KWASU Staff Makes Wave: Wins £6000 Rufford Foundation Grant

Dr. Segun Olayinka Oladipo of the Department of Zoology, has won The Rufford Foundation Grant of six thousand Pounds.

Notice of the grant which was addressed to the University and signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Foundation, Stuart Paterson, said the grant is in support of a project to intensify conservation actions for the protection of Red List Threatened stingrays in Nigerian Lagos Lagoon.

Commenting on the award, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Shaykh Luqman Jimoh congratulated Dr. Oladipo on winning the grant stating the importance of extending expertise to the conservation of nonhuman nature.

The Acting Vice Chancellor noted that the ensuring the survival of other nonhuman biotic constituents of nature was needed for humans to also thrive.

Professor Jimoh charged the awardee to redouble his efforts in the execution of the project and urged him to continue to bring greater laurels and recognition to the University.

Dr. Oladipo holds first, second and third degrees in Zoology from the Universities of Ilorin and Ibadan.

His current research interest mainly focuses on the use of morphological and molecular data (DNA barcoding) in species identification and the integration of molecular and ecological data to understand how best organisms respond to varying environmental conditions.

He has won many international grants on wildlife biology and conservation from the National Geographic Society, Rufford foundation, Save Our Seas, PADI common grants among others.

Dr. Oladipo has worked in over 10 water systems including Nigeria coaster water; India Ocean in Mombasa, Kenya; Pacific Ocean in San Fransico, USA; and 5 protected areas in Nigeria, including areas designated by the United Nations as World’s Heritage sites.

Most recently, his expedition to Nigerian coaster water resulted in the updating of the documentation of Nigerian endangered rays and presently, he is working on the “Diversity, Distribution and community-based conservation of the marine fish communities in Nigerian Lagos Lagoon using eDNA” using National Geographic Society grant and “Intensifying conservation actions for the protection of Red List Threatened stingrays in Nigerian Lagos Lagoon” through a 2nd Rufford foundation grant.

Dr. Saeedat Aliyu
Acting Director, University Relations