LAUTECH lecturers play in the prime among top 2% world scholars

Despite the challenges facing education sector in Nigeria, her scholars, including those in the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) have remained resilient to extend the frontiers of knowledge.

According to the recently published data on the metrics of the top 2% scholars in the World, 121 scholars affiliated with Nigerian institutions were listed,  a development described as a highly commendable improvement when compared with 71 Nigerian scholars that were on the list in 2020.

It is particularly gratifying to note that three scholars from LAUTECH were ranked 2nd, 21st and 36th on the list, another commendable improvement on the 3rd, 35th and 61st for the scholars respectively in 2020.

 The top scholars from LAUTECH are Late Prof. Abass A. Olajire, Prof. Olugbenga Solomon Bello of Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry, as well as Prof. Agbaje Lateef of the Department of Pure and Applied Biology, who is the Head of LAUTECH Nanotechnology Research Group (NANO+). Despite the demise of Prof. Olajire this year.

The three scholars have been consistently rated among the best in Nigeria by different world-class academic ranking organizations.

In the latest ranking jointly executed by Elsevier BV and scholars from Stanford University, USA using data obtained from SCOPUS, Late Prof. Abass Olajire ranks 76 out of 77,304 scholars in Environmental Sciences; Prof. Olugbenga Bello ranks 280 out of 66,189 scholars in Chemical Engineering field, while Prof. Agbaje Lateef ranks 288 out of 52,513 in the field of Biotechnology worldwide. Prof. Abass Olajire was a Professor of Industrial/Environmental Chemistry with focus on petroleum chemistry, environment and materials chemistry, Prof. Olugbenga Bello is a Professor of Physical Chemistry with focus on adsorption studies and wastewater treatment, and Prof. Agbaje Lateef is a Professor of Microbiology with research interests in industrial microbiology, biotechnology and nanobiotechnology.

While commenting on the latest ranking, Prof. Agbaje Lateef who is a fellow of the Institute of Classic Entrepreneurship, Nigeria (ICENT) and an alumnus of LAUTECH opined that with the right academic environment, Nigerian scholars can compete with their peers around the world. He called on all the critical stakeholders in the society to pay more attention to the delivery of qualitative education in Nigeria, noting that governments at all levels must rejig the efforts to revamp education to move Nigeria towards the path of knowledge-driven economy.

Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mojeed Olaide Liasu, in reacting to the development, said the Institution's target is to be number one.

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