Get Guardian on GoogleThe Governing Council of the University of Ibadan (UI) has approved the appointment of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Professor Ayodeji Oludare Omole, as the institution’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration).
The appointment was announced in a statement issued by the University Registrar, Ganiyu Saliu.
Omole, a Professor of Forest/Timber Engineering in the Department of Forest Resources Management, University of Ibadan, is expected to bring his wealth of academic, administrative and institutional experience to bear on his new assignment.
Born on March 6, 1970, in Ogbagi-Akoko, Ondo State, he obtained his first degree in Forestry and Wood Technology from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, in 1994.
He later earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in Wood Products Engineering from the University of Ibadan in 1997 and 2000, respectively.
He joined the services of the University of Ibadan in 1997 as an Assistant Lecturer and rose through the academic ranks to become a professor on October 1, 2015, becoming the first academic in Nigeria to attain professorial status in the area of specialisation.
An accomplished researcher, Omole has co-authored more than 100 research articles published in reputable peer-reviewed journals. His research interests include veneer lamination of wood cement boards and the use of used engine oil as a wood preservative.
He has also served as an adjunct lecturer and visiting scholar in several Nigerian universities and institutions in Sierra Leone, while undertaking external examining assignments in universities within and outside Nigeria.
Before his latest appointment, Omole held several administrative positions at the University of Ibadan, including Head of the Department of Forest Production and Products between 2021 and 2025, Chairman of the Senior Staff Housing Committee, Project Coordinator of the Awba Dam Rehabilitation and Restoration Project, and Operations Manager of the Campus Tree Management Committee, now known as the Biodiversity Management Committee.
He was also Chairman of the University of Ibadan branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from 2016 to 2020, having been actively involved in the union since 1998.
During his tenure as ASUU chairman, he was recognised for his advocacy against poor governance, maladministration, waste and corruption. His administration also facilitated the construction of an ultra-modern secretariat for the university’s ASUU branch and introduced the End-Well welfare scheme to assist members in planning for retirement.
Beyond the university, Omole has played prominent roles in the development of tertiary education in Oyo State.
In November 2019, Governor Seyi Makinde appointed him Chairman of the Oyo State Negotiation Committee on the sole ownership of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, by the state.
He was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Planning and Implementation Committee for the conversion of Emmanuel Alayande College of Education into a full-fledged university in 2022.
He has served as LAUTECH Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of its Governing Council since 2021. He is also the Chairman of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN), a position he assumed in 2025.
Omole is a member of several professional bodies, including the Council on Forest Engineering, United States; Commonwealth Forestry Association, United Kingdom; Society for Wood Science and Technology, United States; Forest Products Society, United States; and Forest and Forest Products Society, Nigeria.
His contributions to academia, public service and professional development have earned him several awards, including the Award of Excellence from the LAUTECH Alumni Association Worldwide in 2020, the Oyo State Government Award of Honour and Meritorious Service in 2021, the Justice of the Peace Award of Oyo State in 2022 and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the FUTA Alumni Association in 2023.
He was also made a Fellow of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice in 2025.
