President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow over the death of Emeritus Professor Seth Sunday Ajayi, a renowned Nigerian scholar and pioneer of Wildlife and Fisheries Management, who passed away at the age of 82.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, on Tuesday, the President described the late professor as an exceptional scientist whose work placed Nigeria on the global map of environmental and agricultural innovation.
The statement reads partly:
“Emeritus Professor Ajayi was a giant. The story of his life is laced with many firsts, leaving indelible footprints across the realms of Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Academia, Innovation and Technological Development.
“His pioneering scientific research provided the foundation for the domestication and conservation of key African wildlife species, notably the African Giant Rat, the Grasscutter, and the Nigerian Helmeted Guinea Fowl.
“These globally acclaimed breakthroughs created sustainable pathways for increased animal protein supply in Africa while safeguarding biodiversity and preventing species extinction.
“His innovative approaches to wildlife conservation at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (UNFAO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the German Foundation for International Development and in the United Nations Environmental Programme made Nigeria proud.”
President Tinubu noted that the Mopa-born professor from Kogi State devoted his life to serving Nigeria and humanity through path-breaking research and policy interventions in wildlife ecology, fisheries management and environmental sustainability.
He recalled that Ajayi’s contributions earned him international recognition, including his induction into the United Nations Environment Programme’s prestigious Global 500 Roll of Honour in 1994, in acknowledgment of his outstanding environmental achievements.
The President also noted that the late scholar was honoured at home with the Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM) in 2013, one of the country’s highest academic distinctions.
President Tinubu extended his condolences to the Ajayi family, his friends and professional associates, the Government and people of Kogi State, and the wider Nigerian environmental and scientific community over what he described as a monumental loss.
He prayed for the repose of the soul of the late emeritus professor and urged Nigerians to draw inspiration from his legacy of scholarship, innovation and service to humanity.
