James Olugbenga Aribisala is a Nigerian academic, Professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, and the first Vice-Chancellor of the newly established Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, located in Iyin Ekiti. He was appointed by President Bola Tinubu on March 25, 2025.
Education
James Aribisala completed his secondary school education at Ifaki Grammar School, Ifaki-Ekiti (1974–1979), where he obtained his West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). He attended the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), where he earned his first Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) and second degrees in Civil Engineering (M.Eng.).
He later obtained a PhD in the same field from the University of Benin (UNIBEN). In preparation for his PhD thesis, he was a research fellow at Aalborg University, Denmark.
Career
In 1987, after completing the one-year compulsory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), he joined the old Ondo State Ministry of Works, Akure, as an Engineer. He later transitioned to academia, becoming a Graduate Assistant in the Civil Engineering Department at Ondo State University, Ado-Ekiti (now Ekiti State University, EKSU). In 2007, he was promoted to a full Professor of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering.
Prof. James Aribisala previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) of EKSU and was a member of the institution’s Governing Council. Earlier in his career, he was the Head of the Civil Engineering Department, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, and Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies at EKSU, among other academic and administrative roles within the university system.
He has served as a consultant on several foreign-funded projects in Nigeria, working with organizations such as the World Bank, the Department for International Development (DFID), and the African Development Bank, among others.
In 2021, he was a committee member of the Presidential Visitation Panel to Federal University, Lokoja. He has supervised several postgraduate students and served as an external examiner for postgraduate programs in various Nigerian universities and abroad, including the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and the Pan African University.
On March 26, 2025, he was appointed by the president as the pioneer Vice-Chancellor of Federal University of Technology and Environmental Sciences, Iyin Ekiti, Ekiti State. The institution is expected to admit its first set of students in September 2025.
Awards and Honours
Prof. James Aribisala has received multiple awards and recognitions within and outside Nigeria, including:
- International Professional of the Year – International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England (2005)
- Most Outstanding Lecturer – EKSU Faculty of Engineering (2022)
- Best Consultant of the Year – Nigerian Institute of Builders (2011)
- Presidential Award – Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers (2010)
Professional Memberships
Prof. Aribisala is a registered member of several professional bodies related to engineering and public administration, including:
- Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN)
- Fellow, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE)
- Fellow, Nigerian Institution of Civil Engineers
- Institute of Public Administration in Nigeria
Research Works
Some of his academic research works have been published in both local and international journals. Notable publications include:
Personal Life
Prof. Olugbenga James Aribisala is married to Deaconess Evelyn Aribisala, and they are blessed with children.
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