The Governing Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has appointed Prof. Folasade Ogunsola as the first female and 13th substantive Vice Chancellor of the 60-year-old institution.
CAMPUS GIST reports that Ogunsola succeeds Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who is billed to end his five-year single term of office on November 11, 2022.
A statement by the Communication Unit of UNILAG read, “The Governing Council of the University of Lagos has approved the appointment of Professor Folasade Ogunsola as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the university.
“The appointment was made known at the end of the special meeting of the Council held on Friday, October 7, 2022.”
The statement added that the appointment of Ogunsola was for five years with effect from November 12, 2022.
Ogunsola, the first daughter of the renowned geographer, Prof. Akin Mabogunje, who died on August 4, 2022, was born in 1958 and is a professor of Medical Microbiology. She specialises in disease control, particularly HIV/AIDS.
Ogunsola was Deputy Vice Chancellor (Development Services) of the institution between 2017 and 2021. She was Provost of the UNILAG’s College of Medicine and reputed as being the first woman to occupy the position.
During the crisis that engulfed the institution in 2022, when outgoing VC Ogundipe was removed from office by the then Governing Council led by Dr Wale Babalakin, Ogunsola served as the acting VC for about three months before the Federal Government reinstated Ogundipe.
Ogunsola was raised in University of Ibadan, Oyo State, where her father, Akin Mabogunje lectured. As a child, she mimicked medical practitioners by using dolls as patients, while offering medical care to them.
She attended Queen’s College, Lagos. Between 1974 and 1982, she obtained her first degree from University of Ife and a master’s degree from College of Medicine, University of Lagos, then proceeded for her doctorate at University of Wales between 1992 and 1997.
She is a fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists, West African College of Physicians, National Postgraduate Medical College in Pathology, Nigerian Academy of Science, and Foundation Fellow of both the Nigerian Academy of Medicine and the Academy of Medicine Specialties. Additionally, she is the chairman of the National Association of Colleges of Medicine in Nigeria.
Her contenders for the VC race were Professors Abayomi Akinyeye, Department of History, Faculty of Arts; Mathew Ilori and Adeyinka Adekunle – Department of Microbiology, and Botany, Faculty of Sciences.
Others were Timothy Nubi, Department of Estate Management, Faculty of Environmental Sciences; Imran Smith, Faculty of Law; Ayo Olowe, Department of Finance, Faculty of Management Sciences.
