19 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Prof. Ayodeji Badejo, New LASU Vice-Chancellor

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has approved the appointment of Professor Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo as the new Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday, September 9 via a statement issued by the Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.

The statement disclosed that Badejo, a professor of Guidance and Counselling, succeeds Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, whose five-year tenure has expired.

“Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the appointment of Professor BADEJO Ayodeji Olawumi (Nee Faji) as Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU),” the statement said.

Here are 19 things you probably don’t know about Prof. Ayodeji Olawunmi Badejo, new LASU VC:

1. She was born on 4th of August, 1962.
2. She got her NCE in 1983, then had her Bachelor in Education in 1986.
3. She obtained both her Masters and PhD in Guidance and Counselling from the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
4. She spent 30+ years in the classroom. Her career spans teaching, research, admin, and mentorship across three decades.
5. She studies online-game addiction, trauma-focused CBT, youth drug abuse, emotional intelligence, and gender issues with adolescents and young adults.
6. She’s a publishing machine. She has 80+ major scholarly works: 4 books, 17 book chapters, and 60+ peer-reviewed journal articles.
7. She has supervised 23 PhDs in 14 years. Between 2012 and 2026, and she’s called a “Mentor of Mentors” at LASU.
8. One of her PhD students won a national award. A supervisee took home the 2024 Best PhD Thesis Award.
9. As Dean, she got 100% NUC accreditation. From 2014–2016 as Dean of Education, all Faculty programmes secured full NUC accreditation.
10. She also promoted about 20 lecturers to professor during that same tenure as Dean.
11. She turned around LASU International School’s finances. As Board Chairman, she grew capital reserves from about ₦88,000 to ₦121 million and wiped out structural deficits.
12. She chairs the ethics and curriculum gatekeepers. She’s been Chairman of both the LASU Research Ethics Committee and the Senate Curriculum Committee.
13. She helped set up a major African university sports event. She chaired the 11th Pre-FASU Games Seminar ahead of the 2024 Federation of African University Sports Games.
14. She has international recognitions such as key to the City of Niagara Falls, New York, and a 2025 Distinguished Personality Award for excellence in higher education in Africa in Pretoria.
15. Her inaugural lecture had a bold title “Counsellors: Catalyst for Societal Equilibrium” was her LASU inaugural lecture.
16. She is a fellow of the Counselling Association of Nigeria (CASSON)
17. She is a fellow of the Association of Professional Counsellors in Nigeria (APROCON)
18. She is a member: American Psychological Association, Nigerian Academy of Education
19. She is a member: International Society for Policy Research in School-Based Counselling (ISPRESC)