Toast To Bayonle Olorede: A Professor And Precursor at 60

Bayonle Olorede, an academic icon, is not only a Professor, but also a precursor in his country home, Iragbiji, in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, and for his many unique attributes, he deserves a tribute.

When Bayonle arrived Olorede’s family on April 15, 1962, as a newly born baby boy, nobody knew the Lord had sent but a Professor of Animal Science to Chief Sanusi Alakaa Olorede, his father, a renowned farmer, who knew nothing about education. It’s not only his (our) father who was oblivious of the professorial gift in 1962; his former teachers at St. John Anglican Primary School, Ikinyinwa in (now) Obokun Local Government area of Osun State, which he attended between 1968 and 1975, did also not know they had admitted a pupil who would become a teacher of teachers and lecturer of lecturers. When he left Ikinyinwa for Kirji Memorial College, Igbajo in (now) Boluwaduro Local Government Area of the State in 1975, little did his teachers at the College know that they had admitted a student who would glorify the name of the college as a future University Provost.

This illustrious son of an uneducated but highly successful farmer was at the School of Basic Studies, Kwara State Polytechnic Ilorin between 1980 and 1982 for his GCE A-Level, subsequent after which he got admission to study Animal Science at the prestigious University of Ibadan. So, between 1982 and 1998, this academics-greedy student obtained his Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.), Master of Science (M.Sc.), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at the same University, with intermittent breaks after each of the degrees. Of course, his lecturers at the University of Ibadan knew they were building future leaders, but they hardly could foretell they had a future acting Vice-Chancellor as a student under their tutelage within the period of his studies. On Friday, April 15, 2022, Professor Bayonle Olorede clocks sixty years. He deserves this tribute for his attributes — qualities and features of a deserving professor.

This erudite Scholar is a role model and mentors to so many people, especially in academia. He is a forerunner of other emerging professors in his country home, Iragbiji. So, we ascribe and attribute today’s huge feat recorded in academia by other illustrious sons and daughters of the ancient city of Iragbiji in Boripe Local Government area of Osun State to Professor Bayonle Olorede’s emulative success and giant strides in the field of academics. As a professor of many years (getting to two decades), he has come; he has seen and has become a conqueror. He has gone through thick and thin in academics.

He started his teaching career at the College of Agriculture and Animal Science, Zuru, Sokoto State in 1988 as Lecturer III and left for Usmanu Danfodio University (UDU), Sokoto, as Lecturer II in 1991. He rose through the promotion ladder until he became a professor at the University in 2005. Thereafter, he realised his state, Osun, needed his service. So, in 2010, precisely on October 1st, he transferred his service from UDU, a Federal University to UNIOSUN, a state University owned by the government of Osun State.

This scholar has served in different capacities holding positions of authority both at UDU and UNIOSUN. He had been a Head of Department, Faculty Representative, Co-ordinator, member and Chairman of committees. He has been playing a key, leadership role since he joined the University of Osun State. He was the Provost of the University College of Agriculture between 2011 and 2015. Within this period, in 2012, he also served as Acting Chairman, Committee of Provosts, Deans and Directors. And in 2013, Professor Olorede served as Acting Vice-Chancellor of ONIOSUN. Between 2016 and 2017, he was the Chairman, of the Business Committee of the Senate, a committee considered the apex and most serious academic committee in any University.

The professor deserves a round of applause for graduating many postgraduate degree holders between October 2017 and July 2021 when he served as Provost of the Postgraduate College of the University. Professor Olorede has come this far given his national and international academic exposure. For instance, he was at the University of Newcastle, Upon Tyne in 1995, for his PhD bench-work in the Laboratory of Biological and Nutritional Sciences of the University.

He was also at Naivasha, Kenya in June 2014 attending an International Symposium on Research to feed Africa. And in November of the same year, he was in Dubai on an academic sojourn hosted by Oxford Management Centre. Adding this to the few mentioned, in 2019, the professor was at Somerset-west, Western Cape, where he attended the International Conference of Southerner African Research and Innovation Management Association (SARIMA).

This academic giant has published in hundreds of Journals and papers in conference proceedings and has received several national and international awards, honours and grants. The don deserves a toast not only because of his birthday celebration or being a brother, and also not only for reasons of being a leading horse, which paved the way for others coming behind, as his country home, Iragbiji, now has close to ten professors after him, but I also celebrate this academic figure for his vigour, just as I also pay him a tribute for his unique attributes, for being not only a Professor but also a precursor, and for being a light which brightens and enlightens the hearts of many in academics. Olorede is a Research Scholar at the Department of Mass Communication, University of Benin.