Campus News

UNILORIN Senate elects Odunola-Bakare, Etudaiye new DVCs

…names Oloyede, Obafemi, Akanji Emeritus Professors

The Senate of the University of Ilorin has elected Prof. Taibat Odunola-Bakare of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Prof. Mukhtar Adeiza Etudaiye of the Faculty of Law as Deputy Vice-Chancellors. The duo will succeed Prof. Olubunmi Abayomi Omotesho and Prof. Sulaiman Folorunsho Ambali, whose tenures as Deputy Vice Chancellors expired on December 20, 2024.

               The University’s highest decision-making body equally approved the appointment of Professors Is’haq Oloyede, Olu Obafemi, and Musbau Akanji as Emeritus Professors. The three were picked from about 28 applications received from the various Faculties.

The two crucial decisions were the major highlights of the 304th Special Meeting of the University Senate, held last Thursday (January 23, 2025).

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, announced that the current Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research, Technology, and Innovation), Prof. Adegboyega Adisa Fawole, will be recommended to the University Governing Council for confirmation as the next Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Services). He also disclosed that Prof. Odunola-Bakare would serve as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) while Prof. Etudaiye would serve as Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Technology, and Innovation), subject to the Council’s approval.

A renowned Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Odunola-Bakare is currently the Director of the Centre for Management and Leadership (CML). She is also the immediate past Dean of the Postgraduate School.

Prof. Etudaiye, on his part, is a Professor of Jurisprudence and International Law and  current Chairman of the University Admissions Committee.

 Prof. Egbewole commended the outgoing Deputy Vice Chancellors, Prof. Omotesho and Prof. Ambali, for their dedication and loyalty. He said, “I am saying this with a full sense of responsibility, these gentlemen are very loyal to the system, and when you talk about loyalty to the system, you are talking about loyalty to the leader. I do not take this for granted. Their commitment has never been in doubt for even a second. They have the courage to express their views, even when the leader proposes or suggests something they do not accept for valid reasons. They never shy away from explaining their position or disagreement, despite their loyalty”.

               The Vice Chancellor said that “the Principal Officers have worked as a team from the day they joined this administration until this moment. Whenever we had disagreements, we sat down to resolve them, and when we agreed on issues, they pursued these matters even more vigorously than the originator of the idea, even when they initially disagreed. They are workaholics. By nature, I am impatient, restless, and always on the move, yet they have kept pace with me all along. I say thank you”.

Prof. Egbewole stated further, “They see the leader as someone who can do no wrong, and that has sustained us this far. Ultimately, this approach has brought us the accolades we are receiving all around. They give honest, uncoloured, and selfless advice to the leader. They never provide advice with ulterior motives. On behalf of the Senate, I thank them. They are appointees of the Council, and the Council will organise a befitting send-off for them as Deputy Vice-Chancellors.”

               Also paying tribute to the outgoing Deputy Vice Chancellors, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, Prof. Biodun Sulyman Alabi, said both men have diligently served the University, and their efforts will forever be appreciated.

 According to him, “Prof. Omotesho is a detribalised Nigerian who works equally and effectively with Muslims and Christians. I even met him at the Ilorin Forum. Prof. Ambali, on his part, is a prominent member of Tripartite, an informal organisation that has been stabilising the University system over the years. What transpired in this Senate is part of the Tripartite agreement. I wish both of you the best of luck”.

               On her part, the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Prof. Adedoyin Jolaade Omede, appreciated Prof. Omotesho’s sense of humility. She said, “When I came in, it felt like we were going into war with the Administration, but with the conversation I had with Prof. Omotesho, I was reassured, and the matter of dispute was resolved. Prof. Sulaiman Ambali, on his part, is an expert in diffusing tension. I remember how he facilitated the repair and maintenance of our Faculty car. He gives you hope and assures you of better results. He is the kind of man women admire because he makes serious issues look simple”.

               Also in his own tribute, the Director of the Computer Services and Information Technology Unit (COMSIT), Prof. Rasheed Gbenga Jimoh, said he would miss Prof. Omotesho more than anyone else in the system because of the way he supported his office. He added that whatever the institution has achieved as a university in terms of digital transformation, the credit should go to Prof. Omotesho as Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic.

 Prof. Jimoh said, “Prof. Omotesho will call you in the middle of the night; he will not allow you to sleep until the issue observed is resolved. As a university, we underwent two migrations: one from the hosting platform and another from the old portal to the new portal. These are exercises that could destabilise the University if mishandled. But because of his commitment and passion for this system, Prof. Omotesho works as if he is a graduate assistant to achieve results. He is someone qualified to be a mentor because he has served as Dean, HOD, and Director of Academic Planning. But when he is working, you wouldn’t know he is our senior. He is the epitome of humility, so committed to the University, and passionate about its progress.” While paying tribute to Prof. Ambali, the Director of COMSIT said, “I see him as a loyal lieutenant because the moment the Vice Chancellor gives a directive, Prof. Ambali is already executing it. What I have seen in him is that he is a committed and loyal lieutenant who follows the principal’s instructions without hesitation.”