Prof. Lere Baale, pro-chancellor and chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ojaja University, has described the 10-year reign of His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, as a decade defined by vision, courage and cultural revival. He made the declaration at Ile-Ife while delivering a stirring anniversary lecture, celebrating the 10th coronation anniversary of the monarch.
Speaking before an audience of national leaders, global partners, royals, industry captains and young Africans, Baale portrayed the Ooni as a reconciler and global royal diplomat, whose influence has repositioned Yoruba civilisation on the world stage. According to Baale, the monarch’s leadership has strengthened national unity and elevated the throne of Oduduwa into an international moral force through engagements at global peace platforms and the United Nations.
The anniversary event also highlighted the Ooni’s growing impact on youth development. Baale noted that the monarch has championed empowerment initiatives that have created thousands of opportunities in entrepreneurship, tourism and innovation, establishing Ile-Ife as a centre of creativity and economic renewal.
He stressed that the Ooni has redefined the role of traditional institutions by placing them at the heart of national development conversations. This shift, he said, has restored respect for indigenous systems and encouraged stronger collaboration between cultural authorities and modern governance structures.
Education featured prominently in Baale’s reflections, as he credited the Ooni with advancing learning as a tool for generational transformation. This, he said, has culminated in the creation of Ojaja University, which he described as one of the monarch’s most enduring legacies.
Turning to the highlight of the day, Baale remarked on the unveiling of the Ojaja University Ile-Ife Campus, calling it a hundred-year legacy and the realisation of a long-held prophecy. The campus, he announced, is positioned to redefine African knowledge production while serving as a cultural and academic landmark.
He described the new university campus as a cultural embassy anchored in the heritage of the Yoruba people and designed to become a continental hub for artificial intelligence, technology, innovation and enterprise. It will also serve as a centre where Africa can author its own narrative through world-class scholarship.
Baale revealed that Ojaja University is preparing to institutionalise African knowledge systems, including the formal study of IFA Divination, as part of its commitment to preserving intellectual traditions that have long been undervalued or misrepresented.
Drawing inspiration from Africa’s early intellectual giants, he highlighted the legacy of Imhotep, the polymath who pioneered architecture, medicine, pharmacy and engineering. The university, he said, seeks to elevate such contributions and reposition Africa as a cradle of scientific and philosophical thought.
In a call for global partnership, Baale urged individuals, institutions and governments to invest in the university’s mission. He appealed for scholarships, endowed professorial chairs, research centres and infrastructural support to help shape a world-class academic environment.
He encouraged technology organisations and global universities to collaborate with Ojaja University in expanding digital transformation, health innovation and enterprise development programmes, arguing that joint investment will empower the next generation of African leaders.
Baale insisted that the Ooni had laid a solid foundation and that partners across the world now share the responsibility of helping to build the institution’s future. He emphasised that collective effort will ensure that the university fulfils its historic mandate.
The lecture closed with an emotional tribute to the Ooni, whom Baale described as a monarch of rare compassion, wisdom and foresight. He prayed for a prosperous reign and pledged that Ojaja University would continue to honour the monarch’s legacy through excellence, cultural renewal and innovation.
