By Didymus Joshua and Thanni-Balogun Esther
The University of Ibadan (UI) on Tuesday, 6 October, held a valedictory programme to mark the end of the tenure of its 13th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, with members of the university community, former vice-chancellors, academics, alumni and other stakeholders gathering at Trenchard Hall to honour his five-year administration.
The programme featured a valedictory lecture delivered by Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Secretary-General of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), titled “Leadership, Legacy and the Future of Research-Intensive Universities in Africa.”
Gyapong, a public health physician, reflected on leadership and institutional legacy, stressing the need for university leaders to be purposeful and impactful during their tenure.
He noted that “everything that has a beginning has an end” and urged leaders to use their years in office to establish lasting systems and institutions.
He also highlighted challenges facing African universities, including inadequate infrastructure, poverty, inequality, pandemics, and conflict, arguing that universities must strengthen research systems and ensure research contributes beyond academic publications to innovation, policy, and public benefit.
According to Gyapong, research-intensive universities require sustainable funding, reliable infrastructure, strong partnerships and deliberate investment in human capacity.
He also advocated greater investment in research, diversification of university income and collaboration among institutions to strengthen Africa’s research capacity.
Speaking on ARUA, he noted that the alliance brings together leading African universities to promote research, graduate training, mentorship, mobility and collaboration, with areas of focus including public health, green transition, innovation and technology, and scientific capacity development.
The lecture also featured an assessment of Prof Adebowale’s tenure, with Gyapong describing the administration as one that emphasised institutional renewal, digital and innovation capacity, collaborative networks and leadership in action.
In his welcome address, Chief Dr Adebisi Akande highlighted some of the achievements recorded during Adebowale’s tenure, including partnerships and research collaborations established by the university. He described Prof Adebowale as generous and meticulous, while also commending his consciousness of time.
The programme also featured a documentary highlighting the Vice-Chancellor’s administration, with contributions from members of the university community, including student representatives and the Dean of Students.
A citation presented in honour of Adebowale chronicled his academic and professional journey.
Born on January 11, 1962, Prof Adebowale began his education in different primary schools because of his father’s postings as a police officer. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry in 1984 and began his academic career at the University of Ibadan as a Graduate Assistant.
He later joined the Federal University of Technology, Akure, where he rose to the position of Lecturer II before returning to the University of Ibadan in 1999 as a Senior Lecturer.
He became a Professor in 2006 and delivered the university’s 479th Inaugural Lecture on January 9, 2020, titled “Chemistry and the Drive Towards Sustainability: An Unending Search for Suitable Indigenous Raw Materials.”
Adebowale was announced as the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan in October 2021 and assumed office on November 1 of the same year.
The programme also featured tributes from former Vice-Chancellor Professor Abel Idowu Adeyinka, Mr Ibukun Akinbola and Mr Idowu Salami, while the Chief Executive Officer of Astria Learning, Dr Jeff Bordes, presented an award in recognition of Adebowale’s service.
Responding to the tributes, Adebowale thanked the university community and guests, describing the valedictory lecture as educational and purposeful.
He also expressed confidence in the university’s continued progress, stating that “University of Ibadan is a project; it is our project, and I can tell you, the 14th Vice-Chancellor would do better.”
The event concluded with the University of Ibadan anthem followed by the national anthem.
