The First Technical University, Ibadan, has appointed Professor of Ecosystems Management, Iyiola Oladunjoye Tella, as its new Deputy Vice Chancellor.
Prof. Tella is replacing the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Adesola Ajayi, who was recently appointed the Vice Chancellor and whose tenure will end on 31st March, 2022.
Prof. Tella has been involved in teaching, research and mentorship at the university level for 28 years.
Promoted a full professor in 2008, he has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research articles and supervised more than 45 successful postgraduate candidates; of which 16 are PhD.
He has served at various times as Head of Department, Faculty Rep to Postgraduate School, Director of Research and Development at the Modibbo Adama University (formerly Federal University of Technology, Yola).
At the First Technical University, Ibadan, Tella is the pioneer Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development (I4SD), while he has acted as Director of Academic Planning and Quality Assurance and, most recently, he was the Director of Partnerships and International Linkages.
Through the years, he has provided institutional support to some government ministries and agencies, and has also served several sister universities as an External Examiner and as an Assessor of Professor.
He has also participated at many consultative workshops that addressed various ecosystem issues in Nigeria, and many African and European countries.
He was, at a time, a Senior Research Advisor at Shell Petroleum Development Company (biodiversity matters) and, for several years, he has served as Lead Consultant for biodiversity studies and environmental audits commissioned by oil and gas companies (in the Niger Delta), and for several companies with interest in renewable energy (in Northern Nigeria).
Professor Iyiola TELLA is active in several collaborative research works that span: ecosystems restoration, plant-site interactions, ethnoforestry, ecosystem valuation, bioenergy, sustainable rural livelihoods, ecological modeling and sustainable development policy.
He is married to Dr. Dupe TELLA and they are blessed with children.
Meanwhile, Tech-U has held its fifth convocation.
The event held on Tuesday March 22, with 185 students matriculating.
Addressing the students, Professor Salami urged them to make the best use of the novel and robust opportunity the institution offers them.
According to him, they should take a cue from the success of the first set whose convocation held on March 5, especially the 12 first class graduates whom Tech-U offered automatic employment just as it will facilitate overseas postgraduate programmes for them.
The VC said, “I have taken time to paint the picture of how beautiful it is to study well and record great grades. It is to tell you that this university has a good plan for you. In terms of education, our programme is robust, diversified and rich. It includes academic education, entrepreneurship, the vocational, technical and communicational.
“This university will equip you with the learning that will make you assert yourself and succeed anywhere you find yourself. You will be fit to work in corporate organisations, project fields and anywhere suitably qualified graduates are required. You will be able to employ yourself and employ others. You will be able to establish your own businesses, thereby building your own economy and contributing to the economy of your state and country.
“You must therefore see yourself in the big picture. See yourself in the great future that is just a few years away. By the way, you, by now, must know that every graduate of the First Technical University, Ibadan, gets three certificates upon graduation. You get your BSc. Certificate, a Diploma in Entrepreneurship, and a Diploma in French Language. This shows that you will be ripe to get employed or create employment in all of the three areas.”
Packaged by Dare Raji
