Egbewole, Kwara Dep. Gov., lead tributes as Prof. Opoola retires
By Tajudeen Babamale and Bashir Dawodu
Prof. Timothy Oloyede Opoola has been described as a fantastic administrator, distinguished scholar, pioneering leader, exceptional mentor, builder, supervisor, father-figure, and a very kind-hearted man who taught his students that Mathematics is not only about results but also about discipline, patience, and integrity. He was also applauded as a pioneering mathematician whose life and work have profoundly shaped the development of Geometric Function Theory and Complex Analysis in Nigeria.
This was the consensus of opinions of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN; the Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Mr Kayode Alabi; as well as mentees, supervisees, and academic protégés of the renowned Professor of Mathematics who has just retired from the service of the University.
The celebration of the renowned scholar took place last Tuesday (February 24, 2026) at the Science Lecture Theatre of the University, in the presence of family members, relatives, supervisees, mentees, students, members of the University community, and other well-wishers.
The Vice Chancellor, who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research, Technology and Innovation), Prof. Muhtar Adeiza Etudaiye, lauded Prof. Opoola as a dependable mentor and an outstanding administrator whose contributions have strengthened the institution.
Prof. Egbewole noted that Mathematics and its practitioners represent the apex of intellectual discipline, stressing that Prof. Opoola exemplified the rigour, clarity, and leadership expected of scholars in the field.
Describing the retirement as significant to the University management, the Vice Chancellor remarked that the institution was witnessing the resting of a pillar, given Prof. Opoola’s decades of dedicated service.
The Vice Chancellor added that the University appreciates Prof. Opoola’s meritorious of services, noting that his legacy of mentorship, academic excellence, and humane leadership would remain a reference point within the University community.
In a goodwill message, the Deputy Governor of Kwara State, Mr Kayode Alabi, who was represented by the Commissioner for Social Development in the state, Dr Maryam Nana Fatima Imam, described the relationship between the Deputy Governor and the honouree as one built on mutual respect and shared values.
The Deputy Governor, who described Prof. Opoola as a man of character and substance whose life and career have consistently reflected integrity, discipline, and commitment to service, said the gathering was not merely a retirement ceremony but a celebration of legacy, scholarship, mentorship, and unwavering dedication to knowledge and nation building.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Conference, Prof. Olubunmi Abidemi Fadipe-Joseph, noted that beyond the classroom, Prof. Opoola opened doors to conferences and collaborations for all his mentees while ensuring that his students had a seat at the global table.
Prof. Fadipe-Joseph, who is the first female Professor of Mathematics at the University, said the honouree provided direction when the academic path was unclear and also charged them to aim higher while simultaneously grounding them in absolute rigour.
In a review of the research works of Prof. Opoola, spanning 1986 to 2026, one of his mentees and a Professor in the Department of Mathematics, Prof. Kunle Oladeji Babalola, noted that Prof. Opoola began his journey into academic publishing in 1986 and has since produced 83 scholarly publications, many of which are indexed in reputable international indexing engines. He added that the professor’s Google Scholar citations exceed 400, with an h-index of 11 and an i10-index of 13.
Prof. Babalola noted that beyond his more than 80 outstanding publications produced between 1986 and 2026, Prof. Opoola has trained many dependable successors, eight (8) of whom are now Professors of Mathematics in their respective universities, and they are continuing his legacy in the specialised areas of Geometric Functions, Complex Analysis, and Mathematical Analysis.
In a keynote address, titled “Advances and Frontiers in Complex Analysis: Geometric function theory and the legacy of Professor Timothy Oloyede Opoola”, a scholar of Mathematical Analysis and Applied Mathematics, University of Lagos, Prof. Adesanmi Alao Mogbademu, said one of the most prominent technical legacies of the honouree is what is now known, as the Opoola Differential Operator.
In her welcome address, a Professor of Mathematics at the University of Ibadan, Prof. Deborah O. Makinde, congratulated Prof. Opoola on his retirement and 70th birthday, thanking God for sparing his life to witness the celebration.
Prof. Makinde noted that every academic may have publications, but not every academic has people, adding that Prof. Opoola has both. She added that the occasion was not a goodbye but a celebration of a teacher, mentor, pioneer and a legacy that continues through all the people he has impacted with knowledge.
