Mr. Oladotun Ayoade was born in Ijebu Jesa, Ori-Ade Local Government area of Osun State on the 2nd of January, 1949, to the family of late Chief Ayekoni Ayoade and Wuraola Ayoade. He attended St. Matthew’s School “B” Ijebu-Jesa for his primary education, Oyemekun Grammar School, Akure and Government College Ibadan for his Secondary and Higher School Education.He was admitted to the University of Ife, Department of Geology, where he obtained a B.SC Honours Degree in Geology in June, 1974. For post-graduate training, he attended University of Hull, UK, from where he obtained an MSC degree in Industrial Mineralogy in October 1983.
As a practicing Geologist in the Federal Ministries, he had extensive grooming in geological mining, mineral exploration, evaluation and assessment, foundation engineering, physico-chemical analysis of rocks and minerals and also bituminous sands exploration and evaluation. He was head of the laboratory section of the Geological Survey of Nigeria, Chief Geologist/Analyst, Bitumen Project Implementation Committee (BPIC), Geologist-in-Charge Ogun State Office of the NGSA, and South West Zone Geologist in Charge, Ibadan, Executive Secretary BPIC and Director Economic Geology Department of the Nigeria Geological Survey Agency. Mr. Ayoade supervised the drilling of more than forty bitumen core holes spread along the bitumen belt of South Western Nigeria and wrote several position papers on the bitumen resources of Nigeria. He was geological coordinator of the ground follow up mineral exploration sequel to the airborne geophysical survey of Ogun State. As director, he coordinated more than twenty five mineral exploration projects in the NGSA for which reports were written and core materials preserved when necessary. He was the Nigerian Pioneer Coordinator for the World Bank sponsored Nigerian Geological Survey Agency / British Geological Survey implemented geochemical mapping campaign which produced geochemical maps covering some 256,000sq kilometers of Nigeria’s surface. Mr. Ayoade authored and co-authored several professional papers including the one on Nigerian Geochemical Baseline Project presented at the International Geological Congress (IGC) in Oslo, Norway in 2009. Mr. Ayoade has been member of the Nation’s Sub Committee of Oil and Gas (National Energy Commission) and receiver of the 2002 Geological Survey of Nigeria merit award for best state office in Nigeria. He was elected fellow of the Geological Society of London and Ireland in 1983 and fellow Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society 2013. Mr. Ayoade is currently engaged as Project Lead by Rapidlink Resources Limited, a conglomerate contracted by the Federal Government of Nigeria to explore for rare metals; Tantalum, Niobum, cassiterite and Lithium in the Country. In the St. Matthew’s family, Ijebu-Jesa, he is one of the earliest members of Egbe Omo Lehin Kristi and became the President in April, 1993, a position he held for five years. A member of Abeokuta Sports Club, Mr. Ayoade is married to Mrs. Olufunmilayo Ayoade, a retired Federal Inspector of Education. The marriage is graciously blessed with children.
NMGS/NGSAJ.D. FALCONER GOLD MEDAL AWARD FOR ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. The NMGS/NGSAJ.D. FALCONER GOLD MEDALAWARD, endowed by Nigeria Geological Survey Industry (NGSA), is in honour of the first Director of the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, Dr. J.D. Falconer. The award is for consistent excellent contribution to Economic Geology and Mineral Exploration. The award is open to Miners, Mining Engineers, and Geoscientists of any nationality working on Mining and Geological problems in Africa. The prize is a gold medal. PAST WINNERS: 2016 Prof. Laurence Robb 2017 Prof. Judith Kinnaird 2018 Prof. Dr. Amo Mucke 2020 Mr. Emmanuel Oladotun Ayoade (1st Nigerian to receive the award)
