Olanipekun Donates Law Auditorium to Babcock University

Steve Aya

Big wigs in the legal and education sectors converged at Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State last Friday, February 21, 2025, to join Nigeria’s legal numero uno, Chief Wole Olanipekun, CFR, SAN at the commissioning of an Ultramodern Law Auditorium which he donated to the University.  

The building aptly christened the Wole Olanipekun Law Auditorium (WOLA), is another in the numerous philanthropic gestures the former NBA President has made to various educational institutions across the country, including the University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ajayi Crowther University, Bamidele Olumilua University of Science and Technology, and now Babcock University, also gifting facilities to the Bar and the Bench in various jurisdictions. Chief Olanipekun, a former Chairman of the Body of Benchers, is on record to have built and donated imposing edifices to NBA Bar Centres, and a Courthouse to the profession.

Dignitaries in attendance at the auspicious occasion were Chief Olanipekun’s wife, Princess Erelu Omolara Olanipekun. They have four children who are all Lawyers, including two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Dr Dapo Olanipekun and Bode Olanipekun.

Also at the event were the Akarigbo of Remoland, His Majesty, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi; the Orogun of Okenla, Oba Dokun Abolarin; the Olofin of Ilishan, Oba Michael Sonuga; Oba Sikiru Adeyega; Archbishop Olusina Fape, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Ogun State, Oluwasina Ogungbade, SAN; and Prof Roland Otaru, SAN. 

Babcock University Officials were on hand to welcome guests at the event, including the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ademola S. Tayo; the Dean of the School of Law and Security Studies, Professor Dorcas Odunaike, as well as academic and administrative leaders (past and present) such as Professor Isaac Oluwole Agbede; Professor Pius Deji Olanrewaju; Professor Bankole Sodipo, SAN; Professor Zac Olomojobi; Professor Philemon Amanze; Professor Olugbenga Idowu; Professor Ilesanmi; Professor Efe Ehioga; Dr Sunday Audu and the School’s Bursar, Dr Folorunsho Akande, among others. 

The 250-seater Auditorium is an architectural masterpiece of its own and full equipped.  nce their graduation from Babcock. Since its establishment in 2005, the School, according to its Dean, Prof. Odunaike,  boasts of 15 sets of graduates. These alumni, she said, possess not just degrees in law, but also professional certifications such as CIBN and ICSAN. 

In his speech, Chief Olanipekun commended the management of Babcock University for its ability to make the most out of scarce resources, in order to meet desired targets. He described his gesture as an endorsement of the University’s lofty ambitions. In respect of his venture into social investment (especially in the field of education and empowerment), the learned Senior Advocate said he was merely responding to the urgings of his conscience.  

Speaking on the state of the legal profession in Nigeria today, and on the nation in general, Chief Olanipekun lamented about the gradual loss of our humanity, and asked rhetorically what sort of legal profession such departed heroes of the profession as Chief Rotimi Williams, QC, SAN, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, and others would find, if they were to return to life. Against this backdrop, the Senior Advocate appealed to well-to-do Nigerians to make similar investments in the future, in order to safeguard the destinies of upcoming generations and to ensure the proper development of education – including legal education in Nigeria. 

The Akarigbo of Remoland, thereafter, performed the cutting of the tape to declare the Wole Olanipekun Law Auditorium officially open.  He  and his royal counterparts, were joined by the assembled attendees as they admired the cavernous interior of the edifice, before settling down to listen to a benediction by the eminent Bishop Olusina Fape.