The Senate of the University of Lagos, on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, honoured two of its members: Professor Omotayo Abayomi Fakinlede and Distinguished Professor Jim Unah, as they conclude their meritorious service to the University.
Professor Fakinlede of the Department of Systems Engineering will retire on April 1, 2026, while Distinguished Professor Unah of the Department of Philosophy will retire on April 15, 2026.
In her remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Folasade Ogunsola, OON, FAS, congratulated the duo on their illustrious careers and commended their invaluable contributions to the growth of the University and the development of Nigeria.
In their separate responses, the honourees expressed deep appreciation to the University Senate for the recognition and thanked the UNILAG community for providing a platform that enabled them to achieve career fulfilment while contributing to knowledge and mentoring future generations.
Below are the citations of the two illustrious academics:
Professor Omotayo Abayomi Fakinlede was born on April 1, 1956, in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria.
He attended St. Theresa’s Primary School, Akure (1961–1965), and St. Joseph’s College, Ondo (1966–1971), before proceeding to the University of Lagos, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (1973–1977) as a Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Scholar. He later earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada (1980–1985), where he also held both a University Dissertation Fellowship and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship (1984–1986).
Professor Fakinlede began his academic career as a Graduate Assistant at the University of Lagos (1978–1980), and subsequently at the University of Alberta (1980–1984). He served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ilorin (1985–1998), before joining the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Abuja, as Head of Computer Systems (1998–2003).
Since 2006, he has been a Professor of Systems Engineering at the University of Lagos, where he also served as Head of the Department of Systems Engineering and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.
Professor Fakinlede’s research contributions include the development of a novel synthetic framework linking engineering design to analytical traditions in Nigeria’s pre-industrial context. His work examined systemic gaps in tertiary engineering education and proposed pathways toward strengthening Nigeria’s industrial capacity. He also developed MASC, an automated evaluation and testing platform addressing the challenges of continuous assessment in resource-constrained academic environments. This initiative further produced a Learning Management System (LMS) tailored to enhance engineering education at undergraduate, postgraduate, and professional levels.
Through pilot projects, he laid the groundwork for open-source, simulation-based training in mechanical design, with broad applicability across STEM disciplines in tertiary institutions.
Professor Omotayo Abayomi Fakinlede’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to engineering innovation, education, and national development.
Distinguished Professor Jim Unah was born on April 15, 1956. He received a graduate fellowship at the University of Lagos (1983–1985) and was appointed Lecturer in December 1985. He became a Professor of Philosophy in 1999 and has, over four decades, served the University in numerous capacities, including on Senate and Council Committees, Administrative Panels, and the Postgraduate School Academic Programmes Committee.
He pioneered the Bachelor of Arts Evening Programme for working adults, which later evolved into the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE), significantly expanding access to higher education.
Professor Unah also served as Dean, School of Languages and General Studies, and as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics) at the Premier University of São Tomé and PrÃncipe (2013–2015).
An accomplished scholar, he has supervised over fifty five (55) MA/MPE long essays, thirty (30) MBA dissertations, and eighty (18) Ph.D. theses. His research spans Phenomenology, Metaphysics, Applied Ontology, Ethics, African Philosophy, and Peace Studies. He has authored more than twenty seven (27) books, contributed over fifty two (52) book chapters, and published upwards of thirty three (33) journal articles, with over one hundred and twelve (112) scholarly works indexed on Google Scholar and WorldCat.
Professor Unah is a member of several prestigious bodies, including the Oxford Round Table, the Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL), and the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP). He is also a Past President of the Philosophers Association of Nigeria (PAN) and a recipient of multiple honours, including the Distinguished Professor Award of the University of Lagos.
He is an elected Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters (May 2019); Fellow, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja (since 2019); and Visiting Dean to establish the Faculty of Arts at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba (2022–2023).
Distinguished Professor Jim Unah is married with six children.
