Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Ovia, Others for Ibidapo-Obe Memorial Symposium

The Ibidapo-Obe Foundation for Educational Transformation (IFFET) has announced the second edition of its Biennial Memorial Symposium in memory of the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Emeritus Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who died on  January 3, 2021. The Symposium, which is themed “Beyond Big Data,” is aimed at championing discussions around how the advent of both big data and allied analytics could be leveraged to proffer novel solutions to the diverse socio-economic challenges that plague the country.

The memorial symposium, scheduled to take place on the 5th of January, 2024, at the Rahaman Bello Hall in UNILAG, is an educational forum designed to feature lectures from erudite scholars, including business professionals, on the inherent potentials of big data in positively positioning Nigeria as a force to be reckoned with across the global marketplace.  It is on this premise that Olumide Soyombo, the Co-Founder of Bluechip Technologies, has been billed to give the keynote address on the topic entitled “Moving Beyond Data Visualisation to Data Applications.”

The Symposium will be hosting distinguished personalities like Dr Jim Ovia,  Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc; Prof. Folashade Ogunsola, Vice Chancellor of UNILAG; Sir Demola Aladekomo, Chairman of Chams Plc; Abike Dabiri-Erewa, CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM); Emeritus Prof Peter Okebukola,  former Executive President of UNESCO’s African Network for Innovations in Higher Education & Former Executive Secretary of the National University Commission (NUC); Prof Deji Badiru, Dean of Engineering, U.S. Airforce Institute of Technology, among others.

Commenting on the essence of the occasion,  the Executive Director of IFFET, Mrs Olusola Ibidapo-Obe ,noted that the symposium seeks to foster intelligent conversations around exploring the practical application of both big data and data analytics within the realities of today’s world.

“The conceptualisation of the Biennial Symposium is aimed at preserving the laudable academic, leadership, and professional legacy of Emeritus Prof. Ibidapo-Obe. During his lifetime, he was visibly at the forefront of advocating for the potential of scientific advancements to be extensively explored across all walks of life in order to uncover bespoke solutions that could strategically place Nigeria, including its professionals, on the global map. It is to this end that we have taken up the initiative to fulfil his lifelong ambition by bringing together both academic scholars, as well as business leaders, to discuss how big data could be explored to strategically project Nigeria among other nations,” she said.

Emeritus Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, in his lifetime, was the Founding Vice Chancellor of Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu Alike, Ebonyi State. He held the position of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council for the First Technical University of Oyo State, the African University of Science and Technology in Abuja, and Crawford University, respectively.