Babcock Repays N17.5bn Debt Under Tayo, As New VC Unveils Reform Agenda

Funmi Ogundare

A former President and Vice-Chancellor of Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Prof. Ademola Tayo, Monday announced that the institution is exiting his 10-year administration completely debt-free, after liquidating an inherited N17.536 billion liability while simultaneously executing major academic, digital and infrastructural reforms across the university.

In his valedictory address titled ‘Consolidating a Decade of Transformation (2015–2025)’, Tayo described the financial turnaround as one of the defining achievements of his tenure, noting that the debt, though strategic and not reckless, had constrained the university at the outset.

“Today, I am proud to affirm that we have fully repaid every naira of that inherited debt. We leave this institution stronger, more stable, and firmly positioned for sustainable growth,” he said.

Beyond the fiscal recovery, the former VC highlighted sweeping advancements in digital infrastructure, research, governance, academic expansion, mission work and campus development.

Under his watch, the university’s internet bandwidth grew 19-fold, analogue inter-building links were replaced with campus-wide fibre-optic connectivity, and over 70 smart boards were installed to modernise teaching.

The institution, he noted, also became Nigeria’s first university, public or private, to secure National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) certification as both Data Controller and Processor.

The university, Tayo added, underwent 47 national and international accreditation cycles with excellent outcomes, introduced new programmes, including Engineering and Environmental Studies; and established new academic schools.

“Publications rose from 392 in 2015 to 4,717 in 2025, while citations climbed from 280 to 24,460 within the same period. External research funding also increased, with grants attracted in naira, dollars, pounds, and euros.

“The ASR Foundation’s N250 million support for Babcock University Press, as well as other local and international grants, helped elevate the school’s research profile,” the former VC stressed.

Addressing journalists, the newly inaugurated President/Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Afolarin Isaac Ojewole, who just assumed office, emphasised his reform agenda which will be anchored on people-centred leadership, digital transformation, global competitiveness, and a renewed commitment to the school’s Seventh-day Adventist heritage.

Ojewole stated that his administration would prioritise human development above profit, pledging to build men and women through a new strategic framework he termed Globally Relevant, Research-Focused, Adventist-Rooted, Competent Community, and Entrepreneurial.(G.R.A.C.E).

He emphasised that Babcock must rise and build champions of grace, stating that the institution was not merely an academic centre but “a sacred trust, a covenant between the church and the future”.

Signalling the start of what he called a new chapter, the VC announced a series of immediate and medium-term reforms, including full automation of finance, registry, HR, bursary and Teaching Hospital operations, faster exam result release and hassle-free transcript processing, a 50 per cent increase in international students and 25 per cent faculty with global exposure.

Other reforms are internationally accredited curriculum and digital integration across departments, smart classrooms, upgraded laboratories, and renewable-energy-driven campus systems, a coordinated research and innovation ecosystem through the Babcock Innovation & Venture (BIV) Programme with a N50 million pilot fund.

Ojewole also ordered the immediate purchase of a brand new coaster bus following reports that students were stranded during clinical rotations, stressing that such experiences were unacceptable in the new Babcock.