Chief (Mrs) Mojisola LADIPO, FNIM, mni

Quintessential University Administrator, eloquent Public Speaker, elegant and ageless, Philanthropist, devoted Mother and grandmother, unrepentantly proud alumnae of the University of Ibadan, distinguished daughter of Ibadanland, amazing Trainer, Coach and Mentor of many past and present University Administrators and Managers, an undisputed living legend of University Administration in Nigeria, Chief Mojisola Ladipo was born on a bright afternoon on June 9, 1951.

She holds a first degree in English (1972) and a Master’s Degree in Industrial and Labour Relations (1985) both from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. She started her career as an Education Officer in the Federal Ministry of Education in 1972 but resigned in 1975 to join the University of Ibadan as an Administrative Officer II but was invited to apply for and got appointed to the post of Assistant Registrar in to serve as Assistant Registrar in the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University in 1997. She was again persuaded to return to Ibadan as Senior Assistant Registrar on the creation of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and rose through the two ranks remaining to clinch the post of Registrar. In her case, the saying that a rolling stone gathers no moss is an anomaly! She managed to gather a lot of Moss.

She was appointed as the first female Registrar of the University of Ibadan with effect from 1 January 1996, 4 years after attaining the position of Deputy Registrar. She served for 10 years as Registrar and chose to retire from service with loud encomiums on 31 December 2006.

She was invited to accept the Fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM) in 2005 because of her meritorious service as a member of the Board of that Institute. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, CIPM, and one of the earliest international members of the Association of University Administrators. AUA.UK where she was the first Nigerian to deliver papers at the annual Conference. She served as an External Assessor for the University of Ghana, Legon for many years. She is an Alumnae of the Lagos Business School, (LBS) (1997) and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru (NIPSS) (2005).

Her story is replete with invitations to serve! On 17 November, 2006, six weeks before the end of her tenure, the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, (NUC) personally dropped a letter on her table, inviting her to serve her sabbatical year at the National Universities Commission. While there, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) persuaded her to serve as pioneer Registrar of the Catholic University of Nigeria, Veritas University, Abuja, having been a consultant and pioneer member of the Implementation Committee of that University at the early stages of the founding of that University. They asked her to name her salary and perquisites of Office. She served for 5 years and decided to retire for the second time and face her consultancy.

She was also invited to serve as Associate Expert (Publications and Administration) Institute for African Culture and International Understanding (IACIU), a Category 2 UNESCO Institute, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta.

As Registrar, University of Ibadan, she revived the moribund Committee of Registrars of Nigerian Universities (CORNU) and served as the longest Chairman for 8 years, giving renewed vigour, respectability and relevance to that body in government circles and the University System in Nigeria.  She also worked tirelessly to re-establish the Association of University Professional Administrators (ANUPA) as the training arm of CORNU, now ARNU, and a viable and virile Association in the University landscape.

To date, she remains a colossus in the field of higher education management, ‘the one to check with’ in matters of rules, regulations, precedents, tradition and culture, by many universities and education agencies across Nigeria.  She has given over a hundred (100) lectures and presentations on Higher Education Management in universities across Nigeria and in the United Kingdom on topics ranging from Mentoring and Coaching, Emotional Intelligence and Communication Strategies, Service Delivery and Customer Satisfaction in University Administration, Change Management, University Traditions and Sustainability, to issues of Gender and the Environment in Universities, civil and professional associations and across public and private schools and universities in the country. She was a regular face at the annual Conference of Council and Principal Officers of Nigerian Universities which used to be organised by the AVCNU, formerly CVC.

Long before University Advancement became established in the university system, she had been at the forefront of pursuing gifts, benefactions, and fundraising for the University of Ibadan in her position as Registrar. She has continued to be of relevance and reference in her field not only in universities in Nigeria but also outside Nigeria. An avid traveler, she has visited virtually all States in Nigeria, and many countries in Africa, Europe and North America, India, Israel, and Jordan, either officially or for tourism and personal fulfillment.

Her passion is in the formation of young people for relevance to self and national development, regardless of tribe, religious affinity, or gender. She is currently the Acting Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the Dominican University.

In summary, Chief Mojisola Ladipo, FNIM, mni, the Ekefa Iyalode of Ibadanland is an indefatigable woman of substance, an Educationist and erudite Administrator with over 50 years of strategic management and administrative experience with contributions spanning the length and breadth of University Management, focusing on growth and development, capacity building, and sustainability on the local and international scene.