Ex-INEC National Commissioner, Olurode to Deliver Retirement Lecture at UNILAG

By Kamil Opeyemi
A former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Lai Olurode will on Tuesday deliver a lecture marking the formal end of his teaching career at the University of Lagos.
Olurode, former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, would deliver the lecture, titled: “Knowledge Sector, Public Interest and Power Structure,” scheduled to hold at the Faculty of Social Sciences Lecture Theatre.”
Former Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof Rahamon Bello will be the chairman of the event while it will also be witnessed by the Vice Chancellor, (UNILAG), Prof. Folashade Ogunsola.
Olurode, a retired sociology professor at UNILAG stressed the need for conversation between experts in scientific knowledge generation and those in formal positions of power, if public interest would be better served.
Olurode taught Sociology at the institution for over 40 years, joined the university in 1980 as a Graduate Assistant.
He had his first degree and masters degree in sociology at UNILAG and obtained his doctorate at the University of Sussex in Brighton, U. K. Olurode was promoted a professor in the year 2000. He had been head of sociology and Dean of faculty of social sciences in UNILAG.
Also, he was a national commissioner with the Independent National Electoral Commission from 2010 to 2015.
Since retirement in November 2022, he has been active in community service particularly in his country home of Iwo, Osun State.
This year, Olurode delivered a paper at the NPO Reports’ maiden dialogue on campaign promises.