Kabba town was agog with jubilation yesterday as Emeritus Professor Olatunji Dare, the distinguished scholar, writer, and public intellectual, gifted his country home to the Kogi State University (KOSU), Kabba.
The elegantly furnished five-bedroom duplex was named the Olatunji Dare Building. Located along Late Pa Peter Seleke Road, Oluwatobi Quarters, Kabba, it is a model of comfort and aesthetic taste.
It boasts two spacious living rooms, all en-suite bedrooms, dual kitchens, a dining room, stores, laundry, a borehole, a new soundproof generator, a gatehouse, and boys’ quarters.
The compound is landscaped with flower gardens, paved with interlocking tiles, fitted with solar lighting, and secured by twin gates.
The domestic staff are to be retained for one year by the institution
At a colourful handover ceremony, the university community, led by Vice Chancellor Prof. Kehinde Eniola and Governing Council Chairman Prof. Sulaiman Sadiku, received the keys and documents from the donor’s representative, retired Colonel Samuel Abayomi Dare.
Prof. Sadiku said the university has resolved to declare every August 21 as Professor Olatunji Dare Day.
The event drew dignitaries, including the Chairman of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) and a friend of the donor, Emeritus Prof. Olu Obafemi; the Obaro of Kabba and Chairman of Okun Traditional Council, His Royal Majesty Oba Dele Owoniyi, and senior officials of KOSU.
Though unable to attend in person, Prof. Dare conveyed his speech through Col. Dare (Rtd.), who travelled from Lagos to perform the symbolic transfer.
In his message, the eminent professor recalled the decades-long yearning of the Okun people for a university, noting that “education is their industry.”
He described his donation as both a personal legacy and an investment in the future of KOSU.
“I had just turned 75 when I resolved to endow the university with a meaningful gift,” he said.
“This house, once my country home, will henceforth belong to Kogi State University, Kabba, to serve as a centre of hospitality, learning, and service.”
He praised the commitment of the university’s leadership, especially Vice Chancellor Eniola, whose direct engagement “displayed rare qualities of the Omoluabi tradition.”
He urged the management to build a university that reflects the history, culture, and ecology of its environment, and to harness the intellectual capital of the Okun diaspora as well as the wisdom of retired statesmen within the community.
Thenation
