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A professor Industrial/Environmental Chemistry at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology(LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Abass Olajire, is dead.
The 59-year-old professor slumped and died while observing Juma’at prayer on Friday.
The late scholar was buried in Ibadan on Saturday, according to Islamic rites, The Punch reports.
Olajire was recently listed among the top scholars in the world, according to a ranking released by Elsevier B. V (Netherlands) and a team of researchers led by Prof. John P.A. loannidis of Stanford University, United States.
He was ranked 128th out of 66,925 top world scientists in the world in March 2021.
LAUTECH’s Public Relations Officer, Lekan Fadeyi, also confirmed the professor’s death.
“The University Management is devastated at the sudden death of
Abass Abiola Olajire, a renowned researcher and erudite Professor of Industrial/Environmental Chemistry, whose research interest was in Petroleum Chemistry and Green synthesis of Nanoparticles/Application.
“Acting Vice-Chancellor, LAUTECH, Professor Mojeed Olaide Liasu, who became perplexed at the receipt of the sad news, said Professor Abass was a shining star in the institution and described his passage as a big blow.
“He prayed Almighty Allah to overlook his transgressions and forgive his sins, preparatory to granting him a space in Aljanah Firdaus,” Fadeyi said.
Olajire was a recipient of the Best Lecturer award by the LAUTECH branch of National Association Mathematics Students, 1994.
He was a member of the Nigerian Association Petroleum Explorationists, Chemical Society Nigeria, Oluyole Club, New York Academy of Sciences, and Chemical Society Nigeria.