Otunba Professor Aderemi Oluyomi Kuku was born at Ijebu-Ode 79 years ago (March 20, 1940) to Pa Busari Adeoye Kuku and Madam Abusatu Oriaran Kuku (nee Baruwa). Otunba Kuku’s paternal grand father was Balogun Bello Kuku, the second Balogun of Ijebu-Ode, while his paternal grandmother Princess Barikisu was a great grand daughter of Oba Ofiran, the eleventh Awujale of Ijebuland—hence his being installed Otunba Ofiran in 1993 by HRM Oba Dr.  Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland. He got married to Otunba Dr. (Mrs) Felicia Osifunke Kuku on December 28, 1968, and the union is blessed with four children—Dolapo, Kemi, Yemisi and Solape. Otunba Prof Kuku is also a member of Bobayo Society of Ijebu-Ode.

For his elementary education, Otunba Kuku attended Bishop Oluwole Memorial School Agege and St James’s School Okeodan. He later attended Eko Boys High School Lagos where he obtained his Cambridge School Certificate in Grade 1 in 1959 and then went to Abeokuta Grammar School Abeokuta where he obtained his Cambridge Higher School certificate in 1961. He was awarded his B.Sc (Special Honours) degree in Mathematics by the University of London in 1965, M.Sc (Mathematics) 1968, Ph,D (Mathematics) 1971 both by the University of Ibadan – with his Ph.D thesis written at Columbia University, New York, USA under the legendary Professor Hyman Bass.

Professor Kuku was President, African Academy of Sciences (AAS) 2014-2017, and President, African Mathematical Union (AMU) for nine years 1986-95. He is Honorary President of AMU (for life— since 1995 in appreciation by the AMU General Assembly of his nine years of meritorious services to the AMU). By now, he has over fifty years of teaching and research experience at the University level. He was Professor, Head of Mathematics, (1983-86), and Dean of the Postgraduate school (1986-90), University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He was also Foundation Chairman, Committee of Deans of Post- Graduate Schools in Nigerian Universities, 1987- 1990. He was Professor of Mathematics at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste Italy, (a United Nations Research Centre for Mathematics and Physics) for nine years 1995-2003, and later became William. W. S. Claytor Endowed Professor of Mathematics, Grambling State University, Louisiana, USA. He has held many visiting positions at Universities and Research Institutes in the USA, Canada, Europe, Hong Kong, and China including: Member, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ, USA; Visiting Research Professor, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), Berkeley, CA. He was also a Visiting Professor in various other universities including – Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; Ohio state University, Columbus OH; University of Bielefeld, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Mathematics, Bonn, Germany; IHES (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques) Paris, France; University of Gotenborg, Sweden; Mittag Lefler Institute, Stocholm, Sweden; Mathematics Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijin, China; University of Hong Kong and many more.

Professor Kuku is one of the world Leaders in several aspects of K-theory and connections with non-commutative Algebra/Number theory/Geometry/Topology/Operator Theory/Representation theory—a contemporary and multidisciplinary subject that also has applications in Mathematical Physics, Dynamical Systems, Control theory and Econometrics.

Otunba Professor Kuku is a recipient of many honours and distinctions. For example, He is a Foundation Fellow of the American Mathematical Society, 2012; Fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) (1989 -); Fellow, European Academy of Arts, Science and Humanities (1986 – ); Fellow, African Academy of Sciences(AAS) (1986 -; President, 2014- ); Fellow, Nigerian Academy of sciences (1989 -Sec, Physical Sciences 1991-93 ); and Foreign fellow, Mongolian Academy of Sciences (2005 -), Honorary President, African Mathematical Union (AMU) (for life since 1995). He is also a Foundation Fellow of the Nigerian Mathematical Society (2015), Fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (1987), Fellow of the African Science Institute, (2010-,). NIGERIAN NATIONAL HONOURS: OON (Officer of the order of the Niger, 2008), NNOM (Nigerian National Order of Merit, 2009.)—The highest honour in Nigeria for Academic Excellence awarded by the President of Nigeria. He is also a recipient of Life-time achievement award from the University of Ibadan, 2018. TRADITIONAL ROYAL HONOURS: In 1993, he was installed Otunba Ofiran of Ijebu-Land by His Royal Majesty Oba S. K. Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu-Land.