Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, has officially approved the appointment of Professor Joseph Babatola Ayodele as the new Vice-Chancellor of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, on Monday.
Ayodele, a Professor of Education Management, will assume his new role on August 20, 2024.
He succeeds Prof. Edward Olanipekun, whose term concludes on August 19, 2024.
Before this appointment, Ayodele served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at EKSU.
PUNCH Online obtained this information from the state website on Monday in a statement signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Governor, Yinka Oyebode. The statement was titled, “Oyebanji Names Prof. Ayodele New EKSU VC.”
The statement read, “Prof. Joseph Babatola Ayodele was born in Ikere-Ekiti, Ikere Local Government Area of Ekiti State, on August 13, 1963. He attended Annunciation School, Ikere-Ekiti, from 1974 to 1979. He later proceeded to Ondo State College of Education, Ikere-Ekiti, for the Nigeria Certificate in Education between 1982 and 1985.
“He obtained a First Class Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree in Economics from Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University), Ado-Ekiti, in 1992. He also earned a Master’s degree in Education Management from the University of Ibadan in 1997, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education Management from the same university in 2000.
“Prof. Ayodele began his lecturing career as a Graduate Assistant at Ondo State University (now Ekiti State University), Ado-Ekiti, in 1995 and rose through the ranks to the position of professor in 2012.”
He has held key roles at the university, including Assistant Director, Dean, and Director, and has served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) since 2022.
The statement continued, “He has served the university in various capacities, notably as Assistant Director of Affiliate Programmes (2006–2008); Acting Head of the Department of Educational Foundations and Management (2010–2012); Dean of the Faculty of Education (2018–2020); Director of the Directorate of Continuing Education Programmes/Distance Learning (2020–2022); and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) from 2022 to the present.”
Oyebanji urged the new VC to elevate the university’s global standing and wished him success. He also thanked Olanipekun for his service and wished him well.
“Governor Oyebanji, who is the Visitor to the University, urges the new Vice-Chancellor to bring his wealth of experience as an academic and a seasoned administrator to bear in further repositioning the university as a world-class institution of learning, and he wishes him a successful tenure.
“The governor also thanks the outgoing EKSU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Edward Olanipekun, for his meritorious service to the university and wishes him success in his future endeavours,” it concluded.
PUNCH Online reports that Olanipekun was appointed in 2019 by a former governor of the state, Kayode Fayemi.