Former OAU Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wale Omole, Dies

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has announced the death of one of its former Vice-Chancellors, Professor Wale Omole, who died on Wednesday evening.

The university described his death as a “painful loss” to the Great Ife community, the Nigerian university system and the wider academic community, citing his contributions to scholarship, university administration and the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.

In a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, OAU said Omole was “an accomplished scholar and a distinguished university administrator” whose association with the institution occupied an important place in its history.

Omole served as Vice-Chancellor of the university between 1991 and 1999, a period the institution said represented “a significant chapter” in its pursuit of academic excellence and institutional development.

According to the statement, his tenure contributed to the preservation of OAU’s reputation as one of Nigeria’s foremost centres of higher learning.

The university said his death provided an opportunity to reflect on “the enormous responsibilities undertaken by those entrusted with the leadership of universities and the enduring footprints they leave behind.”

It added that Omole belonged to the distinguished succession of leaders whose contributions had helped shape the identity, traditions and aspirations of Great Ife.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, conveying the condolences of the Governing Council, Management, Senate, staff, students, alumni and the entire university community, expressed sympathy with the family, friends and associates of the deceased.

Bamire said although Omole’s “earthly journey has come to an end,” his contributions to the university and the broader academic community would remain part of its enduring history.

He prayed that Almighty God would grant the family “the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss” and give the departed academic eternal rest.

The university, in its tribute, declared that “Professor Wale Omole may have taken his final bow, but his place in the history of Great Ife remains indelible.”

It also prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul.