UNILORIN Loses Pioneer Dean of Faculty of Arts

The University of Ilorin has announced the death of the pioneer Dean of its Faculty of Arts, Professor Oladele Awobuluyi, who passed away on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at the age of 89.

Prof. Awobuluyi, a distinguished linguist and scholar, also delivered the first Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ilorin.

Following his death, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, SAN, alongside members of the University Management, paid a condolence visit to the family and church members of the deceased on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at his residence in GRA, Ilorin.

The Vice Chancellor was represented during the visit by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services, Prof. Olalere Adeyemi.

In his condolence message, Prof. Egbewole described the late Prof. Awobuluyi as one of Africa’s finest linguists, whose remarkable contributions to scholarship would continue to inspire generations of academics.

He noted that Prof. Awobuluyi belonged to the pioneering generation of academics upon whose contributions the University of Ilorin was built, adding that his influence extended beyond the Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages and the University to the wider African continent.

The Vice Chancellor recalled that Prof. Awobuluyi, alongside the late Prof. Ayo Bamgbose, played a pioneering role in the development of Linguistics in Africa and mentored generations of scholars from Nigeria and other countries, including the United States, Ghana, Cameroon and the Benin Republic.

According to him, the late professor was widely respected for his integrity, scholarship and commitment to academic excellence, with many eminent academics across Africa benefiting from his mentorship.

Prof. Egbewole further noted that the deceased’s scholarly contributions played a significant role in establishing the University of Ilorin as one of Africa’s leading centres for Linguistics.