Small body with big engine and very big God, the inspiring story of Prof Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu, proud Imasai daughter turned world renowned environmental consultant

…… I got bullied by many lecturers and Technologists that thought that I was proud because they couldn’t have their way with me

Professor Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu is a Nigerian and graduate of the prestigious Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta which recently emerged second 2nd in Nigeria and 26th in Africa. She caught her teeth in teaching, research and extension services at the same University before traveling abroad. In this interview with ValidViewNetwork, she shared her inspiring story

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Beatrice Olutoyin Opeolu obtained her BSc (Hons) in Environmental Management and Toxicology at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) in Nigeria in 1995. She graduated with an MSc in Environmental Biology from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, in 2001; and a PhD in Environmental Toxicology from the FUNAAB in 2007. Beatrice began her academic career as a Graduate Assistant in 1997, progressing to Lecturer I, teaching several Environmental Sciences modules at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels at FUNAAB, including Introduction to environmental sciences, Hazardous substances management, Environmental monitoring systems and Techniques, Environmental Education and awareness, Water analysis, Waste management, Environmental aspects of pesticides and other toxicants usage, among others. After emigrating to South Africa as a postdoctoral fellow in 2008, she taught Inorganic Chemistry, Chemical Quality Assurance, Spectrophotometry, Air Quality Management and Water Quality Management at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). In 2011, she was appointed the Extended Curriculum Coordinator in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, responsible for the faculty’s Extended Curriculum Programmes (ECPs). The Faculty of Applied Sciences now hosts thirteen ECPs under her leadership. She supervises postgraduate students in the faculty. In 2014, Beatrice was promoted to Associate Professor, and in 2018, to full Professor. At the institutional level, she is the Leader of The Environment, Climate Change and Sustainability Research Focus Area.

An established researcher, Beatrice is C3 rated by the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa. Her field of specialization is in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. She focuses on the interactions between man and the environment, investigating chemical contaminations and the health risks (toxicology) to humans and ecosystems. She is also interested in the remediation of toxic chemicals in the environment. Beatrice has worked on the remediation of trace inorganic and organic chemicals in the environment using biomass. She uses various analytical tools for the detection of these chemicals in different systems, including water and soil systems. Beatrice has worked on metals at trace levels, including Pb, Cd and As, among other inorganic chemicals for many years. She has also worked on several trace organics, including phenols, PAHs, PFCs, nanomaterials, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and microplastics. She also conducted remediation studies using biomass, microorganisms, activated carbons and, more recently, nanomaterials. She is investigating microplastics’ ecological and human health risks in water and wastewater systems. She is also a principal investigator on a collaborative project– “Threats of extreme weather events: improving the resilience of QwaQwa to the multiple risks of climate change”. She has published over 120 articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and conference proceedings in Environmental Chemistry and Environmental Toxicology. She is a co-organiser and facilitator of Aquatic Monitoring workshops (2019 and 2022) sponsored by Volkswagen Germany in collaboration with her colleagues at the UFS and Technical University, Dresden (TUD), Germany.

Beatrice has served as Chair, Co-chair, member of Organising Committees, and Session Chair of several meetings of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe, SETAC North America, SETAC Africa and SETAC World conferences. She is a recipient of several research fellowships, including a collaborative grant from, French International Programme for Research on the Interactions between Population, Development, and the Environment (PRIPODE); Israeli MASHAV scholarship; International Foundation for Science (IFS); Sweden Research and Travel Grants; Netherlands Fellowship Programme, CPUT–URF; Water Research Commission (WRC) grants; National Research Foundation (NRF) Thuthuka Rating Track Grant and Competitive Grant for Rated Researchers Grant. Beatrice has also served as a reviewer for several journals and research grants applications and serves on the Technical Committees of several nationally funded projects. She is a South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)- Biological Testing Methods voting committee member.  

Problem-based learning using the constructivist theory is her guiding philosophy as a teacher. She understands that environmental sciences cannot be taught solely through lecture deliveries. Her learner-centred teaching approach emphasises knowledge/ activities relevant to the industry. She was a co-developer of an international programme of the SETAC online short course aimed at developing countries. Beatrice is well regarded as an evaluator of academic programmes for the South African Council on Higher Education (CHE). She has reviewed several new academic programmes submitted for approval to CHE at the National Diploma, Bachelor, Master and Doctoral levels. She has served as the Chair of an accreditation team for the Namibian Council on Higher Education.  

Beatrice was involved with an exciting community engagement project with the people of Rawsonville in the Western Cape, where she collaborated with a Canadian team – Days for Girls. She has a strong research network of scientists across the globe. Beatrice is a member of the Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) and the American Chemical Society. She is the immediate past President of SETAC Africa and Vice-president of the SETAC World Council- the first from Africa (President in 2024). She received the SETAC North America Presidential Citation Award for exceptional services in 2015, 2019 and 2021. She was awarded SETAC Fellow, the first from Africa, in 2022. She is the convener of the SETAC Africa (SAF) Women’s events during SETAC Africa Biennial meetings. Recently, Beatrice convened “EmpowHer International”, – an initiative to empower female university undergraduates and support them to build a professional network. 

That was great! You are indeed a small body with a big engine.

Yes, I have a very big God who inspires me and is bigger than all situations and circumstances.

What was your growing up like and the schools you attended.

I am a proud daughter of Imasai in Yewa, Ogun State, Nigeria. I grew up as a very happy child that enjoyed the love of my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. My paternal grandmother called me Alarape because of all the grannies in my life. I spent the first ten years of my life in Imasai with my Mum (Mrs Simbiat Agbeke Ojetola) and Grandpa, Chief Buraimo Babalola (BB) Ojetola- “Baami Agba” both of blessed memories. I knew my Dad as my second Dad, Baami Eko (Lagos Dad), that visited us once in a while, and we got to spend holidays with him, too. I attended Ansar-Ud-deen Primary School, Imasai and gained admission in 1977 at age 10 to High School. I attended Awori Comprehensive High School, Ipaja Lagos, Ogun State Polytechnic for my A Levels (which I failed- Disco 80 things ), and later, UNAAB and UI for my tertiary education qualifications.

Considering that you are a brilliant female, have you ever been bullied by guys or made uncomfortable 

The first time was in my High School when an older school mate confronted me and my other four friends that we would not write WAEC with them. We thought that it was a joke, but we all fell ill the same day and it was by God’s grace, with the indigenous wisdom of BB at the time, that I overcame the evil. The second time was during my Science Laboratory Days in COSTAB when we had a single file stating everybody’s results. A male classmate was always bitter and would sometimes confront me. I got bullied by many lecturers and Technologists that thought that I was proud because they couldn’t have their way with me. The good thing was that if I failed most subjects, everybody in my class would fail. An unknown/unexposed mischievous person waited for me when I wrote the National Institute of Science Technologists examination. My script was tampered with and I “failed” the subject. Prof Bamiro took it up on my behalf at the time… a story for the books some day.

You were a researcher in Nigeria and now a researcher outside Nigeria, can you give us a picture of the differences and similarities.

The similarities are that academics are expected to perform the core teaching, research, and community engagement duties. These are universal duties expected of us all, irrespective of one’s geographical location. We are all measured similarly at the global level, beyond Africa. In South Africa, research is funded and supported by the government through several agencies. Researchers compete for these resources depending on the eligibility criteria. There are also several unilateral and multilateral research initiatives for South African researchers. Those are enabled by government contributions/commitments to partner countries. The Nigerian TETFUND is a good start for Nigerian researchers, but a lot still need to be done to support research in our country.

In your academic pursuit, can you recall at any point that you had a low morale? How were you able to navigate through.

Most of my low-morale moments are not necessarily in my academic pursuit but in political/emotional spaces. I have always enjoyed school and my chosen career. All the challenges that I faced were not insurmountable for me. All that I was seeing was getting my PhD and becoming a professor to tell a story of possibilities to my kind in Imasai and across the globe. I have been caught up in the so-called “elephants” fight several times, and I had to be calm, resilient, remain objective as much as possible and stand for whatever I believe is right, even as a lone voice. By nature, I am an activist, as a progeny of BB. I saw him fighting for his enemies, even supporting them to go to court to get justice. My Dad was one in his Guinness and Coca-Cola days, and my younger sibling is one in Nigerian Breweries, Dr Olawale Ajayi Dibia (OOU); my third cousin is an ASUU stalwart…so it runs in our blood.  My activism in different spaces often gets me tagged by beneficiaries of those systems. I survive asking myself difficult questions every night about my day. The intents and goals are my drivers, especially because I always find my inner peace and conviction before taking major decisions. My spirituality (not religion) anchored in God through Christ is my secret place of Strength (Ps 27:4) – my definition of “The house of God” is more philosophical, though, than the church that we know ( We will like to look at that in the near future – No worries).

Who is your role model?

I have many role models; some of them have passed on, and many are still around. I have role models that I look up to as a daughter, sister, teacher, researcher, and leader. Interestingly, I also have those that I don’t ever want to be like whose lives teach me to be intentional about my character and dispositions towards family, friends, acquaintances, colleagues, and students. 

If you are not a lecturer what would you have been doing.

I would have a non-governmental organisation that supports women, girls and other vulnerable groups in communities. 

What is your philosophy about life?

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You have recorded many achievements in various spheres of life, which one do you derive more satisfaction from.

When I had the opportunity (through God’s Grace) to give a girl child another chance at life after a pregnancy abortion went wrong, and the parents couldn’t afford the surgery, I felt satisfied, a great sense of fulfilment. Sadly, I also had another desperate parent that I couldn’t help and lost her child at a time. I didn’t have that kind of resources needed to support her…. My call and purpose are mostly a bittersweet experience.

If you have an opportunity to advise the President of Nigeria today, what are the three topmost issues you will discuss with him.

My topmost issue I will raise with Mr President of given the opportuinity is accountability. Our leaders at all levels must be accountable for their actions and inactions. We cannot move forward as a nation until appropriate mechanisms are put in place to achiev this. Second issue is security. The government must ensure that there is adequate provision for security of lives and properties as there cannot be any meaningful development and investment drive in an insecured environment. I will also put on the front burner Research, technology, and innovation.

Can you share with us one major challenge you ever had?

I had a sick child, and I couldn’t afford to buy tetracycline for the child to stop her diarrhea. It’s a day in my journey that I can never forget… ☹ 

How do you relax with the great commitments that you have? How do you strike a balance between work and family.

As a younger person, I read novels and books. These days, my relaxation is when I watch my soapies or connect with others on social media. I am slowly coming back to books again now (Laugh)

For me, there is always an “imbalance”. I know myself (just like others) to be a “go-getter”. I needed to write a story of possibilities irrespective of one’s socio-economic background or self-inflicted negative circumstances….To achieve this, it is always opportunity costs at the end of my decisions about growing my career and keeping family and friends. I always weigh the absolute cost implications of my choices based on my life stage and the legacy I wish to leave someday. For example, there was a time that I had to leave my 18-month daughter to pursue a PG degree in Ibadan. At a later stage, I couldn’t leave my 18-year-old daughter to take up a career opportunity because she needed me around. I set my short, medium, and long-term goals and reappraise and/or reprioritise as required in a way that will most benefit my family. 

You are also involved in consultancy services on environment

Yes, I run a consultancy outfit knoown as Bee Solutions and Consultancy Services with the vision for a world that is economically . environmentally and socially sustainable. I have this burning desire within me to continually contribute to human capacity development towards making our world better. There are still lots of ground to cover and we will continue to do out best. We are networking and open to collaboration all over the world. By August 1, I will become an independent researcher and focus on the consultancy services. I enjoin people to navigate through our page and reach out to us on https://bcshive.co.za/ on any area that we may be needed. Together, we can make our world better.

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