The University of Lagos (UNILAG) community bid farewell to late Professor William Ose Odiete on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at a Special Lying-In-State Ceremony held at the Faculty of Life Sciences, as part of his funeral ceremony.
The event was a convergence of retired and current staff of the University as well as family (children and grandchildren), friends, and former students of the late pioneering Environmental Physiologist, who died on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at the age of 86.
In her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor(Academic and Research), Professor Bolanle Oboh, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, expressed condolences to the bereaved family on behalf of the management, staff, and students of the University.
Professor Oboh described the late Professor, renowned for his erudition and scholarship, as an integral part of the University’s success stories. She highlighted his impactful contributions, noting that his hard work and sincerity shaped the future of many accomplished scholars.
Several notable personalities shared beautiful speeches and tributes to Professor Odiete. These include former Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, FAS; Emeritus Professor Babajide Alo; former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and Research), Emeritus Professor Babajide Alo and Professor Oluwole Familoni; immediate-past Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Services), Professor Lucian Obinna Chukwu, among others.
For Professor Lucian Obinna Chukwu, late Professor Odiete was an essential part of his academic journey, right from his undergraduate days to his PhD studies. He praised the late Professor as a distinguished Nigerian scholar and towering figure in Zoology, with over three decades of devoted teaching, research, mentorship, and service.
The programme, which featured a sermon by the University Chaplain, Reverend Dr. Azuka Ogbolumanion on the ephemerality of life and the importance of making a lasting impact, was also graced by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Management Services), Professor Muyiwa Falaiye, and the University Librarian, Professor Olatokunbo Christopher Okiki.
Born on July 6, 1939, Professor William Ose Odiete joined the University in 1969 as a Lecturer II and rose to become Professor of Environmental Physiology in 1984. The renowned academic was one of the foremost Heads of the University’s Departments of Zoology, Fisheries and Marine Science. Professor Odiete retired in July, 2005, leaving a lasting legacy in the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, and the University.
Report: Akinola Afolabi
Photographs: Samuel Dosunmu
