The management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Wednesday said it received with profound sadness the news of the death of one of its former Vice-Chancellors, Prof Wale Omole.
Omole, according to a statement signed by the OAU Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, died on Monday evening.
Olarewaju described Omole’s death as “a painful loss to the Great Ife community, the Nigerian university system and the larger academic community,” noting his contributions to scholarship, the institution’s administration and the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.
He further described Omole as 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.”
The statement noted that the former Vice-Chancellor was part of the distinguished succession of leaders whose contributions had helped shape the identity, traditions and aspirations of Great Ife.
Reacting, the OAU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Simeon Bamire, on behalf of the Governing Council, management, Senate, staff, students, alumni and the entire university community, extended heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the late academic, his friends, associates and all those mourning his death.
Bamire said although Omole’s earthly journey had come to an end, his contributions to the university and the broader academic community would remain part of the institution’s enduring history.
He prayed that Almighty God would grant the family the strength and fortitude to bear the 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. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” Bamire further said.
