Campus News

Egbewole hails Life Sciences for honouring outstanding staff

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, has commended the Faculty of Life Sciences on its initiative in recognising, honouring and rewarding its outstanding staff members.

Prof. Egbewole gave this commendation recently while speaking at the Faculty’s award night, held at the Multipurpose Hall.

 The Vice Chancellor specifically lauded the Dean, Prof Rotimi Olusanya Arise, for organising the programme and expressed gratitude to the Faculty members for their support in making the initiative a success.

While explaining the importance of appreciating contributions made by staff, Prof. Egbewole encouraged other Faculties in the University to emulate the initiative of the Faculty of Life Sciences in rewarding staff who have distinguished themselves one way or the other.

 He said, “I believe this is an initiative every Faculty in the University should emulate. We must consistently highlight and acknowledge the exceptional work our staff members are doing”.

The Vice Chancellor implored all awardees not to relent in contributing to the upliftment of their Faculty, saying, “To whom much is given, much is expected. Having been recognised by the Faculty, you must continue to work even harder for your Faculty and the University at large”.

He also announced the introduction of a Faculty ranking system beginning in 2025, expressing optimism about the Faculty of Life Sciences’ performance. “We hope that you will excel in the upcoming rankings,” he said.

Prof. Egbewole encouraged all staff members to see the award as a motivation to strive for excellence in their roles, whether as lecturers, laboratory staff, or other positions, in the coming year.

In his welcome address, the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Arise, appreciated the Vice Chancellor and his management team for their continuous and unwavering support for the Faculty.

Prof. Arise noted that “as we present these awards, we recognise not only individual accomplishments but the collective spirit of teamwork, resilience, and excellence that defines our Faculty, adding that the awards symbolise the deep appreciation and serve as a reminder that staff efforts do not go unnoticed.

The Dean maintained that “we gather not only to celebrate but to honour the unsung heroes of our Faculty, whose dedication, hard work, and commitment have been the backbone of our collective success.”

He extended his gratitude to the Planning Committee and everyone that worked tirelessly to make the event a reality.

The awards were in four categories: Outstanding Researcher of the Year, Outstanding Laboratory Staff, Outstanding Lecturer, and Outstanding Secretariat Staff.

In the Outstanding Researcher of the Year category, Prof.  Musa Toyin Yakubu of the Department of Biochemistry, Dr Kamaldeen Abiodun Ajijolakewu of the Department of Microbiology and Dr Azeez Adebola Lateef of the Department of Plant Biology won and were awarded cash prizes of N50, 000 each.

Those who emerged as Outstanding Lecturers of the Year from the various Departments were Dr Olamilekan Kabir Bello of Biochemistry, Dr Mutiat Adebisi-Omakanye of Microbiology, Dr Olushola Michael Ojo of Optometry and Vision Science, Dr Sheriff Babatunde Adeyemi of Plant Biology, and Dr Adam Olaniyan Abdulkareem of Zoology. Each of them was also awarded a cash prize of N50, 000 each.

In the Outstanding Laboratory Staff category, Mr Bamidele Aiyepeku of Biochemistry, Mrs Patience Onyechukwu Okwechime of Microbiology, Mr Abdulmumeen Hamzat of Optometry, Mr Edward Bolu Ajayi of Plant Biology and Mr Olugbenga Akindele Omolabi of Zoology were given N20, 000 each.

In the Administrative cadre, Mrs Elizabeth Wemimo Akanle of Biochemistry, Mrs Nimota Shehu of Microbiology, Mr Adegboyega Ayodele Adewoye of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Mr Akinyele Ogunkolo of Plant Biology, Mr Kadiri Ayinde of Zoology and Mrs Lola Ige Dare of the Dean’s Office emerged winners and they went home with N20,000 each.

On the Faculty meritorious award, Mrs Elizabeth Wemimo Akanle of Biochemistry, Mr Lukman Yunus, Mrs Adunni Adeleke Ilori and Mrs Fatimah Mohammed all from the Dean’s Office won and they got a prize money of N10, 000 each.

The highlight of the award programme was the presentation of goodwill messages from past Deans of the Faculty.