*As Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, celebrates its 65th Anniversary, the authorities of the prestigious citadel of learning hail Prof. Adebayo Simeon Bamire, 12th Vice-Chancellor of the University since 2022, who ‘leads the quiet turnaround’, stating that across Ile-Ife, the evidence of his values-based leadership ‘is difficult to ignore’
Gbenga Kayode | ConsumerConnect
Prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, is 65 years, and the institution of learning is beginning to look like itself again.
The University authorities, in a statement via its verified social media account said for years, several individuals and institutions feared the legendary Great Ife spirit was slowly slipping away beneath broken roads, abandoned projects, unstable calendars.
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That was besides the wider decay confronting several public universities in the country.
However, the authorities noted that now, as OAU celebrates its 65th Anniversary this week, the atmosphere on campus feels different, stated the foremost academic hub.
The OAU authorities proudly acknowledged that “there is movement again.”
They also said that new roads now stretch across the campus.
Likewise, abandoned buildings are returning to life, and investors are showing interest.
The University stated: “Alumni are spending billions on legacy projects. Research is gaining visibility.
“And for almost four years, students have remained in classrooms instead of sitting endlessly at home because of strikes.”
Official: How Prof. Adebayo Simeon Bamire leads the quiet turnaround
The University further affirmed that at the centre of this ongoing quiet turnaround is Prof. Adebayo Simeon Bamire, Vice-Chancellor of OAU.
Prof. Bamire has been described as “a calm, understated administrator many now describe as one of the most effective Vice-Chancellors OAU has produced in recent times.”
According to the authorities, unlike several public officials in Nigerian environment, Bamire does not thrive on noise.
“He rarely chases headlines. Yet, across Ile-Ife, the evidence of his leadership is difficult to ignore,” the statement noted.
Going down the memory lane in regard to the time he assumed office as the Vice-Chancellor, it is noted that when Bamire became the University’s 12th Vice-Chancellor 2022, he arrived “with something rare: deep institutional memory.”
He had spent 35 years inside the OAU system, and nearly two decades as a student of the University across three degrees.
The institution recalled that before reaching the top, the current Vice-Chancellor had served as Head of Department (HOD), Dean and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at different times.
“Since then, OAU has witnessed one of its most stable periods in years.
“Promotion bottlenecks that once frustrated staff were cleared. Internal tensions reduced,” it noted.
Aside from these attainments, Administrative processes became faster.
The authorities as well noted that in Nigeria where University strikes have become almost a routine, OAU quietly, has maintained an uninterrupted academic calendar for nearly four years.
The University also said: ” “But it is the physical transformation across the campus that has truly caught attention.
“Roads once filled with potholes have been reconstructed.”
The institution stated: “The campus gate area has been redesigned. “Road One (the main leading to the campus by Ibadan-Akure Expressway) now carries a cleaner, modern look, while the Link Road connecting Maintenance to Parakin has improved movement around the University.”
The authorities added: “As OAU prepares to celebrate 65 years of existence, the University is not merely marking an anniversary. It is rediscovering its identity.”