WHEN GREAT IFE QUAKED FOR OYEBANJI
The BAO Impact Series No. 23
BY ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA
The campus of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife had a taste of the stuff Ekiti State Governor, His Excellency, Mr Biodun Oyebanji was made of on Thursday, 29th January 2026 where people testifies to his noble character and virtues.
It was at the 2nd Distinguished Alumni Lecture Series of the Faculty of Arts of the University held at the famous Oduduwa Hall where he served as the Chairman and also came to honour the man chosen to deliver the lecture, Mr Sam Omatseye.
The vicinity of the Oduduwa Hall quaked with ovation as the Governor arrived some minutes past 11.00am with everybody either angling to catch a glimpse of him or shaking his hands. He was ready to oblige everyone to the admiration of all.
The hall which was packed to rafters by eminent guests, students, academic staff, non-academic staff and other members of the public provided the setting for the Oyebanji to show the qualities that have made him one of the most positively talked about Governors in Nigeria.
Many of the attendees might have heard about the virtues of Oyebanji like humility, compassion, candour, calm disposition, generosity, grassroots connection, giving listening ears and bringing himself down to the level of everybody but the Governor put all these on display at the “Great Ife” during his visit.
Not minding that it was a faculty event, the Governor was around for nearly four hours freely exchanging pleasantries with almost everybody he met and patiently acknowledging cheers from the students who endlessly chanted BAO! BAO!! BAO!!!! The love shown to him at home in Ekiti replayed itself in Osun and particularly at the Source.
A student who sat close to this writer said: “I admire this Ekiti governor for being humble and simple. It is very rare to see a governor in Nigeria sitting down patiently with students and their lecturers like this. Governors are always in haste because they have many things to attend to but this man has won my heart today for spending quality time with us.”
The student-friendly Governor patiently watched the breathtaking performances of the students of Departments of Dramatic Arts, Linguistics, English Language and Music acknowledging their dexterity, mastery and talents. He savoured every moment and intermittently shared his thoughts with Omatseye and other personalities at the high table.
The Governor did not overlook a group of primary school pupils who attended the lecture as he came down from the high table to personally have handshakes with them one after the other. He also took time to have a private discussion with one of them, a female, who asked a very intelligent question during comments/question-and-answer session.
Apart from this anonymous commendation from an unknown student eavesdropped by this writer by chance, the event provided a setting for the acknowledgement of Oyebanji’s sterling leadership qualities. His charm could be felt within the campus throughout the period he was around.
One of the professors in the faculty during the comments section said Ekiti has acquired a newfound image of honour and respect from people outside the state because of the peace and harmony it presently enjoys under Oyebanji’s leadership which was not so some years ago.
The don said: “Some years back, Ekiti used to be in the news for wrong reasons but it is no longer so now because of the character of the man presently in charge. I am not a politician so nobody can accuse me of doing praise singing for political reasons.”
Mr Omatseye, the Chairman, Editorial Board of The NATION Newspapers, who delivered the 2nd Distinguished Alumni Lecture also showered encomium on Oyebanji describing him as the most renowned Omoluabi Governor in the country.
Quoting Omatseye verbatim, he said: “In this Republic, there is no better Omoluabi among the governors in Nigeria than Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State.” The commendation from the wordsmith and distinguished journalist drew an impressive ovation from the massive audience.
Anybody who knows Omatseye very well and has been reading his soar-away column in THE NATION knows that he speaks truth to power and he is not given to frivolities, sycophancy and praise singing. The column is a platform he has used to lash out at bad governance, corruption and maladministration irrespective of political parties and affiliations.
For Oyebanji to receive a rare commendation from Omatseye shows that he earned it because it cannot be purchased with money from a renowned critic who has held presidents, prime ministers, governors, kings and powerful people accountable in his views and essays.
The Dean of the Faculty, Prof Gbenga Fasiku, publicly acknowledged Oyebanji’s kindness and support for the Elekole of Ikole Ekiti and Paramount Ruler of Egbeoba land, Oba Adewumi Ajibade Fasiku and said Ekiti is fortunate to have the incumbent governor at the helm.
The Osun State Commissioner for Education, Mr Dipo Eluwole, who represented Governor Ademola Adeleke at the lecture, acknowledged the virtues of humility, wisdom and governance style of the Ekiti helmsman describing Oyebanji’s re-election as “a done deal.”
Shortly after he had received his award and made his closing remarks as the chairman of the lecture, the Governor also took his time to take pictures with various segment of people that attended the event which bore testimony to his down-to-earth disposition and patience.
The OAU Faculty of Arts Distinguished Alumni Lecture was a glorious day for Oyebanji and really gave a lot of people the opportunity to have a first-hand taste and feel of what they have been hearing and reading about him and they were not disappointed.
Ogunmola who is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media (Print Media) writes from Ado Ekiti