Ekiti State-born academic trailblazer, Professor Samuel Kolade Adeyoju, has died at the age of 88. Professor Adeyoju was celebrated as the first Professor of Forestry in Africa, making invaluable contributions to the field over his illustrious career.
According to a statement from the Adeyoju family, Professor Adeyoju passed away on June 19, 2024 in Ibadan after a brief illness. He was an Emeritus Professor of Forestry at the prestigious University of Ibadan, where he had a long and distinguished tenure.
“With deep sense of honor and great submission to God’s will, we announce the passing of our patriarch and respectable academic, Prof. Kolade Adeyoju, who joined the higher realm on the 19th June, 2024, during a brief illness,” the family statement read.
The statement highlighted Professor Adeyoju’s numerous accomplishments, describing him as “an academic juggernaut” who “boldly etched his name in gold and annals of history as the First Professor of Forestry in Africa.”
Born in Ijan Ekiti, Professor Adeyoju attended the prestigious Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti, before earning his PhD from the London School of Economics. He made groundbreaking contributions to forestry development and management across Africa and globally during his illustrious career.
“His enormous contributions to the growth of scholarship was superb. His exploits in Forestry Development and Management in Africa and across the globe, garnered wide acknowledgement and applause during his lifetime,” the family statement read.
Professor Adeyoju is survived by his wife, Dr. Adeola Adeyoju, as well as his successful children and grandchildren. Funeral arrangements will be announced by the family at a later date.