The Lagos State University (LASU) Senate has celebrated the outgoing Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello, mni, NPOM, for what members described as a transformative five-year tenure.
The commendation came on Thursday, August 27, 2026, during a valedictory session held as part of the University’s 332nd Statutory Senate Meeting at the Senate Chamber of the Babatunde Raji Fashola Building, LASU Main Campus, Ojo.
Professor Olatunji-Bello, who became LASU’s ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor on September 20, 2021, is expected to complete her single, non-renewable five-year tenure on September 19, 2026.
The Registrar, Mr Emmanuel A. Fanu, who opened the proceedings, highlighted the scale of the Vice-Chancellor’s engagement with the University’s highest academic decision-making body.
According to him, Professor Olatunji-Bello presided over 55 statutory Senate meetings, alongside several extraordinary sessions, while her administration also witnessed 47 inaugural lectures.
In her valedictory address, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor thanked God, the Lagos State Government, the University’s governing structures and the entire LASU community for their contributions to the progress recorded during her tenure.
She listed academic accreditation, research and innovation, infrastructure development, financial sustainability, and improved staff and student welfare among the major areas of achievement.
She also highlighted LASU’s emergence as a TETFund Centre of Excellence and the promotion of 127 academic staff to the rank of Professor.
Professor Olatunji-Bello said her administration strengthened quality assurance, systematically pursued programme accreditation and expanded degree offerings to respond to changing academic and professional needs.
While reflecting on the transition ahead, she urged the University community to protect the institution’s gains and maintain continuity.
“LASU must remain,” she declared, stressing that leadership may change, but the institution’s mission and legacy must endure.
Members of Senate took turns to praise the Vice-Chancellor, describing her as visionary, courageous, humble and administratively astute, while also commending her motherly approach to leadership.
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Oseni Taiwo Afisi, FSPSP, MCIOD, delivered the vote of thanks on behalf of Senate.
He described the valedictory session as more than a farewell, saying it was an opportunity to celebrate the transformation achieved during the Vice-Chancellor’s tenure.
“Today, we are not merely marking the conclusion of your tenure as Chairman of Senate; we are celebrating a lasting transformation,” Afisi said.
He credited the outgoing Vice-Chancellor with strengthening academic programmes, expanding research output and institutionalising quality assurance.
According to him, Professor Olatunji-Bello demonstrated that “leadership is service” and would be leaving LASU “significantly stronger, better positioned, and globally respected.”
With her tenure ending on September 19, the 334th Statutory Senate Meeting, scheduled for September 2026, is expected to usher in the University’s next administrative era.
For Professor Olatunji-Bello, the chapter closes with a record of academic growth, research and innovation, infrastructure renewal, improved governance and welfare initiatives—setting the stage for LASU’s next phase of development.
