Raji appointed NISS acting Registrar
By Mustafa Abubakar
The Managing Director of UniIlorin Holdings Limited, Prof. Bashiru Ademola Raji, has been appointed Acting Registrar of the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science (NISS).
Prof. Raji, a Fellow of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria (FSSSN) and a Registered Soil Scientist (RSS), teaches at the Department of Agronomy, University of Ilorin.
Before his current appointment, Prof. Raji served as the Vice Chancellor of Fountain University, Osogbo, from 2012 to 2016. He has also held several administrative positions at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and the University of Ilorin, including Head of Department, Director of Academic Planning, Dean of Student Affairs and Chairman of the University Computer-Based Testing Centre.
As an accomplished scholar, Prof. Raji has supervised more than 10 Ph.D. theses and 15 M.Sc. dissertations. He has also published over 100 journal articles, with his research focusing on the characterisation and management of marginal land resources for sustainable agricultural production.
His research activities have attracted several grants, while his professional expertise has earned him consultancy engagements with various government and international organisations, including the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), particularly in the areas of soil surveys, land degradation evaluations and soil testing projects.
Prof. Raji served as President of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria from 2018 to 2022 and is a founding member of the Governing Council of the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science.
Prof. Raji succeeds Prof. V. O. Chude, a distinguished scholar who played a significant role in establishing the Institute following the enactment of the Nigeria Institute of Soil Science Act, 2017. The Act was enacted during Professor Chude’s tenure as President of the Soil Science Society of Nigeria.
Throughout his career, Prof. Raji has contributed to several committees and projects under the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, as well as those involving international development and donor agencies.
His appointment adds to his long record of contributions to soil science, agricultural research, university administration and professional development in Nigeria.
