Sam Aluko

Samuel Aluko (August 18, 1929 – February 7, 2012) was a Nigerian public economist and scholar who wrote articles and papers that analyzed government's social and economic policies. Aluko also played advisory role to some political leaders such as Obafemi Awolowo and Sani Abacha. The latter opportunity was considered unusual because of Aluko's early radical stance in opposition to government excess.

Life Born in Ode-Ekiti to the family of Aluko Fagbohun, he was educated at Emmanuel School and Christ's School Ado Ekiti, where he was a student under prominent Ekiti teachers such as Nathaniel Adamolekun who later became registrar of University of Ibadan and J.E. Babatola, a former regional Minister. He accepted the offer on the condition that his new salary be reduced to the level he was paid at Ife stating that he will not be more productive at the new job than what he was doing at Ife. But this condition was rejected by the government. While Aluko was at Ile-Ife, he was a member of an informal advisory committee of AG, along with Wole Soyinka, Victor Oyenuga, Dr Odumosu and a couple of expatriate lecturers. Before the January 1966 coup, Aluko addressing a youth conference had tasked the youths to be less tribal and engage with one another to unite the regions.

Aluko's views on economic growth and public finance was less elitist and was to approach decision making by using the federal, state and local government institutions as an instrument of growing the national economy. Aluko's view was drawing funds through higher rates of taxation and tracking tax defaulters to generate government income. He also supported measures to increase workers productivity through better supervision and cutting of waste such as subsidized rent and allowances to government employees. These measure are capable of increasing government revenues that could fund policies to reduce unemployment and rural development. Aluko's support for mechanized farming meant balanced assistance to surplus producing commercial farmers and technical and educational assistance to small scale farmers to become surplus producing farmers. Small scale subsistence farmers who mostly live in the rural areas will use some the additional income to buy more affordable productive instruments. A strong believer in planning, it became important in agricultural planning for the development of a locally initiated agriculture instruments industries to save foreign exchange and produce affordable instruments for small scale farmers.

During Ibrahim Babangida's administration, Aluko still steadfastly held on to the thought that the tiers of government had a major role to play in developing the economy. He was critical of the liberalization prescriptions of the structural adjustment programme adopted by the government. Aluko's trouble with SAP also extended to the multilateral institutions who made the recommendations and the Nigerian economists who followed the dictates of Western capitalist thought. Aluko faulted the benefits of free market currency devaluation and high interest rates that came after the programme was implemented.

Personal life Sam Aluko and his wife Joyce Aluko have six children, including Bolaji Aluko, the first born and Gbenga Aluko, a former senator and Esther Morenike Jaiyesimi. He spent most of his academic career at University of Ife and retired in 1980. He died in 2012.