By Omotayo Peter Olatunde
From being the University’s best overall graduating student to becoming its ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joseph Babatola Ayodele’s journey at Ekiti State University is a remarkable story of scholarship, institutional loyalty and leadership. Assuming office in August 2024, his administration has pursued, with vigour, various transformational developments spanning staff welfare, infrastructure, technology, academic excellence, stakeholders’ engagement and institutional partnerships.
Ayodele’s appointment represented more than a change of leadership; it marked a remarkable point in the history of the University: for the first time since its establishment more than four decades ago, an alumnus had risen through virtually every rung of the academic ladder to become its substantive Vice-Chancellor.
He succeeded Professor Edward Olorunsola Olanipekun, whose tenure ended on August 19, 2024, following his appointment by the Governor of Ekiti State and Visitor to the University, Mr Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.
The significance of Professor Ayodele’s emergence was therefore immediately apparent. He was not simply an outsider appointed to lead EKSU; he was a product of the system, a scholar who had experienced the University from the perspective of a student, lecturer, researcher and an astute administrator.
That history has given his administration a distinctive character.
Professor Ayodele’s story at EKSU began long before his appointment as Vice-Chancellor. Upon his graduation in 1992, he emerged as the best overall student in his department, faculty and the entire University. Three years later, in 1995, the institution appointed him as an academic staff member.
From there, he climbed steadily through the academic ranks until he attained the position of Professor of Educational Management.
His journey represents an unusual continuity.
The University educated him, employed him, developed him academically and eventually entrusted him with its highest administrative office.
It is a trajectory that gives particular meaning to his leadership of the institution.
Over the years, Professor Ayodele has witnessed different phases of EKSU’s evolution. He has seen its challenges, its expansion, its achievements and its changing place within Nigeria’s university system.
It is against this background that his administration is pursuing a vision of building “a globally competitive University distinguished by academic excellence, impactful research, innovation, integrity and quality.”
Since his assumption of office, developments have been recorded across several areas of the University. Staff welfare, academic progression, infrastructure, digital technology, alumni relations, examination administration and public communication have all featured prominently in the administration’s activities.
One of the notable developments was the implementation of the Consolidated Academic and Associated Institutions Salary Structure (CONAAS) for academic staff, which the University described as making EKSU the first university in the South-West to implement the structure.
The administration also implemented approved adjustments relating to CONTISS and CONTAPS for non-academic staff.
For members of staff who had fulfilled the necessary requirements, the implementation of promotions, in concurrence with the University Governing Council, provided another important development in the area of career progression.
These measures have placed staff welfare prominently within the administration’s agenda.
Professor Ayodele’s personal connection with the EKSU Alumni Association has also coincided with stronger alumni engagement with the institution.
Under the leadership of Ambassador Seyi Idowu, the EKSU Alumni Association donated office equipment valued at ₦23 million to support the upgrading of the Notifications and Certificates Division of the Registry.
The gesture underscores the growing role of alumni in institutional development and the importance of stakeholders contributing to the advancement of their alma mater.
For Professor Ayodele, the development carries an additional significance because he is himself a product of the institution and a member of the University’s extended alumni family.
The impact of an academic institution is not measured only by what happens at the undergraduate or postgraduate level; it is also reflected in the quality of the educational environment created for younger learners within its community.
This was demonstrated by the outstanding performance of pupils of the EKSU Staff School in the 2026 Common Entrance Examinations.
According to a report submitted by the Head Teacher, Mrs O. F. Ogunsina, all 21 candidates presented for the examinations recorded impressive results.
The candidates 13 males and 8 females scored between 338 and 448 out of a possible 500 marks, with an overall mean score of approximately 402 marks, representing 80.8 per cent.
Thirteen pupils, representing 61.9 per cent, scored 400 marks and above, while eight pupils, representing 38.1 per cent, scored 420 and above. Three pupils recorded scores of 440 and above.
The school also recorded 19 distinctions and two credit passes.
For an institution committed to academic excellence, the result provides an encouraging indication of the academic environment being cultivated within the University community.
Another development that has expanded the University’s communication capacity is the emergence of EKSU Radio 97.3 FM, courtesy of Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
Following its test transmission, the station has taken its place on the airwaves, providing another platform through which the University can communicate its academic activities, research, programmes, innovations and achievements.
For an institution that serves not only its students and staff but also the wider society, the radio station offers an opportunity to deepen public engagement. It also represents an important development in the University’s information and communication architecture.
The appointment of Dr Tunji Olowolafe as Chancellor has also added a new dimension to the University’s development trajectory under Professor Ayodele’s administration.
Dr Olowolafe’s interventions have included the donation of two heavy-duty 500KVA transformers aimed at addressing power challenges affecting the University and surrounding communities, many of which are populated by students.
The Chancellor also facilitated the installation of 261 solar-powered streetlights strategically positioned across the campus, in addition to campus-wide starlink wifi.
The project has improved night-time illumination in different parts of the University which is expected to complement efforts to enhance security and safety on campus.
These interventions demonstrate how institutional leadership can create an environment in which alumni, philanthropists and other stakeholders are encouraged to contribute directly to university development.
Perhaps one of the most significant technological interventions under the current administration is the establishment of the EKSU ICT Experience Centre.
The facility was donated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, through the facilitation of the wife of the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji.
The Centre has become an important facility for computer-based examinations and other digital activities.
During the 2025/2026 academic session, EKSU students had their Computer-Based Examinations at the Centre to compliment the upgraded university’s ICT Centre. The facilities were also used for examinations relating to Nursing, JUBEB, TRCN and the SUBEB recruitment exercise.
These examinations were conducted seamlessly with their results released within 24 hours
The significance of the ICT facilities goes beyond examination convenience. It represents an investment in the University’s digital infrastructure and creates the capacity for EKSU to host technology-driven examinations and training programmes for institutions and organisations beyond the University.
The days when candidates had to wait extensively for access to computer-based examination facilities have passed at EKSU.
The University’s development agenda is not restricted to conventional academic infrastructure.
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) conversion and Electric Vehicle(EV) charging, facility located along the Faculty of Management Sciences, is another example.
The facility, which is awaiting commissioning, has a charging capacity of more than 30 kilowatts and is designed as a multipurpose platform for training, research, innovation and knowledge transfer in emerging clean-energy and automotive technologies.
Its presence at EKSU introduces students and researchers to an area of technology that is increasingly relevant to Nigeria’s energy and transportation landscape.
Perhaps one of the clearest indications of the administration’s stakeholder-driven approach is the growing number of external interventions in the University’s infrastructure.
The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, donated a lecture theatre to the Faculty of Law. The completed facility is expected to improve the Faculty’s teaching and learning environment and support the University’s capacity for student admission into the Law programme.
The Faculty of Engineering alumni are also developing a five-in-one lecture theatre, while Phase II of the Faculty of Management Sciences project, sponsored by Dr Zacch Adedeji, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, is witnessing progress.
These interventions illustrate how government, alumni, development partners and public-spirited individuals can complement the resources of a university in addressing infrastructural needs.
The College of Medicine has equally provided another major point of academic pride.
After all 49 students presented by EKSU recorded a 100 per cent pass rate in the previous year’s Professional Basic National Midwifery Examination, the University repeated the feat in September 2026.
All 38 students presented by EKSU for the Professional Basic National Midwifery Examination conducted by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria recorded a 100 per cent pass rate.
The examination body also recognised the quality of facilities available at the EKSU ICT Experience Centre and agreed to conduct the Computer-Assisted Objective Structured Clinical Examination (CAOSCE) at the facility.
The second component of the examination was conducted at the EKSUTH College of Nursing Sciences.
The Vice-Chancellor commended the students and academic staff of the College of Medicine, describing their performance as a reflection of dedication and hard work.
The University’s medical education journey is also entering another phase.
With the facilities and human resources available at the College of Medicine, relevant regulatory bodies have given approval for EKSU to commence postgraduate programmes in Medicine and Nursing.
The development opens another chapter in the University’s academic evolution.
Postgraduate programmes in these disciplines will create opportunities for advanced specialist training and research while potentially strengthening EKSU’s contribution to healthcare education and professional development.
The story of Professor Ayodele’s administration cannot, however, be reduced to a catalogue of projects, appointments and achievements.
At the heart of it is the story of institutional continuity.
Here is an alumnus who returned to lead the University that once educated him.
Here is a lecturer who rose through the ranks within the same institution.
Here is a professor who became an administrator and eventually attained the University’s highest academic and administrative office.
That trajectory provides Professor Ayodele with a perspective that is both personal and institutional.
He knows EKSU from within.
He understands its history.
He has experienced its evolution.
And he is now responsible for helping shape its future.
The real measure of any university administration ultimately extends beyond the achievements recorded during its tenure. It lies in whether the structures, policies, partnerships and innovations introduced can endure and continue to serve generations of students and staff.
For EKSU, the task ahead includes sustaining academic standards, improving research output, strengthening infrastructure, promoting innovation, consolidating staff welfare and deepening partnerships with government, alumni, industry and other stakeholders.
With the support of the Governor of Ekiti State and Visitor to the University, His Excellency, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, the Governing Council, management, staff, students, alumni and development partners, the administration is poised to pursue these objectives.
Professor Joseph Babatola Ayodele’s story is therefore still being written.
From the young graduate who emerged as the University’s best overall student in 1992, to the academic staff member appointed in 1995; from Professor of Educational Management to the ninth substantive Vice-Chancellor, his journey mirrors the evolution of the institution itself.
The Greek King Midas may belong to mythology, but the metaphor remains useful.
At EKSU, the real test is not whether everything touched turns to gold, but whether leadership can transform available opportunities, partnerships, ideas and resources into lasting institutional value.
By that measure, the continuing developments at Ekiti State University under Professor Ayodele’s administration provide a story worth watching and a chapter in the University’s history that is still unfolding.
Omotayo Peter Olatunde is a Senior Information Officer in the Directorate of Information and Corporate Affairs, Ekiti State University, (EKSU) Ado Ekiti