By Otitoju Femi and Chinedu Okafor
After a month of rigorous, multi-stage, intellectual fireworks, designed to bring the best out of the participants, a final-year Political Science student, Masroor Mahmud Adeeyo has emerged the overall winner of the 2026 edition of the leadership initiative of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), thus, becoming a one-day Vice Chancellor of the institution.
Mr. Adeeyo who was announced after a suspense-soaked ceremony held at the Senate Chamber of the university would symbolically rule as the Vice-Chancellor of the university on Wednesday 8 July, 2026 as he would ride on the VC’S official vehicle with security men in tow round the campus and will be paid a pro rated amount of VC’S salary for a day of ruling.
He defeated nine others in the final leg of the leadership initiative competition which featured the best 10 students who made it to the final stage of the competition.
The second edition of the initiative, held between May and June 2026 under the leadership of the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, was organised by the Directorate of Career Services to deepen student participation in university governance, promote leadership development, encourage innovation, and prepare students for future leadership responsibilities.
The programme builds on the success of its maiden edition held in 2025.
Addressing the crowds at the event, including Principal officers of the university, Deans of various Faculties, Heads of Departments, participants, friends and well wishers of the university, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Joshua Olalekan Ogunwole, commended the organisers for sustaining an initiative that continues to identify, reward and nurture outstanding student leaders.
He described the programme as a remarkable platform that celebrates excellence while preparing students to become responsible leaders capable of contributing meaningfully to society.
The Vice-Chancellor also acknowledged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for introducing the One-Day Governor Initiative during his tenure as Governor of Lagos State, noted that the concept inspired FUOYE’s One-Day Vice-Chancellor Initiative.
He said “many young people possess exceptional leadership potential but often require only the right opportunity to demonstrate their abilities”, adding that the university would continue to invest in programmes that develop future leaders and strengthen its culture of excellence.
Speaking earlier on the significance of the initiative, the Director of the Directorate of Career Services and Central Coordinator of the FUOYE One-Day Vice-Chancellor Initiative, Professor Adewunmi Adebola Aderibigbe, described the programme as a transparent and merit-driven leadership platform deliberately designed to expose students to the practical realities of leadership, administration, decision-making, communication, problem-solving and community service.
According to him, "the initiative extends beyond competition, it equips students with the confidence, discipline, innovation and service-oriented mindset required to become transformational leaders capable of making meaningful contributions within the university and the wider society"His words: “The selection process commenced on May 14, 2026, with a digital call for applications publicised through the university’s upgraded website and the newly commissioned AI-powered campus radio station, FUOYE Voice. Interested students were given only 72 hours to submit a formal letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, a vision statement titled My Vision for FUOYE, evidence of a minimum CGPA of 4.0 and proof of a clean disciplinary record”
Following the application stage, Prof. Aderibigbe pointed out that the Directorate of Career Services, in collaboration with relevant university units, conducted a comprehensive screening exercise.He disclosed that academic records of 51 applicants were verified by the Examinations and Records Unit, while three candidates were disqualified for failing to meet the minimum academic requirement.
"The qualified contestants subsequently sat for a Computer-Based Test conducted at the university's ICT Centre on May 18, where they were examined in Current Affairs, Basic Quantitative Reasoning and Use of English. Eniolaoluwa Favour Afolabi emerged as the best performer in the CBT with an impressive score of 279 out of 300 marks", he stressed.
"Beyond the CBT, contestants' application documents, including their letters of interest, curriculum vitae and vision statements, underwent independent assessment by internal and external evaluators" said he.
According to him, "Peter Opeyemi Odetunde recorded the highest overall score in the document assessment, while Esther Opeyemi Opawusi excelled in the Letter of Interest category, Abosede Joy Alagbo and Opeyemi Peter Odetunde emerged outstanding in the Curriculum Vitae category, and Masroor Mahmud Adeeyo recorded the best Vision Statement"
He continued, "Twenty contestants who met the qualifying benchmark progressed to the highly competitive Five Pillars Engagement, where they were assessed in Book Review, Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Corporate Correspondence and Memo Writing, and Problem-Solving Skills through practical exercises and professional evaluations"
"Outstanding performances were also recorded across the various categories. Olamide Racheal Fapohunda emerged as the best in Book Review, while Boluwatife Ebenezer Paul, Abigail Oluwaseun Saseun and Favour Ihotu Idoko jointly won the Creative Writing category. Oluwatobiloba Elijah Oshunbunmi emerged as the best in Public Speaking and Problem-Solving Skills, while Boluwatife Ebenezer Paul, Opeyemi Peter Odetunde and Maria Itunuoluwa Olaseinde shared honours in Memo Writing"
The coordinator disclosed that only ten contestants who attained the required benchmark advanced to the final Community Service Project stage, where they conceived and implemented projects aimed at addressing identified needs within the university and surrounding communities through practical interventions.
"Adeeyo distinguished himself in the final stage with his project, Digi Forward FUOYE: Missing Skills, Not Missing Money, an initiative focused on digital skills development. The project earned him a ₦100,000 cash prize donated by King David Leaders Academy, Ado-Ekiti, whose Chief Executive, Prince Olaoluwa Adebiyi, also announced free leadership training for all ten finalists.Other notable projects included Boluwatife Ebenezer Paul’s IRE-AKARI Project and Opeyemi Peter Odetunde’s FUOYE Scholar, both of which received ₦50,000 prizes donated by the FUOYE Alumni Association.
Blessed Ogunleye Temiloluwa’s Raising Responsible Citizens Initiative, targeted at primary school pupils, won the Professor Cecilia Akintayo Prize for the Best Community Project Executed by a Female Student, with a cash award of ₦50,000.
However, at the grand finale and award ceremony, Adeeyo was officially declared the overall winner with a cumulative score of 240 points. Oluwatobiloba Elijah Oshunbunmi finished as first runner-up with 239 points, Opeyemi Peter Odetunde emerged second runner-up with 238 points, while Ogunleye Blessed Temiloluwa placed third runner-up with 237 points and was also recognised as the Best Performing Female Contestant.
He is expected to serve as FUOYE’s One-Day Vice-Chancellor on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Several contestants also received special awards for exceptional performances in the Computer-Based Test, General Writing, Public Speaking, Character Assessment, Creative Writing and other assessment categories, with cash prizes, books and gifts donated by university officials and external partners.
Photo credit : Femi Otitoju
