Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello has formally ended her five-year tenure as the Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University, bringing her administration to a close as Professor Ayodeji Badejo assumes leadership of the institution.
Olatunji-Bello served as the university’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor and second female occupant of the position. In her farewell message to the university community, she reflected on the developments recorded during her five years in office and thanked staff, students, alumni and other stakeholders for their contributions to the institution.
Her tenure was marked by efforts to expand academic programmes, improve infrastructure, strengthen research and deepen the university’s digital transformation. Reports on the administration also highlighted accreditation successes and increased internally generated revenue during the period.
One of the figures associated with the outgoing administration was a reported 96 per cent first-year accreditation success rate. The university’s internally generated revenue was also reported to have risen from about N3bn to N13bn during the five-year period.
Olatunji-Bello is being succeeded by Professor Ayodeji Badejo, whose appointment was approved by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu earlier in September. Badejo, a professor of Guidance and Counselling, became the university’s new Vice-Chancellor following the expiration of Olatunji-Bello’s tenure.
Ahead of the transition, Olatunji-Bello urged her successor to protect the academic standards and institutional values of LASU while building on the achievements of previous administrations. The transition marks another phase in the development of one of Lagos State’s major public universities.
The change in leadership comes at a significant period for LASU, with the institution continuing to expand its academic programmes, research activities, infrastructure and international collaborations. The new administration will inherit an institution that has undergone significant changes during the past five years and will be expected to consolidate existing gains while addressing emerging challenges in higher education.
Olatunji-Bello’s departure therefore represents both the conclusion of a five-year university administration and the beginning of a new leadership chapter under Professor Badejo.
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