Professor Benjamin Ekundayo OLUFEMI: TRANSITION
With gratitude to God for a life well spent, and total submission to the will of the Almighty, we the family, announce the translation into glory of our beloved Father and Patriarch, Professor Benjamin Ekundayo Olufemi which occurred on the 13th of April, 2021 after a period of ill-health.
Professor Benjamin Ekundayo OLUFEMI was a distinguished Academic, pre-eminent in his field who had over 35 years of experience as a University teacher at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Africa and around the world. He was a Swine Medicine and Fish Medicine Specialist.
He rose through the ranks, being actively involved in teaching, research and curriculum development, to eventually become a Professor of Veterinary Medicine in 1991. He was a Professor for 20 years until his retirement in 2011.
He was a Western State of Nigeria Government Scholar (1968 – 1973) by competitive examination and a *University of Ibadan Scholar* (1969 – 1973).
He graduated with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree and was subsequently registered as a Veterinary Surgeon in Nigeria in 1973. He was a member of the foundation set of the National Youth Service Corps NYSC, from July 1973 to June 1974. Thereafter, he was employed by the Nigerian Government Civil Service Commission as a Veterinary Research Officer, Grade II, and posted to the National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) Vom, Plateau State, where he worked in the Investigative and Diagnostic Division of the Institute.
In 1975, he took up employment with the University of Ibadan as a Lecturer Grade II, and thus began his stellar academic career.
He was a British Council Technical Cooperation Study Fellow to and alumnus of the University of Liverpool, England, having graduated at the top of his class in 1978 with a Master of Veterinary Science (MVSc) degree in Applied Parasitology. He was also an alumnus of the centre of excellence for Aquaculture in Europe, the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Scotland where he completed a PhD in Aquatic Pathobiology in 1984.
He was a Member and Fellow of many professional organisations a few of which include: The Institute of Biology, London (MIBiol, 1980), The Royal Entomological Society of London, (FRES, 1981), The Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM, 1984), The Nigerian Institute of Biology (FNIBiol, 1990), The College of Veterinary Surgeons, Nigeria (FCVSN, 2003).
He was at various times, a visiting Professor to several institutions including the Department of Veterinary Medicine, Usman Dan Fodiyo University, Sokoto (1990), Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Adamawa State University, Mubi (2005 – 2007), Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State (2007 – 2011), Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland (1993 -1994), where he was a Commonwealth Academic Staff Fellow.
His life positively impacted and influenced many as his teaching spanned across the undergraduate to the postgraduate levels, in which he developed and taught various courses across 3 faculties: Veterinary Medicine, Science as well as Wildlife and Fisheries Management from 1975 to 2011. During this time, and well into post-retirement he supervised, co-supervised and examined numerous MVSc. and PhD titles as an internal and external examiner.
A prolific Researcher, his works centred mainly on the management of diseases of domestic animals and cultured fresh water fish species, with 74 scholarly international publications. A monumental work is the description of Aspergillus species as Pathogens of Cultured Fresh Water Fish species.
He was the President of the Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association, Oyo state (1988 – 1990). His vast administrative and managerial experience includes the Sub-Dean (undergraduate & postgraduate) (1979 – 81; 87 – 89), Dean of Students (1996 – 2000), Head of Department and Dean, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan (2001 – 2003; 2003 – 2005), Head of Department and Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Adamawa State University, Mubi, Nigeria (2005 – 2006; 2006 – 2007), to mention a few. He was a Member of the University of Ibadan Senate from 1987 to 2011, and panel member of the working committee appointed by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for the formulation of the Bench mark minimum academic standards for Veterinary Medicine, for all Nigerian Universities. In addition, he was appointed Head, Medicine Specialty, College of Veterinary Surgeons, Nigeria (CVSN) (2008 to date).
He was a member of the Editorial boards of numerous scholarly journals and was Editor-in-Chief (1992 – 1996) of “The Tropical Veterinarian”, an international journal devoted to the diseases of animals in the tropics, published by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ibadan.
He was actively involved in public service, and appointed as a Justice of the Peace (JP) by the Oyo and Osun State Governments in 1998 and 1999 respectively.
A native of Ìmèsí-Ilé, in Obokun LGA of Osun state, Nigeria, he was the founding Rector of the Ìmèsí-Ilé Polytechnic as well as the _Sàlórò_ of Ìmèsí-Ilé.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Mrs. Joyce Adeola Olufemi, children and grand children.
He was 75 years old and will be sorely missed.
Burial arrangements are to be announced in due course by the family.
May he rest in perfect peace.
Announcer: The Family.
He was 76 years old.