By Idowu Olayinka
Tekena Tamuno Building is the Central Administrative Building at the University of Ibadan which houses on its last floor the Vice-Chancellor’s Office. It was named after our fourth Vice-Chancellor and the first Alumnus to be VC of UI and who served in that capacity from 1975 to 1979.
By midnight of Saturday, 31st October 2026, the glorious tenure of the 13th Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode Oyebode Adebowale, will come to an end. He is a lucky leader when you consider that all the first three Vice-Chancellors of the institution had their tenure truncated for sundry reasons. I talk of
1. Kenneth Onwuka Dike,
2. Thomas Adeoye Lambo and
3. Horatio Oritsejolomi Thomas.
Concurrently, at the same hour of midnight, 31st October 2026, a new person will mount the saddle at Tekena Tamuno Building as the 14th Vice-Chancellor. Enter Professor Peter Olamakinde Olapegba, a Professor of Social Psychology, up until tonight the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), former Dean of The Social Sciences, Pioneer Director Office of Alumni Relations, former Sub-Dean Postgraduate Faculty of The Social Sciences, and Fellow Social Science Academy of Nigeria. We wish him a successful tenure.
Other UI VCs include
5. Samson Olajuwon Olayide
6. Ladipo Ayodeji Banjo
7. Allen Bankole Olukayode Oladunmoye Oyediran
8. Omoniyi Adewoye
9. Ayodele Olajide Falase
10. Olufemi Adebisi Bamiro
11. Isaac Folorunso Adewole
12. Abel Idowu Olayinka
13. Kayode Oyebode Adebowale (Outgoing)
Apart from the substantive VCs, there have been no less than eight Acting Vice-Chancellors who equally served meritoriously during periods of Interregnum in order to prevent a vacuum.
1. John Harris
2. G. M. Edington
3. Ladipo Ayodeji Banjo
4. Oladosu Ojengbede
5. Olufunso Olorunsogo
6. Olufemi Adebisi Bamiro
7. Adebola Ekanola and
8. Ambrose EmilOlorun Aiyelari
It is fit and proper to mention the three Principals of University College Ibadan who laid a very solid foundation for such an iconic University that we have today.
1. Kenneth Mellanby
2. John Tennanat Sauders
3. John Horrace Parry
It is gratifying that the current transfer of power has being perhaps the most seamless in the 78-year history of our University. The process was concluded about 100 days before the end of tenure of the outgoing helmsman. Yet everywhere was calm. It has been celebration and thanksgiving everywhere. A Special Senate meeting; a Special Meeting of the Board of the Postgraduate College. A Public Lecture by the Secretary General of the Alliance of Research Universities in Africa (ARUA) of which Ibadan is a founding member.
For context, on the last two previous occasions when a new VC was appointed three months before assumption of office at the University of Ibadan in 2010 and 2015, respectively, there were various subterranean moves to scuttle and annul the process. We thank God the ways things have turned out this time around whereby Ibadan has regained its pre-eminence in how a transfer of power should be. Our much beloved University was not in the news for bad reasons as witnessed in 2020/2021.
We wish to place on record the astute, honest and transparent leadership provided by the appointing authority, to wit, the Governing Council under the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, our elder Statesman, His Excellency Chief Adebisi Akande, CFR, Former Governor of Osun State.
Again, hearty congratulations to the VC-designate. The outgoing VC has distinguished himself by exemplary and inimitable service to our University. We wish him well in all his future endeavours.
Professor Olayinka is a former Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan (2015-2020)
