Prof. OLATUNJI-BELLO thereafter attended the prestigious University of Ibadan where she bagged a BSc (Hons) Physiology in the year 1985. After her NYSC at the University of Lagos, she was awarded MSc Physiology in 1987 at the University of Lagos. She attended a 6-month research training in the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in the US in 1994. After which she bagged a Ph.D in Physiology at the University of Lagos in
1998.
She obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Theology from the Bible College of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the year 2001 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education PGDE of the Lagos State University in 2018. In the year 2012, Professor Olatunji-Bello attended the Course 34 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies Kuru, the highest policy advisory body of the Federal Government, as a nominee of the National Universities Commission (NUC) where she was awarded the certificate as a Member of the National Institute (mni).
She was awarded a fellowship of the Physiological Society, UK in the year 2017, which was shortly followed by the Fellowship award of the Physiological Society of Nigeria. She was appointed a Fellow of the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Pollution Mitigation in the year 2019. In August 2022, she was honored with a Honorary Fellowship of Nigeria Psychology Association (NPA) and in January 2023, she was elected a Fellow of the Society of Educational Administrators of Nigeria (FSEA). Also in 2023, she was conferred with a Fellow of the National Labour Institute, and in the same year, she was conferred with the Fellow of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (FSPSP).
In May 2023, she won the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award conferred by the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.
An astute academic, Professor Olatunji-Bello rose through the ranks from Assistant Lecturer (1988 to 1 991), to Lecturer Il (1 991 to 1996), Lecturer I (996 to 1999), Senior Lecturer (1999 to 2005) and Associate Professor (2005 to October 1, 2007), all in the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Idiaraba. She assumed duty as the First Professor of Physiology in Lagos State University College of Medicine on the 2nd of October, 2007.
Prof. Ibiyemi OLATUNJI-BELLO has held several professional and administrative positions both at UNILAG and Lagos State University (LASU). Until her election as the First female Deputy Vice Chancellor of LASU, she was the first substantive Head of the Department of Physiology, LASUCOM. Other University managerial positions held by Professor Olatunji-Bello at LASU include:
Head, Department of Physiology, LASUCOM (October 2007 to December 2008)
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Dec 2008 to December 2010)
Acting Vice Chancellor (July to December 21, 2010, and January 30 to October 31 st, 2011)
Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), (November 201 1 to January 2013)   Pioneer Director of LASU Directorate of Advancement (2016 to 2020).
In addition, Prof. OLATUNJI-BELLO was Government representative on the Lagos State University (LASU) Governing Council (2004 to October 2008) and a Senate Representative on the Governing Council of Lagos State University until her appointment as the Second Female and 9th Substantive Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University by the Governor of Lagos State and Visitor to the Lagos State University, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu on Friday, 17th September, 2021.
She is a member of many professional bodies and has held various positions, most notable of which is the first female Second Vice President, Physiological Society of Nigeria, and the First Vice President of the organization. She is the first female to hold that position, up to year 2019. In October 2024, she was elected as a member of the National Technical/Mirror Committee on African Traditional Medicine.
Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello has graduated 4Ph.Ds and 53 MSc candidates, while still supervising more PhD students. This distinguished scientist is known for her very brilliant academic work with over 63 publications to her credit, excluding papers she has read at both local and international conferences. She served as Chairman, Organizing Committee of an International Conference of the International Union of
Physiological Sciences and Association of African Physiological Societies in 2016. She has also contributed chapters in some textbooks and elearning materials.
Prof. Olatunji-Bello has won several laurels and awards listed as follows:
• The Centre for Values in Leadership Award of Excellence as an Exceptional Leader (2024) Nelson Mandela Leadership Prize as Pan African
Amazon of Nation Building by SAYDI-AFRICA
• Winner, Arewa National Excellence Award by Arewa Youth Congress (2024)
• Fellow of the National Labour Institute by the Michael Imodu National Institute for Labour Studies (MINILS), 2023
• The Year 2022 Adeboruwa Award of Excellence presented by HRM, Oba Abdulsemiu Orimadegun Kasali of Igbogbo Kingdom in November, 2022;
• African Hero Award presented by the African Youth Assembly in November, 2022;
• Excellence in Leadership Award presented by the Voice of Integrity International in August,
2022;
• The Most Outstanding Women in Nigeria Tertiary Education category which she received at the National Education Summit and Awards in July, 2022.
• Cited in Nigeria Women Annual as one of the 100 leading women in its 2022 Edition.
• Governor Babajide Sanwoolu wrote me a letter of commendation and applause for being one of the Eko 100 Women during the 2022 International Women's Day
• Winner of the AANI Excellence Award 2022;
• Winner, Higher Education Administrator of the Year Award at the 2022 National Education Summit and Award; and
• COWLSO Resourceful Woman of The Year, 2021 , amongst many others.
In November, 2024, Prof. Olatunji-Bello waselected the Chairman of Committee of Vice Chancellors of State Universities in Nigeria, as a mark of her excellent leadership and overall contributions to the Body. She was also recently appointed a member of the Board of the Joint Universities Preliminary Examination Board (JUPEB) in Nigeria.
Under her transformational and innovative leadership, the Lagos State University has experienced tremendous and globally acknowledged progress signposted by its ranking as the Best University in West Africa by the UI Greenmetrics Global Ranking in 2022 and 2023. The University is also ranked the Best State University in Nigeria for 2022 and 2023 by AD Scientific Index as well as being the second most subscribed universities in the country in the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examination in 2024. Her administration has also birthed three new faculties and a school in the University while overseeing the revamp of many programmes in the 40-year-old institution. The Lagos State University under the leadership of Prof. OlatunjiBello has also been adjudged Nigeria's most digitally advanced State University at the Nigeria Technology Awards, and described by the National Universities Commission (NUC) as one of the most digitalized universities in Nigeria, in 2023. In 2024, she led the University to hosting its first ever international sports competition when LASU cohosted the All Africa University Games with the University of Lagos. LASU emerged the best university in Nigeria and the second in Africa in the Games.
Apart from her role as a university administrator and teacher, Prof. Olatunji-Bello is also a philanthropist and a girl-child advocate. She is actively involved in courses that promote the right and welfare of the girl-child. She is the Convener of the Movement for Men and Women in Lagos State Tertiary Institutions for Good Governance, a sociopolitical group through which she advocates for good governance in Lagos State.
Prof. Yemi Olatunji-Bello is happily married to Tunji Bello, a journalist and lawyer, former Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, former Secretary to Lagos State Government and currently the Director-General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). They are blessed with 3 children and two grandchildren.
Pastor Professor Olatunji-Bello is the Zonal Pastor in charge of zone 9 of Lagos Province 1 of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

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