The Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium at Osun State University’s Osogbo Campus was filled with quiet reverence on Thursday as the university community gathered to honour a man whose footprints remain indelible on its soil. The 3rd Biennial Lecture in memory of Professor Taiwo Adegboyega Adewole brought together family members, academics, traditional rulers, students and dignitaries from across Nigeria. All were united by one purpose: to celebrate a life that, in the words of Vice-Chancellor Professor Clement Odunayo Adebooye, “left the world better than it met it.”
A Foundation of Excellence at Osun State University
Professor Taiwo Adegboyega Adewole was no ordinary academic. His credentials read like a roadmap of relentless intellectual pursuit: B.Sc in Biochemistry from the University of Ibadan (1974), PhD in Biochemistry from Obafemi Awolowo University (1982), MBBCh from the University of Calabar (1985), and Fellowship of the West African College of Physicians in Laboratory Medicine (1996). He served as the pioneer Provost of UNIOSUN’s College of Health Sciences-the man who laid the bricks upon which the institution’s medical programme now stands.
“Someone who started the College of Medicine in this university is being remembered for the good that he did,” the Vice-Chancellor declared. “The university, in recognition of his input and delivery, decided that every year we must remember this man. He left the society better than he met it.”
The Lecture: New Hope for Sickle Cell Warriors in Nigeria
This year’s lecture focused on immunobiology and sickle cell disease-a subject deeply connected to Professor Adewole’s pioneering work. The guest lecturer, Professor Rahman Ayodele Bolarinwa, a researcher of international repute, delivered a masterclass on the intersection of molecular genetics and sickle cell disease.
Nigeria, he reminded the audience, remains the global epicentre of sickle cell disease. Between four and six million Nigerians live with the condition, while 20 to 25 percent of the population carries the sickle cell trait. The burden is staggering. Yet amid this sobering reality, science continues to offer genuine hope.
Professor Bolarinwa traced the remarkable journey of prenatal diagnosis for sickle cell disease in Nigeria-a foundation laid by Professor Adewole and his colleagues. In a landmark study, they analysed 124 DNA samples using PCR-RFLP technology and confirmed haemoglobin SS in 23 cases (18.5 percent) through chorionic villi sampling as early as six to ten weeks in utero.
“This was the first ever study to use molecular biology tools to establish prenatal diagnosis for sickle cell disease in Nigeria,” Professor Bolarinwa emphasised. “It is this foundation that other studies are building upon in this country.”
The Seed That Refused to Die: UNIOSUN Medical Programme’s Remarkable Journey
Perhaps the most poignant moment of the ceremony came when Vice-Chancellor Adebooye recounted the tumultuous history of UNIOSUN’s medical programme-a story of near-destruction and miraculous resurrection.
In 2011, the medical programme was abruptly cancelled by the then Governor of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. Students who were ready to advance to the clinical stages were farmed out to Ukraine at enormous cost. Professor Adewole and his colleagues fought valiantly but could not rescue the programme at that time.
“The seed that Professor Adewole sowed, the seed that he laboured to nurture, someone decapitated it but did not uproot it from the ground. The stump of the tree sprouted and has yielded fruit for the very first time.”
That fruit was realised in 2018 when the programme was revived. Recently, in August 2026, for the first time in Nigerian medical education history, 90 medical doctors were inducted at once-the pioneer set of medical students from Osun State University.
“If my enemy is going to attack me,” the Vice-Chancellor reflected, “the only thing he should just do is to let my stump remain. Perhaps there will be that opportunity for me to regrow.”
A Life of Service, Sacrifice and Quiet Faith
The story of Professor Taiwo Adewole extends far beyond university corridors. Born on 26 August 1949 in Osubu, Ejigbo, he remained deeply committed to his hometown even as his star rose nationally. His first building outside his office was erected not in the state capital but in Ejigbo, where he actively participated in community development committees.
At the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), he established the first research medical laboratory for HIV/AIDS treatment-reputedly the third largest in Nigeria with over 100 staff members. As founder and head of the clinical sciences department, he was among the first clinicians to harmonise HIV treatment in Nigeria and contributed significantly to the national scale-up of care.
His faith was equally central to his identity. A born-again Christian and committed leader, he served as medical team leader for the Christian Surgical Mission-judged three times as the best medical team in Nigeria-and chaired the medical board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
Yet for all his professional achievements and international recognition, those who knew him best remember a gentle soul who loved music, sang hymns with devotion, and played the piano with remarkable dexterity. He was a devoted husband to Deaconess Keji Adewole for 38 years and a loving father to Prince Adedokun Adewole, Prince Adeoye Adewole, and Princess Mrs Oluwasayo Adewole.
A Call to Action: What Legacy Will You Leave?
As the ceremony drew to a close, the Vice-Chancellor challenged everyone present with a question that lingered in the air: “What legacy are you going to leave behind?”
The answer, he suggested, lies in preserving values, building upon achievements, and continuing the work begun by pioneers like Professor Adewole. With one of Nigeria’s best teaching hospitals and world-class laboratories at its disposal, Osun State University is committed to advancing research in sickle cell disease, building on the points raised by the guest lecturer.
“The best way to honour our pioneers is not merely to remember them, but to preserve their values, build upon their achievements, and continue the work they began.”
In honouring Professor Taiwo Adegboyega Adewole, Osun State University did more than remember a departed scholar. It reaffirmed its commitment to the ideals he embodied-excellence, service, integrity and innovation. And in doing so, it ensured that his legacy will continue to inspire generations yet unborn.