Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
PROFESSOR Emmanuel Babatunde Omobowale of the Department of English, University of Ibadan, has been appointed Vice-Chancellor of West Midlands Open University, Ikeja, Lagos State.
The appointment, announced by the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the University’s Governing Council, Professor Idowu Olayinka, on Thursday, August 27, 2026, is for an initial term of five years, subject to the Statutes governing the office of the Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Omobowale is a distinguished scholar with extensive academic and administrative experience.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with Second Class Honours (Upper Division), a Master’s degree in Literature in English and a PhD in Literature in English, all from the University of Ibadan.
He also holds a Master’s degree in Bioethics from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States.
As an undergraduate, he received the Departmental Prize for Literature as the best graduating student in his set.
Omobowale joined the University of Ibadan as an Assistant Lecturer in May 1995 and rose through the academic ranks to become a Professor, effective October 1, 2010.
He is recognised as the first Nigerian Professor of Literature and Medicine and has built a distinguished career through scholarship, research, teaching and mentorship.
The new Vice-Chancellor has published more than 50 sole-authored articles in books and reputable academic journals, in addition to publications undertaken with students and professional colleagues.
His academic contributions also include the supervision of 21 doctoral theses, 60 master’s dissertations and more than 130 bachelor’s projects.
Professor Omobowale has equally held key administrative positions at the University of Ibadan.
He served as Head of the Department of English from 2012 to 2017 and was Director of the university’s Distance Learning Centre from 2020 to 2026.
Announcing the appointment, Professor Olayinka described Omobowale, who’s also a holiness-preaching pastor, as a scholar-administrator whose career has been distinguished by integrity, hard work, transparency and honesty.
He expressed confidence that Omobowale would bring his wealth of academic and administrative experience to bear in his new role and wished him a successful tenure at West Midlands Open University.
The university said the appointment marked another phase in Professor Omobowale’s distinguished academic and leadership career.
