Professor Olanrewaju Rita-Marie Awotona
Professor Olanrewaju Rita-Marie Awotona is a distinguished Pharmacist, Pharmacognosist, academic, researcher, university administrator, author, speaker, resilience coach, and advocate for the responsible integration of traditional medicine into healthcare, with over 20 years of experience in higher education administration, academic leadership, accreditation and governance, strategic planning, faculty and people development, workforce management, curriculum innovation, research supervision, change management, mentoring, public speaking, and herbal and phytomedicine research. She is passionate about community development and helping people change their minds and live a productive life.
She obtained a B.Pharm. in 1982 from the University of Ife, and an MPhil and Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, in 1986 and 1995, respectively, and an MNBL from Sonoran University of Health Sciences, Tempe, Arizona, in December 2024. She began her academic career at Obafemi Awolowo University; she served in the Department of Pharmacognosy from 1984 to 2007 and was Vice-Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy, from 1999 to 2002.
She became a professor in 2011. At the Niger Delta University, she served as the first female Head of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Herbal Medicine (2009–2010), Director of Academic Planning (2008–2012), Director of Advancement and Linkages (2012–2013), and Dean, Faculty of Pharmacy (2013–2016).
At Legacy University, The Gambia, she served as Head of the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (2018–2021), Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) in 2019, Acting Vice-Chancellor (2019–2020), and subsequently Vice-Chancellor till 3rd September 2021. Jesus Only Ministries (NGO): Volunteer (2023); Member of the Board of Trustees since 2024 to date; currently Director of Strategy and Operations from August 2026.
She is a former Secretary/Member, National Productivity Order of Merit Award Committee, Nigeria. She is also a former Director/Head of Management Labour Productivity and Consultancy and Business Development Departments, National Productivity Centre and former Director/Head National Productivity and Quality Training Centre, Abuja.
Other Activities
• Postdoctoral fellowship from the World Bank - Institut de Chimie et Substances Naturelles (C.N.R.S.), Gif-sur-Yvette, France from November 1994 to August 1995
• Training in herbal medicine production in India in September 1997
• Alexander von Humboldt fellow, 2003-2004 (Germany)
• Member of the team that developed the first Nigerian Herbal Pharmacopeia (2008)
• Member, Nigerian Society of Pharmacognosy
• Member, Nigerian Association of Academic Pharmacists (NAAP)
• Member, Phytochemical Society of North America (PSNA)
• Member, American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP)
• Adviser to Peace Corps 2005-2007
• Adviser to Traditional Healers Assembly of The Gambia from 2020 to date.
• Chairperson, Board of Trustees, LETSAI (letsaii.com NGO), 2023 to date.
• Owner of Freefolyfe LLC USA, dba Ritamarie Designs. 2023 to date
• Author: Grief to Glory, Bread eaten in secret, Glory be to God! Am A Woman!!, How Can I Prepare for Marriage, Headship and Loveship, and others