest in Peace and Power our beloved comrade!

The author, Ladislaus Tumbu, is a research associate in the Department of African American Studies, Syracuse University.