Family Donates Library of Late Former Registrar, Babatunde Adebayo, to FUTA

The family of the late Babatunde Adebayo, pioneer Registrar of the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) from January 1, 1990, to December 31, 1999, has donated his personal library to the institution.

The donation, made on September 16, 2025, aims to further strengthen the Registry where the late Adebayo made his most significant impact as an administrator.

The donation, consisting of books, periodicals, pictures, and memorabilia, was presented at a brief ceremony by Mrs. Bosede Adebayo, wife of the late Registrar, on behalf of the family. She explained that though her husband had served in other higher institutions, FUTA was chosen as the recipient because it was where he fully expressed his administrative prowess and left an indelible legacy.

Receiving the items, the current Registrar of FUTA, Mr. Charles Adeleye, described the late Adebayo as “a mentor of mentors, a teacher of teachers, a registrar of registrars,” whose leadership transformed the Registry and groomed many administrators who went on to become registrars in other universities across Nigeria. He noted that the solid foundation laid by Adebayo continues to make FUTA’s Registry a pacesetter today. According to him, “He was an encyclopedia of university administration. The naming of the University’s Multipurpose Hall after him shows how highly FUTA esteems him.”

Adeleye assured the Adebayo family that the donated materials would be carefully preserved and utilized to enrich knowledge in the Registry and beyond. He also praised Mrs. Bosede Adebayo, herself a seasoned administrator and former Director of Academic Planning at FUTA, for her personal contributions to the university and for honouring the institution with the gift.

Also speaking, the immediate past Registrar, Mr. Richard Arifalo, highlighted Adebayo’s unique legacy, noting that under his tutelage, many administrators learned the values of diligence and adherence to regulations. He stressed the importance of preserving libraries such as Adebayo’s, as many of their contents are no longer in print. Quoting the late Registrar’s humility, Arifalo recalled: “He would say, ‘Administrator, what were you talking about? Do your talking with your pen.’”

In his remarks, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, Director of Corporate Communications and Protocol, FUTA, and Chairman of the Planning Committee, assured that the gifts would be properly documented and deployed for the university’s advancement. He affirmed that through the donation, the Adebayo family had further written the patriarch’s name in gold, not only in FUTA’s history but also in Nigeria’s academic community.