Professor Elijah Adebowale Ayolabi.

Celebrating Elijah Ayolabi

Promise Adiele

When the history of the Faculty of Science, University of Lagos is told, his name will surely be there. He was the Head of the Physics Department, Faculty of Science of the university from 2011 to 2012. He was the pioneer Head of the Department of Geosciences at the university. Some people have described the Department of Geosciences University of Lagos as his brainchild. They are not wrong because he facilitated the establishment of the department. He is the first Professor of Applied Geophysics at the University of Lagos and the first African Honorary Lecturer for the Middle East and Africa (Society of Exploration Geophysicists). When the history of the University of Benin is told, his name will surely be there. He was the Head Academic/Research Advisor Shell Centre of Excellence in Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering from 2014 to 2015. When the history of private university education is told in Nigeria, his name will occupy a pride of place there. He is currently the Vice-Chancellor of Mountain Top University, the fastest-rising private university in West Africa. His name is Elijah Adebowale Ayolabi, an excellent academic, administrator, pastor, husband to Professor Christianah Ayolabi, and father to wonderful children.

The 13th of August 2024 marked the addition of another year in the illustrious life of Professor Elijah Ayolabi. He arrived at the 6th floor in grand style. The heavens celebrate him. Angels celebrate him. Humanity celebrates him. Colleagues celebrate him. Past and present students celebrate him too and indeed, the academic community celebrates him. The educational atmosphere resonates with his impeccable strides. At a time when distinguished persons of pristine qualities are in short supply in our country, when sincere, honest, and dedicated public officers are hard to come by, it behoves society to celebrate a man who has distinguished himself in public and private service sectors.

At a time when public officers are occupied with chasing the vanishing illusions of materiality, when public officers grapple with one form of disrepute or another, when it is difficult to trust people with human and material resources, we must celebrate an iconic Nigerian whose strides in education blazes with glorious achievements and demonstrable testimonies. While we criticize and excoriate deviants in public office, those who have betrayed the trust and calling of their service to humanity, we must also balance the narrative by celebrating those who have made a mark of honour in public service. Professor Elijah Ayolabi deserves his flowers. Perhaps, celebrating him will motivate other public officers to achieve excellence and strive to improve humanity.

When Mountain Top University was established in 2015, the onerous responsibility to steer the ship of the new institution to acclaimed heights fell on the shoulder of Professor Elijah Ayolabi. It was a decision the owner of the university Professor D.K Olukoya would look at with nostalgia and a sense of accomplishment. From the humble beginning of the university, with an intake of a minimal number of students, the institution has risen to become one of the notable private universities in Nigeria winning global awards ahead of more established universities. Since its inception, the university has maintained steady, uninterrupted academic activities without a break.

With a world-class ICT centre, the university was able to carry on with lectures and exams during the global meltdown of COVID-19. Professor Ayolabi’s philosophy is “it is possible. It is doable”. He sees no impossibilities. The success of the university lies in his ability to motivate both academic and non-academic staff to work hard for success. His visionary acumen, innovative inclinations and success drive have impacted the university with a growing sense of annual accomplishments. Although the success and growth of the university are hardly complete without him, he modestly ascribes it to God. In an interview with him recently, he submitted that “this university is a brainchild of God, so all the success must be attributed to God and not man”.

As the Holy book declares in Mathew 5:15 “No one lights a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and it giveth light unto all that are in the house”. Professor Elijah Ayolabi is clearly one of the lights of modern Nigeria especially in the education sector. Those who know him, owe it a duty to humanity to celebrate and announce his giant strides on his birthday. Those who do not know him deserve to know that there is a towering, distinguished academic, administrator, and manager whose career is synonymous with success. Shall we then restrict this light to shine within the Mountain Top University and the University of Lagos alone? Do we not owe posterity a duty to place this shining light on a pedestal in Nigeria where humanity will immensely benefit? For those who regret that honest, hardworking men are hard to come by in public service, the meritorious career of Professor Elijah Ayolabi indicates that there is a silver lining in Nigeria’s public service sector.

In the beginning, Mountain Top University enrolled a few hundred students with few courses offered by the two colleges – the College of Basic and Applied Sciences (CBAS) and the College of Humanities and Management Sciences (CHMS). Today, the university boasts a population of over Two Thousand Students. All the courses in the university are approved and fully accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC). Today, the university has a vibrant School of Post Graduate Studies, a Distant Learning Institute, and a Centre for Continuing Education for JUPEP and part-time studies. Indeed, the vision of the Vice-Chancellor is global, transcending the local environment, which is why the university recently won a global award, taking the 1st position in Sustainable Development Goals 4 (SDG 4) in Quality Education according to the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings. Commenting on the giant strides of the university, the Vice-Chancellor said “Our vision is to make the university one of the best in the world”. In different ways, it is apparent that the man of vision is succeeding with his world-class vision at the university.

Asked recently to comment on the secret of his success in the service of humanity, the humble clergy replies with a courteous mien that underlies his modest lifestyle. “You see, we must always put God first in whatever we do. We should not rely on our intelligence and efforts. When you put God first, every other thing will fall into place. I have always put God first in my private and public life. Therefore, I will give him all the glory for my little achievements”. His “little” achievements are indeed big and overwhelming in the eyes of the world.

On a personal level, Professor Elijah Ayolabi has positively impacted the lives of many people. He has mentored many academics, supervised many PhD students, taught many students and encouraged many more around him. As a preacher of the world of God, he has provided hope for the hopeless, instilled discipline and spiritual revival for the weak, and upheld the tenets of the kingdom of God anywhere he found himself. As he marks his 60^th birthday, we pray that God will continue to use him in the service of humanity. Friends and students from the University of Lagos and Mountain Top University wish him a glorious birthday celebration. The entire church of God, friends and family wish him a glorious birthday celebration. The heavens celebrate him, humanity celebrates him and the future also celebrates him. Happy Birthday sir and God bless you. You are indeed a golden gift to our generation.

Promise Adiele PhD

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