Centre for Renewable Energy Technology

PROF. OLURINDE EBENEZER LAFE

Professor Olurinde Lafe is the Director of CRET. He has spent the past 4 decades working on providing engineering solutions to development problems around the world. Professor Lafe has consulted with both governmental and non-governmental agencies including the United States Office of Naval Research - Strategic Defense Initiative Program on the “Star Wars” Project (where special multi-megawatt battery technologies were developed for space weapons), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), World Vision International and Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency (DARPA). Professor Lafe’s research efforts have resulted in several issued patents. His latest book is “Abulecentrism – Rapid Development of Society Catalysed at the Local Community Level” (Springer, 2013).

The development concept abulecentrism is what Nigeria needs in order to move forward. Abulecentrism seeks to achieve rapid and sustainable development of a given society by the strategic execution of projects and the provision of critical services at the local community level. Abulecentrism is built on the philosophy of using small, modular systems, such as a village, as building blocks for developing the greater society. Latest developments in renewable power systems are described extensively in the book.

Awodun, is an agronomist with vast experience in plant nutrition / climate change and social research focusing on innovation, adoption and poverty reduction among agricultural households. His research and development work also focuses on organic source of nutrient as it affect yield performance of various agriculture crops and effective management of agricultural resources as it dovetails to agricultural productivity and sustainable development. He has substantial training, and research and teaching experience in Nigeria and Brazil. He is also, a member of Jatrophabook and an Associate Editor, with American- Eurasian Journal of Agriculture.

Dr. Awodun had his post-doctoral training and research in Brazil between March 2007 and 2008 in plant nutrition. He was coordinator of the Jatropha research group being sponsored by START, IRA, AAS, IDRC&CRDI and DFID in 2008-2009. He was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship by TWAS/CNPq in 2008/2009 and START Teaching Fellowship in 2009/2010. He was also a team member of the Renewable and sustainable Energy Research Groups for the Development of Research proposals for funding under African Union Research Grants from 2011 to date.

He is TWAS and START Fellow. He is an Associate Director, Centre for Renewable Energy Technology (CRET), Federal University of Technology Akure Nigeria from April 2014 to January. 2020