UNILAG Senate Celebrates Five (5) Retiring Members

The University of Lagos Senate, on Wednesday, July 30, 2025, celebrated five (5) professors ahead of their retirement from active service in August, 2025. They are:

  • Professor Christopher Bode;
  • Professor Austin Otegbulu;
  • Professor Olusoji George;
  • Professor Emmanuel Ajibola Jeje; and
  • Professor Olajide Ayinla Olawale.

In her remarks, Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, congratulated each of the retiring academics for their illustrious service to the university, and contributions to the body of knowledge. Prof. Ogunsola, on behalf of management, staff and students, wished them well, and prayed that they would enjoy the fruits of their labour in good health.

In their separate responses, Professors Bode, Otegbulu, George, Jeje and Olawale traced their professional journey as academics, and offered recommendations for the advancement of tertiary education. They also expressed gratitude to their families and friends as well as the University Senate and community for the opportunity to serve and contribute their quota to the development of Nigeria.

Below are the citations of the five renowned academics:

Professor Christopher Bode was born on Monday, August 1, 1955, in Ejigbo, Osun State. He attended Ejigbo Baptist High School, where he graduated with distinction in 1973, and went on to obtain his MBChB from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in 1980. He undertook his residency in Surgery at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) beginning in 1982, and by 1992, he had earned Fellowships from both the West African College of Surgeons (FWACS, in Paediatric Surgery) and the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (FMCS), winning the prestigious Sir Samuel Manuwa Prize as the best candidate in the final FMCS examination.

Professor Bode began his academic career in 1992 as a Lecturer I in the Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Lagos (CMUL), and was also appointed Consultant Paediatric Surgeon at LUTH. He rose through the ranks to become a Professor of Surgery in 2010.

From 2001 to 2007, he served as Secretary General of the West African College of Surgeons, making a significant impact on surgical training across West Africa. In 2010, he completed a Post-Fellowship Diploma in Laparoscopic Surgery in Tel Aviv, Israel, and returned to establish a Surgical Skills Training Centre at LUTH, which has since trained over 1,100 medical professionals.

He served as Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at LUTH between 2012 and 2015, and then as Chief Medical Director (CMD), LUTH (2015 to 2023). During his tenure as CMD, he led numerous transformative projects, including the introduction of uninterrupted power supply through a gas-powered system, the establishment of a world-class Cancer Treatment Centre, a 30-bed Intensive Care Unit, a 250-room Outpatient Centre, a 6-kilometre sewage system, and the implementation of a Hospital Information Management System. He also oversaw the rehabilitation of key hospital blocks and improved infrastructure for training and service delivery.

A prolific academic, Professor Bode has authored over 110 publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributed chapters to five books. His areas of expertise include complex penile anomalies in children and congenital esophageal defects in newborns. He is a founding member and Trustee of the Association of Paediatric Surgeons of Nigeria and helped establish the Laparoscopic Surgery Society of Nigeria.

Outside the walls of the University, he has served in many leadership roles Africa’s representative to the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons and the World Federation of Associations of Paediatric Surgeons. He is also a Foundation Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Medicine.

Professor Bode is happily married and blessed with children.

Professor Austin Otegbulu was born on Monday, August 8, 1955. He started his teaching career in the UNILAG as a part time Lecturer in the Department of Estate Management in 1988 . He taught as a part time Lecturer from 1988 to 1999 without collecting any remuneration. He subsequently joined the University as a Lecturer in February 26, 1999. He rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2020.

Professor Otegbulu has served the University as Acting Head, Department of Estate Management (2011 to 2013). He was the foundation lecturer of the Department’s Postgraduate Program and previously served as the Postgraduate Coordinator. He was also a member of the University Property Board (2015 to 2016).

Outside the walls of the University, he served as a member of the Federal Special Investigation Panel (1984 to 1987). He is a former Assistant National Secretary and National Secretary of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), and has served as both member and chairman of several committees and faculties within the institution. 

Professor Otegbulu has authored more than eighty (80) publications in both International and Local Journals. In a demonstration of commitment to academic service, he sacrificed his accumulated and terminal leave to continue teaching, addressing the shortage of lecturers in his Department.

Professor Olusoji George was born on Friday, August 12, 1955.  He holds a B.Sc in Sociology, M.Sc in Industrial Sociology, MPhil in Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management, MPhil in Organisational Behaviour & Human Resource Management and Ph.D. from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom.

He started his teaching career in University of Lagos in 2011 as a Lecturer I in the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences and rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2021.

He has served the University in many capacities.  Outside the walls of the University, Prof. George served as External PhD Assessor, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago -Iwoye, Ogun State; External Examiner, Crawford University, Faith City, Faith City, Igesha, Ogun State; External Assessor, Yaba College of Technology, Department of Business Administration; Electoral Commissioner for The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State East Senatorial District in the 2015 General Election.

Professor George holds memberships and fellowships in several prestigious professional bodies, including American Academy of Management; Africa Academy of Management; Nigerian Academy of Management; International Society of Development & Sustainability; and Chartered Institute of Loan & Risk Management of Nigeria.

He has published over eighty (80) local and international academic journal papers as at 2024. One of his books, Impact of Culture on the Transfer of Management Practices, has won several awards, and currently being translated to Chinese and Japanese languages.

Professor Emmanuel Ajibola Jeje was born on Tuesday, August 16, 1955. He earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBChB) degree from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). His postgraduate training was completed at the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, followed by a certificated post-fellowship training in Urology at St. Mary’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom. In addition, he is an alumnus of the Lagos Business School.

Professor Jeje is a professor of surgery at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos and a Consultant Urological Surgeon at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

He is a Fellow of several prestigious professional bodies, including the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria, the West African College of Surgeons, the Royal Society of Medicine in London, the American College of Surgeons, the International College of Surgeons, and the Nigerian Academy of Medicine (FNAMed). He also holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) postgraduate degree.

A dedicated academic, he has published numerous research articles in both local and international peer-reviewed journals. Prior to joining the university system, he served as the Medical Director of Lagoon Hospital. He often remarks, humorously, that his transition to academia was the result of friends who “complicated his life” by convincing him to leave private practice.

Professor Jeje is the immediate past Chairman of the Faculty of Surgery at the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and serves as an examiner for both the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and the West African College of Surgeons. Currently, he is the President of the Nigerian Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (ACSNG).

In addition to his medical and academic responsibilities, Professor Jeje is actively involved in philanthropic and social organizations. He is a member of the International Association of Lions Clubs, the Ultimate Circle of Nigeria, FS Club 1980, and the Ijesha Society. He has also demonstrated his commitment to medical education by endowing a prize for the best graduating student in clinical examination in surgery within the Faculty of Clinical Sciences at the University of Lagos.

Professor Jeje is married and blessed with children and grandchildren.

Professor Olajide Ayinla Olawale was born on Monday, August 8, 1959 in Iboro, Yewa North LGA, Ogun State. He received his foundational training in Physiotherapy at the University of Lagos between October 1978 and June 1981; and graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) (Physiotherapy) degree, Second Class, Upper Division. He later proceeded to the University of Ibadan where he got an M.Ed. degree in Exercise Physiology in 1986. He obtained a Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Lagos in 2009. 

He started his teaching career in the University of Lagos as a Lecturer II in December 1997. He rose through the ranks to become a Professor in 2017. He has served the University in numerous capacities, contributing to teaching, research, curriculum development, and academic administration. Notably, he was Head of the Department of Physiotherapy on two separate terms (August 2010–July 2012 and August 2021–July 2024).

With over 44 years of clinical experience and 28 years in academia, Professor Olawale has made enduring contributions to the field of stroke rehabilitation, his area of specialization. His service as an honorary Consultant Physiotherapist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, further reflects his deep commitment to clinical excellence.

Between January 2005 and January 2008, Professor Olawale served under the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) in Ghana, where he successfully planned and established undergraduate programmes in Physiotherapy at the School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra. He has served as external examiner to several institutions, including the University of Ghana, University of Health and Allied Sciences (Ho, Ghana), University of Kwazulu-Natal (South Africa), and six (6) Nigerian universities.

Professor Olawale has played a significant leadership role in physiotherapy education in Nigeria, notably as a two-term Chairman of the Education Committee of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP). He is widely respected as a scholar, teacher, mentor, and role model whose life reflects humility, excellence, and unwavering commitment to professional and personal growth.

Professor Olawale is married and blessed with children.

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See how UNILAG is structured, explore our history and meet our leadership.

Explore our 6 Decades of growth, excellence and impact.

When you take a degree from UNILAG – undergraduate, graduate or professional – you join an ever-growing legacy of world-beaters.

Clearing house for our university’s operations, streamlining processes to support our academic mission.

UNILAG has built a proud heritage of attracting intelligent, competitive students and empowered each one of them reach their full potential.

Explore ground-breaking research, scholarly articles, and academic publications from the University of Lagos

Official news from the university comms. centre about science, medicine, art, campus life, university issues and broader national and global concerns.

See our various portals to access varying services and resources.