The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has unveiled a privately owned institution, the Ojaja University in Ile Ife, Osun State, to mark his 10th Coronation Anniversary.
Oba Ogunwusi, speaking at the sod turning, said the occasion was a dream come true and an icing on the cake of his existence.
The monarch stated that life for him would be meaningless if he failed to leave a legacy for mankind, urging other well-meaning Nigerians to build worthy legacies for posterity.
Ooni said, “What is in this world if you don’t create a legacy for yourself? There’s nothing you own that will not finish. Wealth will finish as well as other goodies of this world.
“Wealth, in fact, comes and goes, and when it goes, one is left with nothing. The only thing that you can keep when wealth takes flight is the legacy you create and leave for those coming after you.”
Oba Ogunwusi further explained that the decision to set up a university to mark his 10th coronation anniversary was borne out of the drive to be a solution provider for Nigeria.
He said the best way he could give back to society was to build a knowledge-driven and solution-oriented hub, where young minds can be trained to solve societal problems.
While highlighting the challenges behind setting up the university, the monarch urged Nigerians never to allow setbacks to destroy their dreams but to pursue them until they become a reality.
The Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Sa’ad Abubakar, in his remarks, praised Oba Ogunwusi’s vision and enjoined all Nigerians to leave a lasting legacy for the coming generations.
He said, “This is a program that is worth waiting for. Even if you spend the whole day waiting to be part of this historic event, you are not wrong, because today is a very special day.
“I can see why my brother, the Ooni, is so excited while making his speech; who would not be excited to have this gathering here for this very important programme, for humanity?
“Of course, leaving a legacy is the best you can do in your life, so I am not envious of my brother the Ooni, but I’m grateful to Almighty that during our time we have people like him, who are really committed to helping the lives of our people.”
The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Olasunkanmi Ojuade, stated that the institution was envisioned to extend the frontiers of knowledge and to raise a new generation of leaders who will be solution providers.
Olasunkanmi said the seat of the University at the heart of Ile-Ife is symbolic because the institution is meant to renew the legacy of Ile-Ife as the cradle of civilisation, where arts and science find a convergence.
“Today is more than unveiling. It is a homecoming of ideas. A renewal of a legacy long woven into the soil of Ile-Ife, a city that has, for centuries, shaped culture, thought, scholarship, and creativity across our nation and beyond.
“We converge not only to unveil a physical institution, but to consecrate an idea, to witness the birth of a citadel envisioned to shape Africa’s intellectual, cultural, and technological destiny.
“This moment is historic; for we gather in Ile-Ife, the spiritual nucleus of the Yoruba nation and cradle of civilisation, to extend the frontiers of learning in a manner befitting the legacy, vision, and intellectual audacity of Kabiyesi,” Ojuade stated.
The VC concluded that the establishment of the Ile-Ife Campus of Ojaja University was not merely an institutional expansion but an affirmation of the creed that knowledge is the most sacred inheritance a leader can give to his people.
Lateefah Ibrahim