FUNAAB Council appoints Prof. Kehinde as VC

The Governing Council of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), at its Special Meeting of 7th March, 2023, approved the appointment of Prof. Olusola Babatunde Kehinde as the 7th substantial Vice-Chancellor of the institution. This was disclosed in a press statement, issued by the Registrar and Secretary to the Governing Council, Dr. ‘Bola Adekola. The appointment followed a keenly-contested competition for the position, as Prof. Kehinde emerged the best among the 14 candidates, who applied for the position.
The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Alhaji Umar Ahmed, while announcing the appointment, congratulated Prof. Kehinde and charged him to work assiduously to uplift the standard of the institution in ensuring that it continues to soar higher in the community of universities. Responding, after receiving his appointment letter from the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Kehinde expressed deep appreciation to the Council for finding him worthy of appointment and the trust reposed in him. He promised to implement all the programmes highlighted in his vision document presented during the appointment process. He equally promised to promote peace, quality and cut-edge researches, while putting in his energy to make FUNAAB a 21st century university within a short time.
Prof. Kehinde, a native of Gbagura, Abeokuta North Local Government Area, was born on December 22, 1964. He attended the Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Abeokuta South LGA from 1976 to 1981 for his secondary education and later proceeded to the Ogun State Polytechnic (now Moshood Abiola Polytechnic), Ojere, where he obtained his Higher School Certificate (HSC), after completing his secondary education. He was awarded a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Agricultural Biology, as well as a Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Breeding and Genetics from the University of Ibadan, in 1987, 1990 and 1994, respectively. The Vice-Chancellor Designate became an Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Plant Breeding and Science Technology, University of Agriculture (now Federal University of Agriculture), Abeokuta in 1994.
He rose through the ranks and he is currently a Professor in the same department since 1st October, 2007. Administratively, Prof. Kehinde was the Dean, College of Plant Science and Crop Production (COLPLANT), between 2009 and 2011. In 2021, he became the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Development) and is currently the Acting Vice-Chancellor of the institution. Prof. Kehinde belongs to several, reputable academic and professional bodies, which include: Fellow, Institute of Health and Safety, Canada; Fellow, Association of Applied Information Management Professionals (FAIMP); Fellow, Genetics Society of Nigeria; Member, African Crop Science Society; and Member, Horticultural Society of Nigeria. He is married to Prof. Iyabode Kehinde and blessed with three children.