The Governing Council of the University of Offa, Kwara State, has announced the appointment of Professor Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade as the institution’s new Vice-Chancellor.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the Acting Registrar, Jibola Oyewale, earlier today.
He said the appointment followed a rigorous and transparent selection process aimed at choosing a visionary leader capable of driving the university’s mission of academic excellence, innovation, and community development.
Prof. Gbolagade, a renowned scholar of Computer Science with over two decades of academic and administrative experience, is expected to bring fresh dynamism to the university.
A graduate of the University of Ilorin, where he earned his BSc in Computer Science, he went on to obtain his MSc from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.
He began his academic career in 2002 at Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, and was elevated to the rank of Professor of Computer Science in March 2014 at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.
Prof. Gbolagade has served as Vice-Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Kwara State; Provost and later Pioneer Dean of the Faculty of ICT at KWASU; Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana, where he also doubled as Dean-in-Charge of the Navrongo Campus.
He has equally headed Computer Science departments in both Ghana and Nigeria.
A prolific researcher, Prof. Gbolagade has supervised 26 PhD candidates, numerous MSc and undergraduate students, and has over 150 peer-reviewed publications to his credit.
He has presented his research at international conferences across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.
Notably, he delivered KWASU’s third inaugural lecture in March 2018 and received the institution’s first-ever Post-Professorial Achievement Award the same year.
Professor Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade is also a recipient of several international fellowships and research grants, including the ICTP Fellowship (Italy), HiPEAC Grant (Spain), AIMS Fellowship (South Africa), and multiple TETFund grants between 2015 and 2021.
Beyond academia, Prof. Gbolagade has served on NUC and NAB accreditation panels, acted as an external examiner to various universities, and is widely regarded as a mentor to the next generation of scholars.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Leadership & Governance (USA), Pan African Institute for Entrepreneurship & Community Development, and the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS).
He is also a registered member of the Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria).
In his acceptance remarks, Prof. Gbolagade expressed appreciation to the Governing Council for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to reposition the University of Offa as a hub for technological innovation and global partnerships.
The university community has since welcomed him and expressed optimism that his tenure would usher in a new era of growth, inclusiveness, and excellence.
