Many Distinctions of UNILAG’s First Female VC …What She Inherited from Her ex-Pro-Chancellor Father, Prof Mabogunje

Ololade Adeyanju/

Until her emergence as the first female to serve as Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) today, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, who has a noble pedigree as the daughter of the first African president of the International Geographical Union and first African to be elected as a Foreign Associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences, Professor Akinlawon Ladipo ‘Akin’ Mabogunje, was the Provost of the College of Medicine at UNILAG.

She had obtained a Masters in Medical Microbiology from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos followed by a PhD in Medical Microbiology from the College of Medicine, University of Wales, Cardiff.

She is the first female Provost at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos in its 58 years of existence.

Professor Ogunsola is the Principal Investigator of the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) (a PEPFAR grant) at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos and Site Principal Investigator of the Medical Education Partnership Initiative in Nigeria (MEPIN).

She has been instrumental to setting up infection control programs in a number of institutions in Nigeria and was the Chair of the Infection control committee of the Lagos University Teaching hospital till December 2012. She is a member of the WHO technical working group on Infection Prevention and Control and a member of the WHO AFRO regional rapid response group of experts.

She has received a number of awards and recognitions including the Federation of European Microbiological Societies Overseas research Scholarship in1993, the Keystone Symposia Global Health Travel Award in 2010, Medical Women’s Association of Nigeria Distinction in Medicine Award in 2013 and the Distinguished Alumni Lecturer at the 7th Prof. T. Adesanya Ige Grillo Memorial Lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria in May 2014.

Prof Ogunsola polled 135 of 167 votes to emerge as the acting VC.

The Federal Government had, last week, asked UNILAG Senate to reconvene and nominate an acting VC following the crisis between the varsity’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Wale Babalakin, and Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe.

Prof Ogunsola’s father, who was born in Kano (1931) and lived in Sabongari during his primary school years, was elected in 2017 as a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and he had received the Vautrin Lud Prize.

Prof Mabogunje was a member of the Western Nigerian Economic Advisory Council (1967-71); Member, Federal Public Service Review Commission (1972-74); Consultant, National Census Board (1973-74); Chairman, Nigerian Council for Management Development (1976-79); Consultant, Federal Capital Development Authority (1976-84); Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Ogun State University, Ago-Iwoye (1982-91); Member, Board of Directorate of DFRRI (1986-1993); Member, Board of Trustees Nigerian National Merit Award Endowment Fund (1983-1989) later Chairman of the Fund (1989-94); Executive Chairman of the National Board for Community Banks (1991-94); Member of the Board of Directors, Nigerian Agricultural Products Co. Ltd. (1975-76); Vice-Chairman, Pai Association International (Nig.) (1974-1989); Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors Pi, International Co. Ltd. (1990-date); Chairman, Board of Directors, Fountain Publications (1990-date); Member, Board of Directors, Shonny Investments and Properties Ltd. (1994-date), and Chairman Board of Directors, First Interstate Merchant Bank (Nig.) Ltd. (1995-date).

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