Founder of the popular resort, Whispering Palms in Iworo, Badagry, Lagos State, Prof Ayodeji Femi-Pearce, has died at the age of 86 following a brief illness.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condoled with Ibilola Femi-Pearce, the widow of the departed, his family, friends and relations.
President Buhari urged them to take solace in the fact that the renowned professor of medicine left his footprints on the sands of time, serving meritoriously at the General Hospital, Lagos, and Lagos University Hospital (LUTH), among others.
“Combining medical practice with academics, Prof Femi-Pearce was Acting Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, and later, Pro-Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), for four years.
“At retirement, he co-founded the leisure resort, Whispering Palms, which he managed with his wife. Tremendous impact was made on the host community through various social development interventions,” Buhari said in a statement signed by his media aide, Femi Adesina.
In a condolence message, LASU Vice Chancellor, Prof Olanrewaju Fagbohun, commiserated with the family on the death of the former chairman of the university’s governing council.
“The painful death of Professor Femi-Pearce is not only a great loss to the academic community in Nigeria, but to the nation as a whole.
“This is because he was an outstanding contributor to quality academic research and an example of good leadership in the country,” Prof Fagbohun said in a statement.
Femi-Pearce was born on September 18, 1932, in Yaba, Lagos State.
He attended CMS Grammar School, Lagos and proceeded to the University of Aberdeen Scotland to study medicine and later joined UNILAG College of Medicine and LUTH as a staff.
Femi-Pearce became a professor in 1977 at the age of 45 and later provost, UNILAG College of Medicine and chief medical director, LUTH.
He was appointed as UNILAG acting vice-chancellor in 1980 and was chairman, LASU Governing Council between 2000 and 2004,
He was until his death the chairman the famous seaside Whispering Palms leisure resort which he founded in 1991.
