UNILAG Council appoints Professor Ołuwatoyin Ogundipe as 12th Vice-Chancellor


By Dayo Adesulu
University of Lagos Council has appointed Professor Ołuwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe the 12th substantive Vice-Chancellor of the institution.


Professor Ołuwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe

This came at the end of the University Governing Council’s meeting yesterday, Friday, 27th, where the Council approved his appointment of as UNILAG Vice-Chancellor.

In a release by the school’s information unit, the three candidates that contested were: Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Professor Olukayode Amund, and Professor Ayodeji Olukoju.
Among the three contestants, Ogundipe coincidentally scored the highest mark in the exercise to emerged the substantive Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG.

Professor Ołuwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe until his appointment, was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics and Research) of the university.

He is a Professor in the Department of Botany and also the Director of Academic Planning at the University of Lagos. He was born on May 31, 1960. He is married and blessed with three children.

Ogundipe was appointed professor 2002, and gave his inaugural lecture in 2005 six months after the announcement of his professorship titled Botany: Root in the Past, Route to the Future, delivered on the December 21, 2005, at the University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria.

Ogundipe is a member of many scientific organisations. He is a Life member, International Society of Plant Morphologist, Fellow of Cohort 9 of the Leadership for Environment and Development, and the Linnaean Society, London. He is a reviewer for many scientific academic journals and external examiner to many universities including University of Johannesburg. He has been on the accreditation team to many universities in Nigeria and Ghana. He is a Professorial Assessor to many universities including University of Ghana.

He has published over 70 research articles in various high profile peer reviewed journals both locally and internationally and has co-authored six reviewed books. He is a three-time co-recipient of the University of Lagos, Faculty of Science Best Researcher Award.

He was an Adjunct Professor to the Department of Biology, Central Michigan University, Michigan. Between 2004 and 2006, he enjoyed Royal Society of London, Lennoix-Boyd Memorial Trust and Bentham-Moxon Trust sponsorship to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, U.K. He has participated in several environmental consulting projects with oil companies. The summary of Professor Ogundipe’s research is in communicating biodiversity knowledge to the world, and the application of pollen and spore evidence to understanding patterns of evolution.

Meanwhile, the outgoing 11th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rahmon Bello is expected to vacate the 11th floor office on the 11th November, 2017, as Ogundipe assumes office.