AKINWALE ABOLUWADE
Professor Kayode Adebowale, Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan, has commended the family of late Prof. Akinlawon Ladipo Mabogunje for keeping the flag of their late patriarch, who passed on August 4, 2022 at age 90, flying.
Adebowale spoke while receiving a delegation of the family on a courtesy visit to his office.
Recalling that the family promised, last year during the burial of the late don that they would hold annual memorial lectures in his memory, the VC said this shows the uniqueness of the Mabogunje family.
He described the late professor as an icon who wrote his name in gold, stating that Mabogunje served the University of Ibadan meritoriously for 25 years within the period which he was a professor for 17 years.
Adebowale said that the late Mabogunje deserved to be immortalised as he helped to strengthen the Department of Geography and introduced some courses in Urban and Regional Planning.
Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, who spoke on behalf of the Mabogunje Family, expressed appreciation.
The first memorial lecture, entitled, ‘Pathways to sustainable urbanization in Africa: Leaning on Akin Mabogunje’s intellectual legacy,’ was delivered by Prof. Taibat Lawanson of the University of Lagos.
The Head of Department of Geography, Prof. Dickson Ajayi, acknowledged the contributions of the late Prof. Mabogunje to the department and expressed appreciation to the family for upholding his name.
The last book written by Prof. Mabogunje, ‘Egba Palimpsest,’ and a special issue of the Benin Journal of Geography, Planning and Environment in honour of the deceased were presented at the Memorial Lecture.
It was also disclosed at the forum that ‘The Akin Mabogunje Foundation’ would be launched on October 18, 2024 as a one-stop shop for knowledge dissemination, scholarly research, leadership and the exploration of new frontiers in Geography related fields.
The occasion was chaired by Dr. Yemi Ogunbiyi, a renowned journalist while the Special Guest of Honour at the lecture was Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, represented by a former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Peter Okebukola.
