- By Samuel Akinnuga
Every product of a great vision is distinguished in its essence. Behind all great institutions is the story of those who caught the vision and the people who did the hard work to make it happen. The story behind the founding of the Redeemer’s University (RUN) is best told by the person who received the vision – the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Visitor to the University, Dr. E.A. Adeboye.
He recently recounted the story during a meeting with some members of the university alumni. In the 1980s, while visiting a university in the United States founded by a Pentecostal mission, he was struck by the beauty and excellence of its campus. That visit became the moment of divine inspiration. Standing there, he envisioned a future where such beauty and excellence would be replicated in Nigeria. That is the provenance of the vision to build a Pentecostal Christian university in Nigeria that would be the best in Africa and indeed one of the best in the world. It took some time and some transitions, but it happened. I decided to open with this background so that the reader can appreciate the model of excellence and faith that inspired the RUN vision.
In many respects, that vision is becoming a reality. One of the most remarkable examples is the university’s record in the sciences. In 2014, the university was designated by the World Bank as the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID). ACEGID’s ground-breaking research quickly established it as the leading genomics laboratory in this part of the world. More milestones have followed since then. Today, ACEGID is one of five centres of the recently established Institute of Genomics and Global Health at the university. The other centres include the International Centre of Excellence for Malaria Research, the Human Genome Centre, the Centre for One Health and Zoonotic Diseases Research and the Centre for Data Science & Virtual Reality. The university continues to attract world-renowned researchers in the life sciences and in other disciplines.
Much has unfolded within the last decade, but the foundation was laid long before then. It is surreal that RUN is 20 years old already! What began in 2005 as a modest vision at the Redemption Camp, with fewer than 500 students, has become an international phenomenon, attracting thousands of students and visitors each year. From its permanent campus in Ede, Osun State, RUN has become a shining example of the powerful synergy between character formation and academic excellence, which is a dynamic many institutions aspire to achieve. Staying true to its motto, “Running with the Vision,” the university continues to embody that enduring charge to its students, staff and stakeholders alike. RUN is still running with a vision.
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I will be the first to admit that my experience in RUN shaped me in many life-changing ways. The university prepared me for leadership and presented me with various opportunities to serve. I engaged with student leadership opportunities, first becoming the President of the Mass Communication Students’ Association, and shortly after that, I was elected to serve as president of the Redeemer’s University Students’ Association (RUNSA). I understand that this exact kind of leadership transition remains, to date, the first and only of its kind in RUN’s 20-year history. I am humbled by that record.
My RUN years also gifted me with relationships that have endured to date. Those who are close to me know how highly I speak of Professor ‘Jide Osuntokun. Prof is one of the most influential figures in my life, and I count the privilege of my close relationship with him among the greatest honours of my life. Over the years, I have sought his wisdom on a wide range of issues, and he has always graciously obliged me. His counsel and encouragement have made me a better man.
In the last three years, I have visited RUN three times. Each of my visits over the past three years greets me with marvel. The pace of infrastructural development is impressive. The difference between what RUN was in my time and what it is today is like night and day. The purpose of my visit in 2023 and 2024 was to attend the convocation ceremony. Although I could not attend this year’s convocation, my most recent visit in late August was for a special series of engagements organised by the RUN Alumni Association in celebration of the university’s 20th anniversary.
The members of the alumni leadership deserve commendation for their tireless service and commitment to the vision. One highlight of that outing was our meeting with the Visitor, who took the time to refresh our minds on the RUN vision. One of the elements of the RUN vision, according to the Visitor, is to “have an alumni network that will be so strong and supportive and that it will be considered a crime at a particular stage to call for school fees because the network of alumni will be so financially strong that there will be no need to ask students to pay fees.” I am convinced that this is possible and that it will be realised sooner rather than later because “our Redeemer is strong!”
After all is said and done, the ultimate aim of university education is not merely to produce graduates who bear certificates, but individuals who contribute meaningfully to the advancement of society in different areas. Formal education must therefore be taken seriously at all levels. We cannot be content with producing thousands of graduates each year without ensuring that their experiences translate into positive consequences for our society. Those of us who have had the opportunity to study at the tertiary level carry a special responsibility to use our knowledge in service to others and to point the direction along which our societies must progress.
On a final note, I admire it when people speak glowingly about their alma mater because, to my mind, it reflects a sense of gratitude and consciousness of how deeply those formative experiences shaped them. Desirable as that may be, I also recognise that it is not yet the reality for everyone. This is why institutions like the Redeemer’s University must continue to model what transformative education can truly look like.
Once again, I congratulate Redeemer’s University on its 20th anniversary. The next 20 years will be marked by even greater accomplishments, innovation and impact. This is only the beginning.
