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Professor Wale Are Olaitan, a former Vice Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), has died. Olaitan passed away Monday after a prolonged illness that began in 2020. He was 60 years old.
Born in September 1964 in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, the deceased scholar was celebrated for his brilliance, dedication to academia, and commitment to social justice. Olaitan began his education at Molusi College, Ijebu-Igbo, before working briefly as a secondary school teacher. In 1982, he joined the pioneering class of the Political Science Department at Ogun State University (now OOU), where he graduated in 1986 as the Overall Best Student and delivered the university’s first-ever valedictory speech.
His academic excellence earned him an appointment as a graduate assistant at OOU and sponsorship for postgraduate studies at the University of Ibadan, where he completed his doctorate in Political Science.
A respected expert in Political Theory and State-Society Relations, Professor Olaitan authored and co-authored over 40 books and academic papers published in leading local and international journals. He rose through the academic ranks, serving as Head of the Political Science Department, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, and ultimately becoming the first alumnus to serve as Vice Chancellor of OOU.
In addition to his academic achievements, Professor Olaitan was a prolific public intellectual. He wrote a widely respected weekly column, Discourse, for the Nigerian Tribune and syndicated it on NewsScroll, where he also served as an Editorial Advisor. His writings often addressed critical national and global issues, and he used his voice to advocate for ordinary Nigerians, particularly the marginalized and oppressed.
Professor Olaitan is survived by his wife, Kemi, and their two children, Alanu and Judge. His passing is a significant loss to academia, the media, and the wider community.
