By WALE AKINOLA, OAU, Ile-Ife

The Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Professor ‘Tale Omole, has described the death of Nigeria’s foremost Economist, Prof. Sam Aluko as a great loss not only to his family, but also to the entire academia, and in particular to OAU, where he was the pioneer Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences between 1967 and 1980.

Reacting to the death of Prof. Aluko during a condolence visit to the deceased’s family,  Omole recalled his inestimable contributions as the Dean of the Faculty of Education, OAU.

He said: “Professor Aluko’s contributions led to the development of the faculty,  as a consummate teacher, he was a role model and a mentor to many scholars of Economics.”

Speaking further, he noted that as an erudite scholar and a bureaucrat,  Prof. Aluko by his selfless service and expertise, first as the Economic Adviser to the Second Republic Governor of Ondo State and later to the Military Government of General Sani Abacha, immensely impacted on the socio-economic development of both the then Ondo State and the nation.