Ben Obumselu

Benedict Ebele Obumselu in Oba, Anambra, to Albert Obumselu, an organist and construction worker, and his wife Naomi . Raised in Onitsha, he studied at Dennis Memorial Grammar School from 1946 to 1951. After graduating, Obumselu served as assistant registrar of the West African Examinations Council. He graduated from the University of Oxford in 1958 or 1960, with a Doctor of Philosophy, despite not earning a master's degree.

Career and later life In 1963, Obumselu became a lecturer at Ibadan, where he was the only Nigerian staff, as well as one of two black staff, the other being Oscar Dathorne. He taught at Ibadan for three years, then found work at the University of Nigeria. He was a close friend of poet Christopher Okigbo, acting as his editor.