Education reforms must prioritise lecturers’ welfare, capacity building — EKSU Chancellor
The Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Dr.
The Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Dr. Tunji Olowolafe, has called for meaningful educational reforms that prioritise lecturers, noting that “we celebrate graduates, but rarely ask who made them possible—the teachers.
Speaking at the University’s 30th Convocation Ceremony in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, Olowolafe warned that “a lecturer who ceases to grow can no longer truly teach.”
He disclosed that, through the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, 37 EKSU lecturers have been sponsored to attend international conferences since 2024 as part of a sustained faculty development initiative.
He told members of the graduating Class of 2026 to look beyond academic certificates and embrace values that sustain lifelong relevance, declaring that “the certificate you are holding today is not the destination, but where real life begins.”
The event was attended by the Ekiti State Governor and Visitor to the University, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji; lawmakers; university officials; traditional rulers; parents; and other stakeholders.
Olowolafe said EKSU’s over four decades of academic legacy remains a source of pride, noting that it “should give every one of us reason to pause and feel genuinely proud.”
He, however, reminded graduates that while certificates may open doors, “your values will determine what you do once you are inside the room,” stressing that hard work, humility, and honesty—the “3Hs” he inherited from his grandmother—remain the true foundation for a lasting legacy, as “worldly success may give you a good life, but these values will give you something enduring.”
Reflecting on his own journey, Olowolafe recalled leaving medical practice in 1988 despite years of training at the University of Ilorin, explaining that he “kept seeing problems that a stethoscope could not fix,” a decision that led to the establishment of Deux Project Limited and a career in infrastructure development, including chairing the Lekki Concession Company.
In a major announcement, he unveiled Project Digi-Teach EKSU, aimed at achieving full digital proficiency for all 650 academic staff, stressing that “a university preparing students for the digital economy must itself be fluent in the digital world,” while also revealing investments in campus-wide connectivity because “a tool without a network is just a device.”
Olowolafe further highlighted efforts to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience, including the EKSU Trading Room and Financial Market Programme in partnership with the CFA Institute, a Geoscience Earth Laboratory for practical training, and engineering student placements on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project, describing these as evidence that universities must prepare students “not just with theory, but with experience.”
Reinforcing a culture of excellence, he noted that the Foundation had previously awarded ₦500,000 each to 200 First Class graduates, with about 83 expected to benefit this year and join the TOF First Class Graduate Club, insisting that “this is not charity, but a statement that excellence will be seen, celebrated, and rewarded,” under a broader Continuous Learning Ecosystem that keeps graduates connected beyond school.
He also announced a partnership with Springpod, making EKSU the first African university on the platform, thereby giving students access to global virtual work experiences with companies such as Amazon, Barclays, Deloitte, and Rolls-Royce, as part of efforts to produce graduates who are “already skilled, already exposed, and already prepared.”
Charging the graduates to step into the future with courage and integrity, Olowolafe stressed that “the world will not ask for your grade, but whether you are willing to solve problems and stand by your values,” urging them to “carry hard work, humility, and honesty,” because ultimately, “it is not your certificate that will define you, but your character.”
