Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Tuesday, approved the appointment of Professor Razaq Olatunde Rom Kalilu as the substantive Vice Chancellor of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.
Kalilu’s appointment was announced in a statement signed by Oyo State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Salihu Abdulwaheed Adelabu in Ibadan.
Adelabu stated that Prof. Kalilu will serve as the substantive VC of LAUTECH for a single term of five years with effect from June 12, 2024.
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“The government looks forward to your hard work, diligence, and professionalism in realising its mission for the institution,” Adelabu added.
Prof Kalilu is a well-established figure in the world of art and art history who joined the service of LAUTECH on September 1, 1992.
He was pronounced a Professor of Arts and Arts History in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Environmental Sciences 24 years ago on October 1, 1999 and was appointed as Acting Vice-Chancellor on June 12, 2023.
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Kalilu who is an alumnus of the prestigious University of Ife and the University of Ibadan, is also a polymath and specialist in Form and Material Technology.
His administrative skills and leadership experiences are intense, integrous and ambidextrous.
Among the numerous academic leadership positions he held, Kalilu was Head of Department of Fine and Applied Arts from 1998 to 2003; Dean of Faculty of Environmental Sciences from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2012 to 2016.
He was the Chairman, Committee of Deans in 2004 and from 2004 to 2006 the Chairman, Committee of Deans and Provosts while he was the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of LAUTECH between 2006 and 2008.
Professor Kalilu is a recipient of many national and international prizes and awards, which include the Gold Medal in the 1978 – 1979 All Africa Painting Contest, Elected Membership of the New York Academy of Sciences in recognition of his contributions to Science and Technology, Merit Prize in International Postage Stamp Design Contest in 1997, the Outstanding People of the 20th Century Outstanding Achievement Medal in 2000 and the Twentieth Century Achievement Award in 2001.
His other prizes and awards include his selection as one of the 1000 Leaders of World Influence for the 21st Century in 2000, and the distinguished and exceptional Universal Award of Accomplishment in 2000.
Furthermore, he received the Development in Nigeria Merit Award in 2006.
Professor Kalilu is a member of several academic and intellectual organisations, including the Australian Ceramic Society and the International Association of Astronomical Artists, and a Fellow of the Society of Nigerian Artists.
He is also a Justice of the Peace of Oyo State who hails from Ogbomoso and is married with children.
