Professor Adebowale Omole, former Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian Newspapers, has died at the age of 84.
Omole, popularly known as Professor Wale Omole, died on Tuesday evening, November 10, 2026, according to a source quoted by the OAU public relations officer, Abiodun Olanrewaju.
His death brings to an end the life of a distinguished academic, university administrator and public intellectual whose career spanned academia, journalism and public affairs.
He served as Vice-Chancellor of OAU, then known as the University of Ife, from 1991 to 1999, becoming the first alumnus of the institution to rise to the position.
He was formally sworn in as vice-chancellor on November 30, 1991.
Born on August 13, 1939, to Pa Emmanuel Adedeji Omole and Mama Beatrice Aarinola Omole, the late professor attended Ilesha Grammar School between 1956 and 1962.
He subsequently worked briefly with the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Ibadan before commencing his university education.
Omole obtained a Bachelor of Agriculture degree from the University of Ife in 1968 and an MPhil in Animal Science in 1970.
He proceeded to the University of Alberta, Canada, where he earned a doctorate in Nutritional Biochemistry in 1973.
His academic career at the University of Ife began as an assistant lecturer, and he rose through the ranks to become a professor of Animal Science in the early 1980s and later served as Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture between 1983 and 1985.
He also had international academic experience at Alabama A&M University in the United States, where he served as a professor of Food Science and Animal Industry from 1986 to 1987.
Omole’s tenure as OAU vice-chancellor was marked by significant administrative challenges.
His leadership of the university eventually became the subject of intense controversy during the 1999 succession process.
Despite the turbulence surrounding the end of his tenure, a government-commissioned visitation review cleared his administration of financial wrongdoing after multiple audits.
He voluntarily retired as vice-chancellor in November 1999 after eight years at the helm of the institution.
In accepting his retirement, the university’s governing council described him as a dynamic vice-chancellor with original and progressive ideas and praised his dedication to the institution.
Beyond the university system, Omole established himself as an influential voice in Nigeria’s intellectual and public affairs.
He became Chairman of the Editorial Board of The Guardian, where he played a prominent role in shaping the newspaper’s editorial perspective.
He was also involved in the development of the Yoruba Academy, a multidisciplinary initiative bringing together scholars, politicians, business leaders and experts to promote research and development in Yoruba language, culture, governance, economics, law, science and technology.
Omole also served in other institutional leadership roles after his tenure at OAU, including as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso.
His contribution to academia and public life earned him several honours and recognitions.
He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Chrisland University, which described him as an accomplished academic and administrator who had made significant contributions to education and society.
Omole is survived by family members, colleagues and admirers across Nigeria and beyond.
His death is expected to be particularly felt in academic and media circles, as well as among the wider OAU community, where he remains remembered as the institution’s first alumnus to become vice-chancellor.
