LAUTECH professor dies after ‘collapsing during Juma’at prayer’

Abass Olajire, a professor of industrial and environmental chemistry at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo state, is dead.

He is said to have collapsed on Friday, while observing Juma’at prayer at the Ansarul Deen mosque in Ogbomoso.

Lekan Fadeyi, LAUTECH spokesman, told TheCable on telephone that Olajire was confirmed dead at the university’s teaching hospital in Ogbomoso, adding that his death came as a shock to the university community.

“The university management is devastated at the sudden death of professor Olajire. Acting vice-chancellor, professor Mojeed Liasu, who became perplexed at the receipt of the sad news, said Olajire was a shining star in the institution. He described his passage as a big blow,” Fadeyi said.

“He prayed almighty Allah to overlook his transgressions and forgive his sins, preparatory to granting him a space in Aljanah Firdaus.

“Family sources said the late scholar will be buried in Ibadan tomorrow.”

Fadeyi said Olajire’s research interest was in petroleum chemistry and green synthesis of nanoparticles and application.

The deceased was said to have been ranked by Elsevier B.V (Netherlands) and a team of researchers led by professor John P.A. Ioannidis from Stanford University, United States, 128th out of 66,925 top world scientists.

He joined LAUTECH in 1990 as an assistant lecturer, and was an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Ibadan.