Professor Oladapo Afolabi CFR, (born 3 October 1953) is a former academic who was sworn in as Head of Service of the Federation of Nigeria by President
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan (born 20 November 1957)Lawson Heyford, ''The Source'' (Lagos), 11 December 2006. is a Nigerian politician who served as the President of Nigeria from 2010 to 2015. He lost the 2015 presidential election to fo ...
on 18 November 2010. In this position, he is responsible for the
Nigerian Civil Service
The Nigerian Civil Service consists of employees in Nigerian government agencies other than the military and police. Most employees are career civil servants in the Nigerian ministries, progressing based on qualifications and seniority. Recently ...
.
[
]
Birth and academic career
Afolabi was born on 3 October 1953 in Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
, Oyo State
Oyo State is an inland States of Nigeria, state in southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo State is b ...
.
He is the son of Princess Asimawu Gbemisola Aweni Adeyemi and grandson of the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Lawani Adeyemi, Oyeloja II. He attended Igbo-Elerin Grammar School, Ibadan, Mayflower School, Ikenne
Ikenne is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ikenne at .
It has an area of 144 km and a population of 118,735 at the 2006 census.
The postal code of the area is 121.
Wards in Ikenne
# Iken ...
, Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan for his secondary education.[
He attended the University of Ife, now ]Obafemi Awolowo University
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is a federal government-owned university that is located in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The university was founded in 1961 and classes commenced in October 1962 as the University of Ife ...
, Ile-Ife (1972–1975), earning a BSc in biochemistry. After receiving his degree, he worked as a graduate assistant while studying for his MSc in biochemistry, which he gained in 1978, followed by a PhD in applied chemistry in 1981.[
Afolabi won a fellowship at ]Howard University
Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
as an International Atomic Energy Agency Fellow in 1983.
He taught at Obafemi Awolowo University, the University of Zimbabwe
The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the University ...
and Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) is a tertiary institution located in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. The university enrolls over 30,000 students and employs more than 3,000 workers including contract staff.
History
In 1987, G ...
, Ogbomosho
Ogbomosho (also Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́) is a city in Oyo State, south-western Nigeria. It was founded in the mid 17th century. The population was approximately 454,690 in the 2006 census. It is the second largest city in Oyo State and also among ...
. Afolabi specialised in environmental and food nutritional chemistry, and contributed many papers on related subjects.
He played an important role in organising the first Ecological Summit in 1988, which led to creation of the Federal Ministry of Environment.[
]
Public servant
Afolabi joined the Federal Environmental Protection Agency in June 1991.[
He started at the agency as a manager, rising to become the acting director.][
He joined the Federal Ministry of Environment when it was formed in 1995.][
Afolabi chaired the committee that defined the initial structure of the ministry, and then was appointed coordinator and then director of the Department of Pollution Control and Environmental Health.
At the Environment Ministry he supervised the Integrated Solid waste Management Facility for 15 cities,
and was responsible for a number of studies on waste management and pollution reduction.][
In October 2006 Afolabi was appointed a permanent secretary of the Federal Civil Service by President ]Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...
.
In June 2007 he became permanent secretary of the Ministry of Labour.
In November 2007 he moved to the newly created Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, formerly two separate ministries.
In February 2009 Afolabi was assigned to the Cabinet Secretariat, in which role he introduced storage of documents in electronic form. In August 2009 he was again posted as a permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education, where he helped end a three-month strike.[
]
Head of Service
Afolabi was sworn in as Head of Service on 18 November 2010.[
He succeeded ]Steve Oronsaye
Stephen Osagiede Oronsaye is a Nigerian accountant and civil servant who was appointed Head of the Nigerian Civil Service, Civil Service of the Federation in June 2009. He began an energetic program of reform immediately after his appointment.
...
, who retired on 16 November 2010 after reaching the statutory retirement age of 60.[
]
Partial bibliography
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afolabi, Oladapo
1953 births
Nigerian scientists
Living people
Yoruba scientists
People from Ibadan
Obafemi Awolowo University alumni
Political office-holders in Nigeria
Yoruba academics
Obafemi Awolowo University faculty
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology faculty
Howard University faculty
Nigerian expatriate academics in the United States
Ibadan Grammar School alumni
Mayflower School alumni