Stamp of His Honour … Nigerias Biggest Philanthropist, Femi Otedola Becomes Chancellor

HighLife

Charity and clemency are the hallmarks of a humanitarian. Since Femi Otedola became a household name in Nigeria, there has been an underground clash among closet thinkers about whether he is more proficient in business and investment or philanthropy. Time and again, Otedola proves that he is a master of both, with the latter driving the former. Therefore, it is unsurprising that every beneficiary of Otedola’s charity has tried to compensate him one way or another.

A private Catholic university in the Epe area of Lagos, Augustine University, has found a way to immortalise the doings of Otedola in the university. They did not build statues or name every lecture hall after him. Instead, they recently announced that they had made him the university chancellor, effective from April 7, 2022.

Otedola’s chancellor position, according to the management of Augustine University, follows his many charitable investments in the tertiary institution. Moreover, none of these investments was born of a desire to be famous or earn more prestige. Instead, as Otedola himself has explained, Augustine University has benefitted from his philanthropy because it is in Epe and his father had wanted a prestigious university established in the Lagos area.

 It is approximately three years now since the Geregu Power man donated a complex to the institution’s Engineering faculty. The complex was reportedly valued at around N2 billion, which very likely tops the list of Otedola’s biggest donations at a single time. Such charitable donations have become second nature to Otedola, so he may have done something more astonishing somewhere else.

To be sure, nobody can blame the management of Augustine University for their appointment. To have someone as altruistic and generous as Otedola on their board of decision-makers is their fortune. As for Otedola, the appointment to Chancellor is a stamp of his many good works over the years.