Professor Folasade Ogunsola becomes 1st female acting VC of Unilag

The Senate of the University of Lagos on Monday, August 24 elected Professor Folasade Ogunsola as its acting Vice-Chancellor. She becomes the first female vice-chancellor in the history of the University.

Ogunsola until this announcement was the deputy vice-chancellor in charge of development services. She defeated her opponent, a deputy vice-chancellor in charge of management services, Ben Oghojafor, with a wide margin of 135 votes against Oghojafor’s 31 among the senate members. A total of 167 professors were accredited for voting while one vote was voided.

Ogunsola, a professor of medical microbiology and was the first female provost of the university’s college of medicine, Idi-Araba. Her research areas have been centered on the regulation and management of viral diseases, particularly HIV.

She is also the principal investigator at AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN) at the University of Lagos and has been the chairman of the Infection Control Committee of Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Ogunsola is also the chairman of the National Association of Colleges of Medicine in Nigeri

In other news, President Buhari over the weekend asked the Chancellor of the University, Wale Babalola, and the immediate past Vice-Chancellor,  Professor Toyin Ogundipe, to step aside over the looming crisis in the institution.

Professor Ogunsola is expected to act in the new role until the outcome of the Special Visitation Panel set up by the Presidency.