Last Updated on January 8, 2026 by Olasunkanmi Olajide

The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), has announced the passing of its Pioneer Dean of the College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM), Emeritus Professor Seth Sunday Ajayi, a renowned scholar and trailblazer in Wildlife Management and Conservation.

Emeritus Professor Ajayi was Africa’s first Professor of Wildlife Management and a towering figure in environmental and wildlife studies in Africa.

He played a pioneering role in institutional development, notably spearheading the establishment of the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Management at the University of Ibadan in 1981, the first of its kind in any African university, where he served as Pioneer Head of Department (1981–1987). He later became the Pioneer Dean of the College of Environmental Resources Management (COLERM) at FUNAAB in 1988, and also served as the Pioneer Director of the Centre for Environmental Protection and Natural Resources in 1999.

Emeritus Professor Ajayi’s passing marks the end of an era. FUNAAB and the global academic community mourn the loss of a pioneer whose legacy in environmental conservation, scholarship, and institutional development would endure for generations.