Prof. Lateef Hussein, a former LASU VC, passed away


A Nigerian physicist and educational administrator Prof. Lateef Akanni Hussein is dead. After a brief illness, Prof. Hussein passed away in the evening of Sunday, July 31, 2022 (Muharram 3rd, 1444 AH), at the age of 75. He served as the 6th substantive vice chancellor of Lagos State University (LASU) from 2005 to 2011.

When confirming the news on Monday, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, mni, the Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, expressed her deep shock at the passing away of her former boss, under whose leadership she served as the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University.

Nigerian Institute of Physics Fellow Prof. Hussein was a former Chairman of the University of Ibadan Muslim Community and the Parents Teachers Association at the International School of Ibadan (ISI) (1991–2001).

Following a Janazah prayer at LASUTH Central Mosque in Ikeja, Lagos, today, Monday, August 1, 2022, the esteemed scholar will be laid to rest at Atan Cemetery, University of Lagos Road, Yaba, Lagos State.

Tributes to Prof. Lateef Hussein

Abdulwaheed Badmus

As a VC of LASU, he brought so many changes to LASU, ended backlog of unissued certificates, put an end to corruption in some areas and unearthed lots of anomalies surrounding LASU Community Bank.

“As a VC, the conservative or hawk in LASU who wanted the status quo to continue gave him tough time and did all they could do to frustrate him until he left LASU with a vacuum yet to be filled till date.

 

Shrouding the dead

“Prof. Lateef Hussein was a former HOD of Physics Department of University of Ibadan, Dean of Faculty of Science, University of Ibadan and the famous Hall Warders, Master of Obafemi Awolowo Hall of University of Ibadan.

He is a role model in terms of discipline, honesty and integrity. He is a gem and a pride of Muslim Ummah in Nigeria and Yorubaland.

Above all, he was a Muslim and a former Chairman of University of Ibadan Muslim community.

Prof. AbdulLateef will be missed by all for his blunt and unapologetic discipline pattern of life.

Aminu Lookman Enitan

We lost another great chap: Prof. Lateef Akanni Hussein

Ina lillahi wa ina ilaihi rajiun

With total submission to the will of Allah, I announce the passing away of Professor Lateef Akanni Hussain, the former Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University. A man I so much respect ‘The best Vice Chancellor’ we had.

Prof. Lateef Akanni Hussein, as a SIWES intern in LASU, if felt your impact. You didn’t need to know me before you instructed that my entitlement based on your policy be paid.

You were the Vice Chancellor that promoted technology on campus. And the adoption was awesome with it’s impact.

Students enjoyed free internet of about 300mb daily during your administration. That was very big data in 2007. Even if you used the latest windows operating system on your system, or a Symbian tablet, or you are an early adopter of Windows mobile OS or android. You would value that much data.

Setting up ICT infrastructure everywhere on campus. And rolling out laptops to lectures was a trend.

You were the STUDENTS Vice Chancellor.

As an aggrieved student on any matter during Prof. Hussein’s time as the Vice Chancellor, all you needed was to send an email stating your complaints and evidence to the VC. He will personally read it and forward to the right authorities to treat. So many misbehaving lectures had to sit-up because the disciplinary panel were at their best. Students were winning cases against erring staff’s at the panel. I don’t think such had happened in the past, for it was always the students that got the stick.

You facilitated the graduation of several thousands of students who had completed their programs but had no certificates to back it, especially those in the LASU external system campuses. It was like a dream come true for thousands of them, to become proud alumni. Alumni’s who’s certificate could bag a better employment, progress in both work and education, and a final feeling that life could get better because of your administrations policy’s.

Dr. Olufemi Ajoseh

What an irreparable loss to the body of sagacious academia, an icon with distinctive prowess, an astute administrator with wealth of direction, a visionary who changed the archaic narrative of the university from a typical analog administration and students’ results computation to a digitalized modern profiling system, the man who changed the mentality of so many from the usual civil servant work ineptitude to a more focussed and committed civil service mantra, how best can he be described, a man who single-handedly fought for new salary structure (Hattis 5) for LASU staff members without any form of union protest, the man who turned the penury financial status of the university to a cash cow institution with standard and excellence.
I am practically lost of the best words and counts of your shot-timed live touching leadership acumen and sanctity.
May the soul of a very brilliant and renowned scholar of international repute rest in peace.

Adieu Professor Akanni Lateef HUSSAIN.
A GEM is gone home.

Majekodunmi Waheed

I will always remember Professor Lateef Akanni Hussain as someone who God appointed as my destiny helper in 2009 when I was almost at the verge of giving up on securing employment after enervating, tortuous and almost abortive search for job for 2 years after graduation. I was employed by LASU as an Administrative Officer II through the instrumentality of Professor Lateef Hussain’s policy of merit-driven recruitment and staffing process in 2009. I wrote no appeal letter for employment neither did I lobby for the job through godfather or mentor. No one asked me whether I was a Lagosian or not. The perennial question of “who is your father” was not thrown at me. Everything was based on merit. I have since risen through the ranks and currently on the verge of attaining the rank of a Principal Assistant Registrar.

Professor Lateef Hussain is a world class physicist who not only made outstanding contributions to research in solid state and nuclear physics, he was a quintessential university academic administrator who etched his name in gold in the indelible sand of history of Lagos State University. He was an incurable stickler for academic excellence just same way he was an avid crusader for justice, equity and fairness. He detest sleaze and corruption with passionate gusto and ensured that the wall of moral torpitude that was soiling the linen of Lagos State University was pulled down through dogged onslaught against corrupt elements and academic buccaneers who thrived on filthy lucre. No wonder when the heat was becoming too scorching on his traducers, the regrouped and manufactured groundswell of malicious allegations against him to eventually brought his administration to an abrupt end. Of all the phantom allegations, corruption was not included. He was unblemished and honest. His enemies admitted so.

Without fear of contradiction, I can state that Professor Lateef Hussain is a visionary and reformer who brought sanity to almost all sphere of activities in the LASU system, especially in the areas of quality of pedagogy, prompt releasing of examination results and effective streamlining of admission process and motivation of the workforce. Under his watch, LASU’s academic reputation and intellectual prowess was on the upward trajectory. He unfurled LASU’s potential to the world through a vulture of academic excellence and Spartan discipline. Even his worst enemy will admit that his endemic reforms and robust legacies laid the foundation of the recent upward movement of LASU in national and international university ranking ladder. That LASU is the best state university in Nigeria today is the culmination of Professor Lateef Hussain’s lofty vision for the Institution.

While I join the Lagos State University to mourn this great intellectual icon and quintessential university academic administrator, I solemnly beseech Almighty God, the recompenser of all good deeds, to ease his passage to the Great Beyond and overlook his human failings while on Mother Earth. My heart goes out to the family he left behind and I pray that God grant them the fortitude to bear the great and irreparable loss. Amen!

Rest on, my destiny helper.

Ooh Death! Be not proud!

Mr MAJEKODUNMI Waheed
Senior Assistant Registrar,
LASU ODLRI.

Pedro Maryam

Prof. Abdullateef Akanni Hussein

Writing about you shouldn’t be tough but it is.

You made me have a rethink of public service.

Yes, I knew people on campus but my employment was purely based on merit.

The 2009 set of Administrators struggled through about 4000 applicants.

We had our first tests, which was purely verbal reasoning in objective format.

Then the second test comprised of verbal, quantitative reasoning and logic in objective format.

The third test was written test which included writing letters, memos, articles and solving logic tests which was a University exam standard logic test.

Then the interview was drilling with English Language test, administration basics, knowledge of the University and Current affairs.

Out of the 4000, i was one of the successful 50.

If you hadn’t stood your ground as a Vice-Chancellor, some of us wouldn’t get that opportunity.

You were a physicist of repute, an astute administrator, and a father to the students.

You always had an open door policy.

You were the first Vice-Chancellor in LASU to publicly publish your e-mail. You responded to your mails promptly and with dexterity you resolved issues.

Ya Allah, forgive Abdullateef Akanni Hussein.

This will be his first night in his qabr. Ease his questioning.

إِنَّا ِلِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ

May Allah grant him aljanna fridaus and give Prof. Abdullateef Hussein’s family and all of us the strength to endure his passing. Aameen.

 

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