UI DVC Urges Student Leaders to Lead with Integrity, Prioritise Service

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Peter O. Olapegba, has urged student leaders to uphold integrity, prioritise service and use their positions to create positive impact within and beyond the university.

Professor Olapegba gave the charge while representing the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kayode O. Adebowale, at the 2026 Chief F.R.A. Marinho Leadership Summit held at the University of Ibadan.

The summit, themed “Lead, Engage, Accelerate and Develop (LEAD),” focused on equipping students with the values and practical skills required to become responsible and effective leaders.

Describing the programme as a valuable platform for leadership development, Professor Olapegba said the theme was particularly relevant to the task of preparing students for leadership responsibilities in an increasingly changing society.

He stressed that leadership should be viewed primarily as an opportunity to serve rather than as a position of privilege. He therefore called on student leaders to demonstrate integrity, positively influence their colleagues and remain committed to the welfare of those they represent.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor also encouraged the students to build strong relationships, work collaboratively and engage constructively with members of the university community in order to promote harmony and advance students' interests.

He further challenged them to go beyond merely responding to change and instead position themselves as drivers of positive transformation. According to him, effective leaders must be deliberate about developing people and strengthening the institutions they serve.

Professor Olapegba described the summit as a training ground for responsibilities that extend beyond the university, noting that the leadership principles acquired by the participants would eventually be tested and applied in the wider society.

He warned that individuals who refuse to adapt to changing circumstances risk being overtaken by those changes, urging the students to continuously develop their capacities and prepare themselves for the evolving demands of leadership.

In his opening remarks, the Dean of Students, Professor Demola Lewis, noted that leadership was not necessarily an innate quality, but one that could be learned, cultivated and strengthened.

He said effective leadership requires the right combination of qualities and should be built around collaboration rather than confrontation or opposition.

Professor Lewis also highlighted problem-solving as an essential component of effective leadership, explaining that the speakers selected for the summit were chosen to expose participants to practical approaches and principles that could improve their leadership abilities.

He expressed appreciation to the sponsors of the summit for their continued support towards sustaining the annual leadership development programme.

The President of the Students' Union, Comrade Temidayo Adeboye, described the summit as an avenue for students to gain a deeper understanding of responsible leadership and prepare for leadership roles after leaving the university.

He said the programme would provide participants with the knowledge and practical understanding required to lead effectively, serve diligently and apply sound leadership principles in wider society.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mrs. Patricia Adedipe, daughter of the late Chief F.R.A. Marinho, said her father had established an annual gift to the University of Ibadan to ensure the continuation of the leadership summit.

She said the late Chief Marinho was deeply committed to the development of young people and expressed optimism that the programme would make a meaningful difference in the lives of the participating students.

The first speaker at the summit, Dr Olarewaju A. Oladejo of the Department of Peace, Security and Humanitarian Studies, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Ibadan, and a former President of the UI Students' Union, spoke on “Qualitative Student Leadership in Trying Times.”

The second speaker, Professor Michael Boakye-Yiadom, Director-General of Educational Planning and Administration at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), under the auspices of UNESCO, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, addressed participants on “Developing Integrity: Character-Centred Pathways to Enhancing Student Leadership in African Universities.”