Dr Tunji Olowolafe, Chancellor of Ekiti State University and founder of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, has announced a series of interventions to strengthen research, expand digital learning and improve postgraduate education at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife....
Dr Tunji Olowolafe, Chancellor of Ekiti State University and founder of the Tunji Olowolafe Foundation, has announced a series of interventions to strengthen research, expand digital learning and improve postgraduate education at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife.
The interventions include a dedicated solar power system, a virtual learning and oral defence facility, and the modernisation of the Postgraduate College Boardroom.
The foundation also pledged funding for preliminary research to help attract major international grants, alongside specialised training in grant writing, donor compliance and institutional advancement.
Olowolafe announced the initiatives at the grand finale of OAU’s Postgraduate College Week, held as part of activities marking the university’s 65th anniversary.
He identified wider access to research, scientific investigation of established beliefs and the practical application of research findings as priorities for transforming postgraduate education.
Olowolafe also advocated stronger university-industry partnerships, arguing that patents, commercialised products and practical solutions to industrial challenges should receive greater recognition alongside scholarly publications.
He said research must produce innovations capable of improving lives rather than remain confined to laboratories and academic journals.
The OAU alumnus further called for the integration of science, technology, innovation and artificial intelligence into education from an early age, stressing the need to identify and equip future researchers with relevant skills.
On access to higher education, he said digital technology could enable universities to reach more students without being constrained by physical infrastructure.
He said the experience reinforced his belief in education’s capacity to create opportunities and transform lives.
Olowolafe also highlighted the Gbemisola Olowolafe Memorial Community Secondary School in Are-Ekiti as part of his commitment to widening access to quality education.
According to him, the school, which opened in September 2025 with 100 students, had grown to more than 170 students. Its ICT centre provides training in artificial intelligence, coding, graphic design and Mandarin.
As OAU marks 65 years of academic service, Olowolafe urged the university and other institutions to invest more in research infrastructure, digital innovation and partnerships linking academic knowledge with national development.
He congratulated the university’s Governing Council, management, staff and students on the anniversary, expressing confidence that the foundation’s interventions would help position the Postgraduate College for a more flexible, digitally enabled and globally competitive future.