The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, has received with profound sadness the news of the passing of one of its former Vice-Chancellors, Professor Wale Omole, who died yesterday evening.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olanrewaju.
The University describes his demise as a painful loss to the Great Ife community, the Nigerian university system and the larger academic community, considering his contributions to scholarship, university administration and the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.
According to the statement, Professor Omole was an accomplished scholar and a distinguished university administrator whose association with Obafemi Awolowo University occupies an important place in the institution’s history.
His service as Vice-Chancellor, from 1991 to 1999, represented a significant chapter in the University’s continuing pursuit of academic excellence, institutional development and the preservation of its reputation as one of Nigeria’s foremost centres of higher learning.
His passing provides an opportunity to reflect on the enormous responsibilities undertaken by those entrusted with the leadership of universities and the enduring footprints they leave behind.
As a former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omole was part of the distinguished succession of leaders whose contributions have helped shape the identity, traditions and aspirations of Great Ife.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, on behalf of the Governing Council, Management, Senate, staff, students, alumni and the entire University community, extends heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the departed academic, his friends, associates and all those who mourn his passing.
Professor Bamire notes that although Professor Omole’s earthly journey has come to an end, his contributions to the University and the broader academic community will remain part of the institution’s enduring history.
He prays that Almighty God will grant the family the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss and grant the departed academic eternal rest.
Professor Wale Omole may have taken his final bow, but his place in the history of Great Ife remains indelible.
