DistantNews
Support us
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Sports

UNILAG scholars celebrate colleague for advancing anatomy in Nigeria

From The Punch · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Outcome reported
  • University of Lagos academics and dignitaries honored Prof. Abayomi Okanlawon at a retirement celebration marking his 44 years in anatomy.
  • Speakers credited him with mentoring generations of scholars and helping build institutions in the field.
  • A keynote address argued that academic excellence should be measured by mentorship, institutional memory and the people scholars empower, not publications alone.

Prof. Abayomi Okanlawon’s influence at the University of Lagos was celebrated as extending far beyond anatomy textbooks and research papers. After 44 years in the profession, he retired at 70 to a gathering of senior academics, university leaders and other dignitaries at the College of Medicine.

The college held a Valedictory Symposium and Retirement Celebration in his honor at the Old Great Hall. Its theme, “Beyond Anatomy: Custodian of Memory, Maker of Scholars, Builder of Institutions,” captured the legacy colleagues said he had built through decades of teaching, mentorship and institutional work.

What I have posited today is that we should look at institutional memories, mentorship, and how many people we have actually capacitated.

· Prof. Abraham OsinubiThe keynote speaker explained how academic excellence should be assessed beyond publication totals.

Leading figures at the event included UNILAG Vice-Chancellor Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, former Vice-Chancellor Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Okanlawon’s mentor Prof. Oladapo Ashiru and College of Medicine Provost Prof. Ademola Oremosu. They joined scholars from the college in honoring a professor described as a father of anatomy.

We should build people and not just buildings.

· Prof. Abraham OsinubiOsinubi emphasized Okanlawon’s role as a mentor and institution builder.

In the keynote address, Prof. Abraham Osinubi, dean of UNILAG’s School of Postgraduate Studies, said Okanlawon had built and empowered people while leaving a lasting mark on the Department of Anatomy and the Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences. Osinubi called him a man who was “out of the room but still in the room” because his impact continued through those he had trained.

“What I have posited today is that we should look at institutional memories, mentorship, and how many people we have actually capacitated,” Osinubi said. He urged academics to ask whether their work would continue after they left, adding: “We should build people and not just buildings.” He described Okanlawon as a developmental supervisor who had prepared many others to advance the profession.

Out of the room but still in the room.

· Prof. Abraham OsinubiHe used the phrase to describe Okanlawon’s continuing influence after retirement.
About this summary

Originally published by The Punch in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog