OAU professor slumps during meeting, dies en route hospital

Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Osun State is in mourning following the passing of a senior professor, Jimoh Olanipekun, who succumbed to illness during a departmental meeting.

A statement from the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, indicated that the professor became unwell during a meeting held on Wednesday.

It was reported that during the departmental meeting on the morning of March 5, 2025, his colleagues observed that he was breathing "abnormally" and promptly transported him to the University Health and Medical Centre.

After a swift medical assessment by the attending doctors, he was transferred to the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC), also located in Ile-Ife, where he was declared deceased.

The Vice Chancellor of OAU, Professor Adebayo Bamire, along with other members of the management team, visited the professor's widow and children to offer condolences. He expressed his "shock and disbelief" at the sudden loss of such a distinguished scholar while fulfilling his professional duties.

He encouraged the family to find comfort in the knowledge that the deceased led a life filled with positive contributions to those who had the privilege of knowing him, reminding them that, as Christians, "we should understand that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away as He pleases."

Professor Bamire concluded by praying for strength for the immediate family, the Department of Philosophy, the Faculty of Arts, and the entire university community to endure this profound loss.