The President and Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Prof. Afolarin Ojewole, has pledged to strengthen the institution’s global relevance through increased research, innovation, entrepreneurship and adherence to its Seventh-day Adventist heritage.
Ojewole made the commitment on Thursday at the university’s 67th Founder’s Day celebration, held under the theme, “Founded on Grace, Building for Greatness.”
The Vice-Chancellor said the university’s history, which began in 1959 with seven ministerial students, placed a responsibility on the present generation to sustain its growth and build an institution capable of remaining relevant for generations.
He said Babcock had evolved from the Adventist College of West Africa, established in 1959, to the Adventist Seminary of West Africa and eventually a full-fledged university in 1999. The institution currently has more than 13,000 full-time students.
Ojewole, however, said the university’s success should not be measured by its student population, infrastructure or number of academic programmes, but by the lives transformed through its education and values.
He said the contributions of Babcock graduates in medicine, law, education, accounting, research, entrepreneurship, ministry and other fields remained a significant measure of the university’s impact.
The Vice-Chancellor said his administration’s G.R.A.C.E. agenda was designed to position graduates to compete globally while remaining committed to the values on which the institution was founded.
According to him, the agenda focuses on Global Relevance, Research Focus, Adventist Rootedness, a Competent Community and an Entrepreneurial Spirit.
Ojewole said the university would also promote the conversion of ideas from classrooms and laboratories into innovations, businesses and practical solutions to societal challenges.
He added that the institution’s broader objective was to develop graduates who combine professional competence with character, describing human development as the university’s most important responsibility.
In his keynote address, former Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Television, Mr Lekan Ogunbanwo, described Babcock’s growth as a product of resilience, strategic leadership and continuity.
Ogunbanwo, whose mother was from Ilishan, recalled visiting the community as a child and witnessing the institution’s early development. He said residents popularly referred to the area as “Oke-Yinbo,” meaning a hilly part of the town associated with the white settlers.
He noted that the institution’s transformation began when its administrators pursued expansion beyond ministerial training, adding that the Adventist College of West Africa started with a three-year diploma programme before securing approval to offer undergraduate degrees.
Ogunbanwo said the institution graduated its first Bachelor of Arts students in its own name in 1966, describing the development as a major institutional milestone.
He also highlighted the subsequent expansion of the student population to include business administration and other professional disciplines, while commending successive administrations for their contributions to the university’s development.
Babcock University was established in 1959 as the Adventist College of West Africa with seven ministerial students and became a full-fledged university in 1999 after receiving its charter from the Federal Government.
