The National Youth Council of Nigeria, Ikorodu Division Chapter which serve as the umbrella body for all the Voluntary Youth Organizations (VYOs) and Community Based Organizations (CBOs) in the division calls on the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu to consider the nomination of a true Lagosian in his appointment of the next substantive vice-chancellor of Lagos State University, Ojo.
The agitation for the next substantive Vice-chancellor of the prestigious state-owned institution which began following the expiration of the tenure of the current vice-chancellor of the university, Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, a Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who assumed office as the 8th substantive vice-chancellor of the university on January 11, 2011 will complete his five-year single term of office on January 11, 2021.
The search for who to become the 9th substantive vice-chancellor of the great citadel of learning and take over the baton of leadership from Professor Fagbohun who will further raised the bar of the current status of the university as the second best state owned university in Nigeria while also ranking as the second best in the country to be the over all best university in Nigeria and Africa at large.
Following the screening and shortlisting of the application of all the applicants from Nine professors before the University Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee, which is statutory chaired by the Chairman of the Governing Council, Professor Adebayo Ninalowo to best top three from which only one person will eventually be appointed by the Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu.
It was gathered that the race for the seat of vice-chancellor for the first time in history presented three shortlisted candidates who are renowned professors and medical scientists. To measure their global research efforts and contributions, Professor Akinyemi Kabir has a google scholar Citations of 1,920 and h-index of 18, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello has a google scholar Citations of 298 and h-index 11 while Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya has a google scholar Citations of 1,811 and h-index of 21.
From careful assessments, it is glaring that Professor Akinyemi Kabir is the material person suitable to wear the cap which will be honourably handed over by Professor Lanre Adigun Fagbohun in the next couple of weeks. In assessing the profile of Professor Akinyemi Kabir, he is a true Indigene of Ikorodu Division of Lagos State without any controversy.
Professor Akinyemi Kabir is as an erudite scholar with a PhD, he has vast experience being the former Dean of Students Affairs and former ASUU-LASU Chairman in Lagos state university, he is a fellow of many international organizations, he won the Bill and Melinda Gate Award and many other academic scholarship for the institution. Recently, he won a grants of millions equipment to LASU among other laudable achievements. It is a no doubt that all these criteria were used as prerequisite to score all the applicants up to the present stage of the selection process. This however gave Professor Akinyemi Kabir a high advantage over others and further made him to boost up with more points and to be more qualified of becoming the substantive Vice-chancellor of the university.
Professor Akinyemi is a renowned scholar in the field of medical microbiology, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH), United Kingdom and Fellow of the highly rated Alexander von Humboldt (FAvH). He is the current Director of Linkages, Partnerships and Collaboration, LASU, he is the first Alumnus of the university who started his academic career from undergraduate level till the level he attained his professorship. No doubt, Professor Akinyemi is a true product of the institution and a prominent member of the Alumni Association. He has served at the top management level of the university as a former member of the Governing Council of LASU.
Professor Akinyemi is currently the chairman Lagos State Indigene Verification Committee (IVC), LASU. Other two candidates who have also been tipped for the position includes Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello who joined the services of LASU in 2007 as a Professor of Physiology in the citadel’s College of Medicine. She rose to become Deputy Vice Chancellor and was later appointed the VC in acting capacity by the then Visitor, Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola. A graduate of the University of Ibadan, Olatunji-Bello thereafter lost the bid to become the substantive VC following the appointment of Professor Dapo Obafunwa.
Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji Bello is a fellow of the Nigeria society of physiology, current Director of Lagos State University Directorate of Advancement (LASUDA). She is the wife of the current Commissioner of Environment and water resource, Lagos state, Tunji Bello. The third, Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya is a professor of public and community health and the current Director of research LASU.
Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya is another favorite for the job and insiders say he also stands a good chance of getting the nod of the Governor. Professor Olumuyiwa Odusanya possesses a Fellowship certificate of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. He has worked seriously at ensuring successes recorded in the last two research fairs organized in 2019 and 2020 by the current administration of the outgoing VC, professor Lanre Adigun Fagbohun, PhD, SAN, NPOM.
While these three are renowned professors in their fields and are also favorites for the job having passed through the screening supervised by the Joint Council and Senate Selection Committee, the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Ikorodu Division (Ikorodu West, Ikorodu Central, Imota, Ikorodu North, Igbogbo/Bayeku, and Ijede LCDA) as a group of development crusader and supporter of progressive change in our enviable institutions in Lagos State, Lagos State University, Ojo in particular strongly seek the indulgence to appeal to the Governor of Lagos State to approve the appointment of the true Lagosian amongst the trio in getting the job.
There is no gain saying that LASU needs a vibrant, hardworking international scholar to sustain it’s glory, capability and capacity to intensify the momentum LASU has gathered in the last half of a decade.
