LASU Senate Bids Farewell to Olatunji-Bello in Grand Valedictory Session

​The Senate of Lagos State University (LASU) gathered at the Babatunde Raji Fashola Building on the main campus in Ojo for its 332nd Statutory Meeting, hosting an emotional and prestigious valedictory session for the outgoing ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Professor Ibiyemi Ibilola Olatunji-Bello.

​The high-profile gathering marked the final phase of her single, non-renewable five-year tenure, which officially concludes on 19 September 2026. Principal officers, academic leaders, and members of the Senate converged to chronicle an administration widely hailed as a golden era of institutional transformation, academic expansion, and financial sustainability.

​Setting the tone for the proceedings, University Registrar Mr Emmanuel A. Fanu presented a comprehensive retrospective of Professor Olatunji-Bello’s stewardship since assuming office on 20 September 2021, following her appointment by the Visitor to the University and Governor of Lagos State. According to the Registrar, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor presided over 55 statutory Senate meetings alongside several extraordinary sessions, while fostering a vibrant intellectual climate that saw the institution host 47 inaugural lectures.

​Delivering her valedictory address, Professor Olatunji-Bello attributed the monumental successes of her administration to divine grace, the unwavering backing of the Lagos State Government, and the collective resolve of the university community. She underscored the philosophy of collaborative leadership, noting that her administration prioritized rigorous academic accreditation, cutting-edge research, infrastructural renewal, and improved staff and student welfare.

​Among her proudest milestones is the establishment of LASU as a TETFund Centre of Excellence and the elevation of 127 academic staff to the elite rank of Professor. Under her watch, the university achieved stellar accreditation marks—including a 96 percent success rate—while aggressively expanding its academic footprint through the creation of new faculties and high-demand professional courses. Financially, the administration recorded a fourfold surge in internally generated revenue (IGR), scaling from N3 billion to N13 billion through aggressive process automation and resource optimization.

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​Glowing tributes poured in from academic leaders across the floor. Members of the Senate lauded her visionary foresight, intellectual courage, administrative sagacity, and maternal disposition toward staff and students alike.

​In his vote of thanks on behalf of the Senate, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Oseni Taiwo Afisi, captured the sentiment of the house, describing her tenure as a masterclass in servant leadership. “Today, we are not merely marking the conclusion of your tenure as Chairman of Senate; we are celebrating a lasting transformation,” Professor Afisi stated. “You taught us that leadership is service, and you leave Lagos State University significantly stronger, better positioned, and globally respected.”

​As the institution counts down to the 334th Statutory Senate Meeting in September 2026—which will herald a new administrative dawn—Professor Olatunji-Bello left the university community with a poignant charge to safeguard its hard-won legacy: while leadership regimes will inevitably change, “LASU must remain.”