TheThe serene and hilly town of Ikere-Ekiti in Nigeria’s Ekiti State was a beehive of activities on Thursday, November 28, 2024 as distinguished personalities from all walks of life, from within and outside the state, converged on the campus of the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere (or BOUESTI for short) for the formal commissioning of the ultra-modern Wole Olanipekun Senate Building, a three-storey edifice donated to the institution by one of Nigeria’s leading legal luminaries and a one-time President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN.
The state-of-the-art facility is intended to serve as the administrative nucleus of the young university.
NEWSWIRE Law Events Magazine’s correspondent in Ikere-Ekiti reports that the star-studded event was graced by leading citizens of Ekiti State and other parts of Nigeria, among them the Governor of the State, His Excellency Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji; the Honorable Minister of Education, Dr. Moruff Olatunji Alausa; the former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko; the Ogoga (paramount ruler) of Ikere Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adejimi Adu Alagbado and other royal fathers from other parts of the state and the Southwest geopolitical region of Nigeria; the host and donor of the Senate Building, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN and his wife, Erelu (Princess) Omolara Olanipekun; the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of BOUESTI, Professor Patrick Oladipo Aina; The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Olufemi Victor Adeoluwa and other principal officers of the institution; principal officers of the Wole Olanipekun Foundation (WOF) led by Prince Feyi Ogoji, as well as those of New Cruse 92.7 FM (an Ikere-based radio station owned by Chief Olanipekun) amongst many others. The retired Anglican Bishop of Akure Diocese, Reverend Michael Ipinmoye and his wife were also a notable presence at the occasion.
The proceedings of the day began with a quick inspection of the facility by Governor Oyebanji, the Education Minister, Dr. Alausa, the royal fathers and their respective entourages – during which the guests marveled at both the aesthetic beauty and technical excellence of the building. The facility comprises of the following workspaces, among others: the ground floor holds the University Consult; the Alumni Relations Office; the Cleaners’/Drivers’ Lounge; offices of the two Deputy Vice-Chancellors; the Meeting Room; and the CSO’s office. The first floor is home to the Registry and the Registrar’s Office; three offices dedicated to the Bursary (including the Bursar’s Office); the 150-capacity Senate Chambers; and the Senate Anteroom. On the second floor are the Vice-Chancellor’s two offices; the VC’s Conference Room; the Office of the Special Adviser to the VC; office of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council; and the 150-capacity Council Chambers. In all, the edifice boasts 43 restrooms and other modern conveniences, a functioning borehole and a 6200-litre capacity overhead water tank to service the building, as well as utility and storage facilities.
Welcoming guests to the occasion after the inspection, the university’s Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Oladipo Aina paid glowing tributes to the Chancellor, Chief Olanipekun, SAN, describing his gesture as a demonstration of the learned silk’s unwavering commitment to the development of education in Nigeria, his belief in the transformative power of education, and his profound dedication to mankind. Prof. Aina went on to track the trajectory of BOUESTI and its remarkable strides in academics and other areas of endeavour. Established just four years ago (October 16, 2020, to be precise) as an upgrade to its former role as the Ekiti State College of Education, the Bamidele Olumilua University of Education, Science and Technology, Ikere now offers 78 academic programmes – including such pioneering disciplines as Clothing & Textiles Procurement Management; and Fashion Design. With a current student body of 13,000, the Pro-Chancellor asserted, BOUESTI has proved itself a hub of innovation and excellence, and has already garnered accolades across and beyond the shores of Nigeria – notably its recognition as the best university of education in sub-Saharan Africa; the best state university in Nigeria’s Southwest region; and its victory at the last Ekiti Innovation Summit, among others. The full accreditation of 42 (out of 45) of its academic programmes by the National Universities Commission (NUC), Prof. Aina said, has further solidified BOUESTI’s academic standing. The state-of-the-art Wole Olanipekun Senate Building, Prof. Aina concluded by saying, will transform the BOUESTI campus and elevate it to world-class standards.
While expressing gratitude to Chief Olanipekun for his grand gesture, and also to the government of Ekiti and the Minister of Education for their respective interventions in respect of funds and other support, the Pro-Chancellor, however, called for BOUESTI’s inclusion in other relevant interventions such as the Needs Assessment programme.
In his wide-ranging speech, a visibly-elated Chief Olanipekun, SAN traced his engagement with BOUESTI – which is located in his hometown, Ikere-Ekiti – to his appointment as Chancellor by former Governor Kayode Fayemi, CON, in recognition of the Senior Advocate’s vast experience in university administration (given his prior involvement in the running of Nigeria’s premier university, the University of Ibadan, as well as the Ajayi Crowther University in Oyo, Oyo State). The letter of appointment, he recalled, was signed by no other than the then-Secretary of the Ekiti State Government, namely, Abiodun Oyebanji (who today is Governor of Ekiti State). He also recalled representations made by the principal officers of BOUESTI – during which he pledged to donate a Senate Building to the budding university.
Envisioning the Senate Building as BOUESTI’s ‘Capitol’ (much like the US Capitol in Washington DC) Chief Olanipekun expressed confidence that the edifice would define the university’s environment and skyline.
BOUESTI, he went on to say, represented the realization of the long-standing desire of the people of Ikere Kingdom to host a university, a desire that spanned various changes in political dispensations harking back to the Old Ondo State and the administration of the state’s first civilian Governor, Chief Adekunle Ajasin (of blessed memory). The approval of the upgrade of the Ekiti State College of Education (before then, it was the Ondo State College of Education) to the status of a university by the aforementioned Gov. Fayemi, coupled with the financial commitments made by prominent citizens of the Ikere Kingdom (led by Oba Adejimi Adu, the paramount ruler), as well as interventions by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), finally saw the old dream actualized.
Paying tribute to the architects, engineers and quantity surveyors who worked on the construction of the Senate Building, the learned silk said that in spite of the brevity of the turnaround construction time (from its inception in March 2024 to its completion in November, the building is a paragon of solidity (thanks to the use of high-quality materials and the deployment of world-class methods and techniques) and structural excellence which would stand the test of time.
Chief Olanipekun, however, echoed the earlier appeal by the Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Aina, for more support for BOUESTI (from both the federal and Ekiti State governments, as well as from well-meaning citizens of Ikere Kingdom at home and in the Diaspora). In particular, he implored the Oyebanji-led administration to facilitate the tarring of the 5-kilometre stretch of roads on the BOUESTI campus, and also to help with the furnishing of the edifice. He also made the same appeal to the Minister of Education in terms of federal assistance.
In his brief remarks at the occasion, Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Education Minister, commended what he described as Chief Olanipekun’s spirit of benevolence, and a life dedicated to public service and the development and empowerment of future generations. Chief Olanipekun’s life-journey and career trajectory, he added, was a confirmation of the truism that true success is measured NOT by the things one has acquired, but by its impact on other humans. He ended by calling on the management of BOUESTI to prioritize the teaching of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) as the organizing principle of its academic aspirations, and added his voice to the calls for more support for the young university.
NEWSWIRE’s correspondent reports that one of the highlights of the commissioning ceremony was the speech by Governor Oyebanji. Like other speakers before him, the Governor was effusive in his praises for Chief Olanipekun, a number of whose donated structures he has had the privilege to commission in various parts of the state. Comparing the Senior Advocate’s philanthropy to that of the legendary legal luminary and educational titan, Aare Afe Babalola, CON, OFR, SAN, Gov. Oyebanji asserted that if every local government area in Ekiti State boasts of at least two people with the kind of spirit embodied by these two learned Senior Advocates and statesmen, the development of Ekiti State would be in leaps and bounds. Their impact, he said, was the impetus behind his administration’s decision to substantially increase its educational subvention in recent allocations. But when it comes to service to the community in all its ramifications – social, economic and even spiritual – the Governor said, Chief Olanipekun was in a class of his own; he cited as an example the far-reaching interventions of the Wole Olanipekun Foundation (WOF) in the areas of education, job creation and other forms of empowerment for young people and vulnerable groups such as widows and the aged. Responding to Chief Olanipekun’s earlier plea for support, Oyebanji drew enthusiastic applause from the assembled guests with his pledge to commence the tarring of the aforementioned 5km road in the BOUESTI campus, and to send a furniture expert to make an assessment of the furniture needs of the Senate Building with a view to supplying same, in the shortest possible time. The Governor ended his speech by urging other well-meaning sons and daughters of the Land of Honour and Integrity (as Ekiti State is also known) to step up to the plate by ‘picking something of interest’ in their respective communities to work on.
The speeches were punctuated by cultural performances and displays by various groups, including students of the Department of Performing Arts of BOUESTI.
The vote of thanks, given by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. O.V. Adeoluwa, brought the commissioning ceremony to a close.
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