LASU Completes Orderly Leadership Transition

By Sherif Salau

Lagos State University have formally transferred its highest academic office on Friday in a ceremony that marked both the close of one administration and the beginning of another.

Distinguished Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, concluded her five-year tenure as the university’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor, handing over to Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo, who assumes office as the tenth. The event took place at the Senate Chamber and was attended by members of the University Management, Senate, principal officers, Deans, Directors and staff.

The transition carries institutional significance beyond the routine change of leadership. It is the first occasion in LASU’s 43-year history that a female Vice-Chancellor has succeeded another. University authorities have characterised the process as one of the most peaceful and orderly successions the institution has recorded.

Professor Olatunji-Bello’s term ends on 19 September. Professor Badejo, a specialist in Counselling Psychology, takes up the role the following day for a single five-year term following her appointment by Lagos State Governor and Visitor to the university, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in accordance with the LASU Law.

In her final engagements, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor set out a clear charge for her successor: protect the academic integrity of the university, safeguard its reputation, and leave the institution stronger than she found it. She also underscored the central role of the Senate in academic governance and the need to combine consultation with decisive leadership when circumstances require it.

During her tenure, the university recorded measurable progress in programme accreditation and growth in internally generated revenue. In farewell remarks to the community, Professor Olatunji-Bello returned to a consistent theme—that effective leadership rests on people and that the work of institutional development is continuous.

With the formal transfer complete, attention now turns to the priorities of the new administration. The handing-over ceremony has provided a structured and transparent platform for continuity, allowing the university to move from one leadership cycle to the next with clarity and institutional composure.