Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria, has entered a new leadership era with the formal inauguration of Professor Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole as its 4th President/Vice Chancellor, with a sweeping five-year development agenda built on people-centred growth, spiritual integrity, and global competitiveness.
The Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Pastor Prof. Bassey Effiong Okonudo, proclaimed on Monday, December 1, 2025, declaring Prof. Ojewole duly elected on October 12, 2025, and installed to serve from 2025 to November 30, 2030, following a selection process that produced three candidates shortlisted by the Governing Council and recommended to the Board.
Professor Olutunde Ojewole and Three Principal Officers Taking Oath of Office
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Ojewole presented the Babcock University Development Vision 2025–2030, a blueprint he described as both transformative and redemptive.
He affirmed that the institution “shall rise in ranking, in redemptive impact, in structure and service, in reputation and righteousness.”
Reflecting on the university’s heritage, he paid tribute to his predecessors: “I honour our past as we enter into this new chapter, marking 66 years of institutional existence and 26 years as a university. I stand on the giant shoulders of my predecessors, from the solid foundation years of Professor Alalade to the giant expansion years of Professor Makinde and the crystal consolidation years of Professor Tayo.”
HProf Ademola Tayo, presenting Handover Note to Professor Olutunde Ojewole
e pledged to lead as a “servant leader with humility, grace vision, excellent and holy courage,” promising unwavering commitment to the Seventh-day Adventist mission.
His administration, he said, would be anchored on prayer, principle, integrity, clarity, collaboration, and accountability.
Prof. Ojewole declared that his number one agenda is “to build men and women; to prioritise people, not profit; people, not programmes; people over popularity; people’s welfare over pecuniary gain; people above politics; and employee welfare above employer’s wealth.”
Prof Ademola Tayo Making Presentation to Professor Olutunde Ojewole
He announced reforms, including renaming the Student Affairs unit as the Student Development and Support Centre and rebranding the Human Resources Department as the Office of Employee Growth and Well-being, with an emphasis on the holistic development of students and staff.
He outlined plans to improve learning and work environments through smart classrooms, modern research laboratories, advanced technology systems, and full automation of processes to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure faster service delivery.
The new VC defined his mission as one centred on building “servant leaders for a better world,” nurturing the intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual potentials of students, and cultivating individuals of integrity, accountability, and noble character.
Pulling Out, Immediate Backcock Professor Ademola Tayo, and His Wife, Grace
“Our mission is to nurture boys and girls, men and women, to become their highest potentials for God’s glory and for the benefit of humanity in this life and for eternity,” he stated.
Born on September 27, 1966, to Ezekiel and Ruth Ojewole, Prof. Afolarin Olutunde Ojewole is a minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
He earned his BSc in Estate Management from the University of Ife in 1987 before proceeding to Andrews University, Michigan, USA, where he obtained an MA in Pastoral Ministry and later a PhD in Old Testament Exegesis with a minor in Christian Ministry. He completed Clinical Pastoral Education in 2024.
Prof. Ojewole joined Babcock University as a Senior Lecturer and rose through the ranks to become a professor. From 2010 to 2018, he served as Associate Vice President for Spiritual Life and University Pastor.
He is married to Dr. Foluso Ojewole, a nurse educator and healthcare professional, and they have two children.
As Babcock University opens a new chapter under his leadership, Prof. Ojewole called on staff, students, and stakeholders to “arise and build” toward a more dynamic, spiritually grounded, and globally competitive institution.
Earlier, shortly after the inauguration of Pastor (Dr.) Ezekiel Adeleye and the institution’s new Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of the Governing Council, the immediate past VC, Professor Ademola S. Tayo, handed over a 200-page note to the new VC and keys to the Senate and Administrative buildings
He also handed over the bible to the new VC, after which he was ceremoniously pulled out of the office in an emotion-laden state.
