The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, has mourned a former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wale Omole.

In a statement on Wednesday, the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju, said the management received the news of Mr Omole’s passing on Tuesday evening with profound sadness.

The university described the death of Mr Omole at 84 as a painful loss to the Great Ife community, the Nigerian university system and the larger academic community, noting his contributions to scholarship, university administration and the advancement of higher education in Nigeria.

The statement noted that Mr Omole was an accomplished scholar and a distinguished university administrator whose association with Obafemi Awolowo University occupies an important place in the institution’s history.

It stated, “His service as vice-chancellor, from 1991 to 1999, represented a significant chapter in the University’s continuing pursuit of academic excellence, institutional development and the preservation of its reputation as one of Nigeria’s foremost centres of higher learning.”

The statement noted that Mr Omole’s death provided an opportunity to reflect on the enormous responsibilities undertaken by those entrusted with university leadership and the enduring footprints they leave behind. 

It added, “As a former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Omole was part of the distinguished succession of leaders whose contributions helped shape the identity, traditions and aspirations of Great Ife.

“The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire, on behalf of the Governing Council, Management, Senate, staff, students, alumni and the entire University community, extends heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of the departed academic, his friends, associates and all those who mourn his passing.

“Professor Bamire notes that although Professor Omole’s earthly journey has come to an end, his contributions to the University and the broader academic community will remain part of the institution’s enduring history. He prays that Almighty God will grant the family the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss and grant the departed academic eternal rest.

“Professor Wale Omole may have taken his final bow, but his place in the history of Great Ife remains indelible.

May his soul rest in perfect peace.”

Mr Omole’s tenure witnessed students’ riot toward its end following the terrible cult killings that claimed the lives of five OAU students on July 10, 1999.