The Governing Council of the University of Offa has announced the appointment of Professor Kazeem Alagbe Gbolagade as the institution’s new Vice-Chancellor.
The announcement was contained in a statement signed by the Acting Registrar, Jibola Oyewale, who described the selection process as rigorous and transparent, aimed at identifying a visionary leader to advance the university’s mission of academic excellence, innovation, and community development.
Prof. Gbolagade, a distinguished scholar of Computer Science with more than two decades of academic and administrative experience, brings a wealth of expertise to his new role.
An alumnus of the University of Ilorin, where he obtained his BSc in Computer Science, he later earned an MSc from the University of Ibadan and a PhD from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. His academic journey began at Olabisi Onabanjo University in 2002, and by March 2014 he had risen to the rank of Professor of Computer Science at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete.
Prof. Gbolagade has held several leadership positions, including Vice-Chancellor of Ahman Pategi University, Provost and Pioneer Dean of the Faculty of ICT at KWASU, and Dean of the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Ghana, where he also served as Dean-in-Charge of the Navrongo Campus. He has also headed Computer Science departments in both Nigeria and Ghana.
A prolific researcher, he has supervised 26 doctoral candidates and numerous postgraduate and undergraduate students, with over 150 peer-reviewed publications to his credit. His scholarship has been presented at international conferences across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America. In March 2018, he delivered KWASU’s third inaugural lecture and later that year received the university’s first-ever Post-Professorial Achievement Award.
Prof. Gbolagade is a recipient of several international fellowships and research grants, including the ICTP Fellowship (Italy), HiPEAC Grant (Spain), AIMS Fellowship (South Africa), and multiple TETFund grants. He has also served on accreditation panels for the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB), as well as an external examiner for various universities.
He holds fellowships from the Chartered Institute of Leadership & Governance (USA), the Pan African Institute for Entrepreneurship & Community Development, and the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS). He is also a registered member of the Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria).
In his acceptance remarks, Prof. Gbolagade thanked the Governing Council for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to reposition the University of Offa as a hub for technological innovation, global partnerships, and inclusive academic growth.
Members of the university community have welcomed his appointment, expressing optimism that his tenure will usher in a new era of development and excellence.
