he was able to communicate the complexity in a straightforward manner." He added that Ake "was not only, in my view, the top African political scientist, but an extraordinarily courageous person. The Nigerian Government was often at odds with him, and nevertheless, they recognized his stature." Later life, and death On November 16, 1995 Ake resigned from the Steering Committee of the Niger Delta Environmental Survey, doing so to protest the execution of a minority rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Ake was a critic of Shell and the oil industry. He is quoted as saying, "In Nigeria, companies like Shell are struggling between greed and fear." In 1991 Ake founded and became the director of the Center for Advanced Social Science, headquartered in Port Harcourt. The center is a think-tank for social and environmental research. It also played a practical role, functioning in the early 1990s as an honest broker concerning oil revenues and environmental issues between local officials and representatives of several minority groups in the oil-producing area in southeastern Nigeria. Ake was one of 144 people killed when ADC Airlines Flight 86 between Port Harcourt and Lagos in Nigeria crashed. The plane was operated by a local airline, Aviation Development Company (ADC Airlines). His death was widely believed to have been orchestrated by the then military junta of Gen. Sani Abacha, of whom Ake was an uncompromising critic. This is in addition to the fact that Ake was a mentor to the slain author, Ken Saro-Wiwa and a brain behind the Ogoni agitations against exploitation. His survivors included his wife, Anita, and three sons: Mela, Ibra & Brieri. His son Ibra Ake is a Grammy Award winner and renowned creative director, most popular for directing the video for This Is America by Donald Glover (Childish Gambino). Claude Ake Visiting Chair at Uppsala University In 2003 the Claude Ake Visiting Chair was set up at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, in collaboration with the Nordic Africa Institute, to honour the Ake's memory. The Chair is open to social scientists researching at African universities on issues related to war, peace, conflict resolution, human rights, democracy and development on the African continent. Selected works Social Sciences as Imperialism (1979) Revolutionary Pressures in Africa (1978) A Political Economy of Africa (1981) The Unique Case of African democracy, International Affairs, April 1993. Democracy and Development in Africa (1996) The