Prof Olayinka Taiwo Asekun joined the University of Lagos in 2003 as Lecturer 1 and rose through the ranks to become a full Professor in 2015. She obtained a B. Sc. Honours in Chemistry at the Ogun State University (1987), an M.Sc. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at the University of Lagos (1990) and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Ibadan in 2001. She has 35 years of professional experience encompassing teaching and research at tertiary institutions, including 23 years at the University of Lagos. She has 62 articles in reputable Local and International journals and has attended several International Conferences and Workshops. She is a Fellow of the Chemical Society of Nigeria (FCSN), the Institute of Chartered Chemists of Nigeria (FICCON), Institute of Public Analyst (FIPAN) and a Distinguished Fellow and Vice-President of the Institute of Security (DFISN). She is also a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Society of Medicinal Plants for Economic Development (SOMPED) and the Society of Cosmetic Scientists Nigeria (NICOS).

Prof Asekun’s administrative experiences include being the former Head of the Chemistry Department, a former Board Member of the University of Lagos Staff School and the Academic Planning Committee of the University of Lagos. She also belongs to and chairs numerous committees within and outside the University.

Prof Asekun was elected the first female Dean of the Faculty of Science and the current Dean of the Faculty of Physical and Earth Sciences.

Professor Obashoro-John is a prolific scholar and public intellectual whose works include the books Caring for Older Persons (2007), Successful Retirement (2016), and her University of Lagos Inaugural Lecture, Programme Evaluation: Back to the Future (2013). Her international scholarship includes a co-authored chapter with Professor Brian Findsen of the University of Waikato, New Zealand, addressing lifelong learning for older adults, published in Adult Education and Social Justice: International Perspectives (Firenze University Press, 2023). She has also co-authored peer-reviewed articles in public health and community education. A sought-after speaker and facilitator, she has consistently championed the view that retirement represents an opportunity for renewal and purposeful living, describing it as “freedom into freedom.”