Former colleagues and friends at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, on Wednesday, held a day of tributes for the late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, the former Vice-Chancellor of the institution, who passed on last month.
The occasion was at a special Senate meeting held in his honour at the main auditorium of the university in Akoka, Lagos.
In his tribute, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, described the deceased as a born scientist who made sterling contributions to scientific knowledge in the areas of Control and Information Systems, Stochastic/Optimisation Problems in Engineering among others.
“He was also part of the pioneering efforts in the development and application of Robotics, especially in the area of Sensors and Actuators Placement. In addition to his scholastic accomplishments, Distinguished Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe was a well-sought administrator.
“His tenure as the eighth Vice-Chancellor was a storied one with many feats recorded by staff and students, “he said.
The immediate past VC of the university, Prof. Rahamon Adisa Bello, recalled that he met Ibidapo-Obe in 1975 at the University of Waterloo in Canada during their postgraduate studies and they remained close friends till he died.
He said despite being a very sociable person, the deceased never played with his academic work.
In his tribute, Prof. Ayo Ogunye said among the 10 UNILAG scholars that did postgraduate studies at Waterloo University, Ibidapo-Obe was a strong pillar.
He mentioned that among the 10, nine became professors, three became Vice-Chancellors and one became a deputy VC.
The Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Prof. O. M Sadiq, described the deceased as a mentor of many people in the faculty.
He also noted that Ibidapo-Obe was the type that would want people to prove their competence in whatever assignment is given to them.
A commendation service was later held in his honour at the University Chapel.
Ibidapo-Obe died on January 3, this year and was the eighth substantive VC of UNILAG and the first alumnus of the institution become its VC.
