Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago-Iwoye is set to join the list of prestigious hosts of Rotary Peace Centres across the world following a multimillion Naira endowment by the Rotary International District 9111. The groundbreaking ceremony of the project, which will cost at least N150million, was held on Thursday, 18th September, 2025 at the Main Campus, Ago-Iwoye, with the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ayodeji Agboola, and other Principal Officers of the University in attendance.
Rotary Peace Centres are educational hubs established in partnership with leading universities globally to train and develop peacebuilding individuals with certification in peace and conflict resolution. The programme has graduated hundreds of fellows who go on to serve as catalysts for peace in leadership roles within governments, non-governmental organisations and international organisations. Currently, Rotary has eight of these peace centres located at universities in Uganda, England, United States, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Ghana and India. When the OOU project is completed, it could be the ninth Rotary peace centre globally.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, the District Governor, Rotarian Henry Akinyele, said the decision of his organisation to construct a peace centre at OOU was a significant step aimed at fostering peace building and conflict resolution skills among students and other stakeholders.
Akinyele disclosed that the construction of the “Rotary District 9111 Peace Centre” will be done within nine months and commissioned by May, 2026. He noted that the centre, when completed, will provide academic training, practical experience and global networking opportunities for individuals to develop effective catalysts for peace. He said, “Today, we embark on a journey to promote peace, understanding and conflict resolution in Nigeria, West Africa and, of course, in the world at large through our partnership with Olabisi Onabanjo University.”
“I must emphasise that in Rotary, we have eight areas of focus where we drive our service projects. The very first one is peace building and conflict prevention. So, you understand that this is very important to us. This initiative aims to equip students, community leaders and professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to build peace and resolve conflict.”
The District Governor, who emphasised the commitment of Rotary to a more peaceful and cohesive society, noted that the foremost international club had previously introduced certification course in peacebuilding, conflict resolution and security studies in the University.
The objectives of the course, he said, included instilling self-knowledge about humanitarian crises and their alleviation, providing an advanced introduction to key concepts, ideas and debate in peace, conflict and security studies and fostering appreciation for the importance of peace studies and conflict resolution in contemporary community, national and global affairs, among others.
“To further our efforts of this initiative, we are building a state-of-the-art Rotary Peace Centre within the University campus. This campus will serve as a hub for thought leadership and peace building activities, providing a dedicated venue for the course and further initiatives,” he added. While advocating concerted efforts to promote peace and conflict resolution in Nigeria, West Africa and the world at large, Akinyele invited Rotarians, clubs, corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals to support the peace centre initiative.
“As we break ground today, let us remember that peace is not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice, understanding and harmony. Let us strive to create a brighter future for ourselves and future generations,” the District Governor submitted.
Before the District Governor’s address, Dr. Kukoyi had commended the University Management for the fruitful collaboration with Rotary. The immediate past District Governor said he was excited that his successor carried forward his vision to birth the peace centre. He expressed optimism that the products of the peace initiative would, in the next few years, emerge as a very strong force for the promotion of peace all over the world.
“Peace is a commodity that everyone tries to have but unfortunately, hardly would you see any country that has absolute peace. That is why we must continue to engage in peace and conflict prevention; we also added security studies to the curriculum in this university and that makes it very peculiar.”
“I want to believe that this is the beginning of greater things to come. The vision is going to get greater and bigger and very soon, I can assure you that we may have an international component to what we are doing here. We already have eight peace centres across the world and it won’t be toomuch if Nigeria also gets into the map of Rotary International Peace Centre,” Dr. Kukoyi remarked.
In his address on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor thanked Rotary for choosing the University for the project. He commended the organisation for its generous support in expanding and modernising the institution’s facilities which, he noted, would benefit the academic community.
“You cannot quantify peace. It is in the atmosphere of peace that there will be development. I thank you most sincerely for choosing OOU for this project,” Prof. Agboola said.
The Vice-Chancellor, who was obviously excited about the prospects of the Rotary peace centre, promised to support its construction with a sum of N1million as part of his own modest contribution.
“This University was developed by individuals and philanthropists. I want to say you are the first NGO that will see us and decide to make such a huge impact in this institution,” he stated.
The Vice-Chancellor, while underscoring the essence of the Rotary peace centre, said the project will provide a platform for research, education and community engagement on peace building and conflict resolution. He assured that the University will ensure adequate maintenance of the building upon its completion. It will be recalled that the Rotary International District 9111, under the leadership of its immediate past District Governor, Dr. Oduwole Kukoyi, had partnered with OOU for a three-month Certification Course in Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution and Security Studies where several students have been successfully sponsored. The programme was conceived as an initiative to domesticate the Rotary International Peace Fellowship for communities, thereby building peace and preventing conflicts from the grassroots.
Some of the dignitaries at the groundbreaking ceremony included the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Olatundun Oderinde; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Oladipo Olubomehin; Registrar, Dr. Bayo Orukotan; Bursar, Mr. Olufemi Sowunmi; Director of Research, Prof. Richard Aborisade; Director, Business School, Prof. Bamidele Ilo; Dean of Arts, Prof. Jide Dasaolu; District Governor-Elect, Rotarian Bukola Bakare, who was represented by Rotarian Lateef Bakare, and District Governor Nominee, Rotarian Samuel Ayetutu.