The Chancellor of the Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, has expressed the resolve of the university’s Council and management to continue to prioritize academic excellence and spiritual soundness for the good of Nigeria and its teeming youths.
Bishop Oke spoke on Friday while unveiling the incoming Vice-Chancellor of the PCU, Prof. Timothy Olubisi Adejumo; and the new Registrar, Pastor Afolabi, in the Board Room of the university at Olaogun, Gbagi, Ibadan.
Bishop Oke explained that Prof. Adejumo, a leading researcher, a spirit-filled child of God and an erudite scholar of international repute with one decade of experience as a professor, has more than 65 publications in local and international journals and books to his credit.
In his address on the occasion, the Bishop, who doubles as the President of the Sword of The Spirit Ministries, as well as President, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, expressed optimism that the incoming VC would lead the institution to greater heights, taking a cue from his predecessor, Prof. JK Oloke.
Bishop Oke, disclosing that the Sword of The Spirit Ministries is the proud owner of PCU, lauded the Pro-Chancellor of the university, its Council members, and the management and staff, on their contributions to the journey so far. Assuring the VC of the adequate support of the Ministries and that of other stakeholders, he urged him not to let the institution down on their trust of his competence.
While welcoming the incoming VC and the new Registrar, he said, “We want you to know that we love you. I have been fully briefed of the processes that brought you up. If I am going to use the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is like the camel passing through the eye of the needle. The Pro-Chancellor kept me briefed and I kept praying. I believe we have had in you the best among the best. Having said that, the second thing is to pray for you, committing you into the guiding hand of the Lord whose name the university adopted as its name because He is the Precious Cornerstone.
He added, “We want to pray for you and commit you to God. We want to ask for wisdom, grace and help so you can take the university to a greater height. PCU is turning a new leaf after five years and after graduating two sets having produced hundreds of graduates with 19 of them (from the first and second set) making First Class. One of them has even resumed as a staff in the university.
“If our product is not good for us, it is not good for anybody. I told people that PCU should be such that if I cannot confidently put my only son there, nobody should put his child there. That is the standard that we should uphold. I went to the place that is now the permanent site of our university in 2005 to pray. It was a jungle. That day, the Lord spoke to me, and referred me to Psalm 144. This university has spiritual root. This university didn’t come as a result of copying somebody because some people started a university, no.
“I will read from verse 11, ‘Rid me and deliver me from the hands of strange children.’ There are strange children all over the place. One of my goals, desires and prayers is everybody that comes through the Portal of PCU, either as student, staff or management, for whatever short or long period, would be transformed through the grace of God by the spiritual atmosphere that is created on this campus.
“We do not want people to go through our university and our university does not go through them. We want the university to leave a mark on their lives.
“Some strange children have come, some of them were brought to my notice. Through the grace of God, great changes took place in their lives and their parents became glad. Some parents particularly chose PCU – and say go to Bishop Wale Oke’s university with the hope that the grace of God will touch their lives. We want every stakeholder to be conscious of this.
“You are familiar with my saying, we are tired of educated crooks. Now, we are tired of intelligent thieves. I am not talking of morality, when the certificate is given in recognition of scholarship and character, the foundation of real character is the spiritual life. If there is no spiritual life there is nothing in the character. Why am I not committing adultery? Because I fear God. Why am I not stealing? It is not attractive to me. It is because there is a spiritual foundation.
“I told some people, we want the pillars of PCU – from my perspective and I am saying this as a vision – is academic excellence. It is one of the two key pillars. If it is just academic excellence, UI has been doing that for 75years, Obafemi Awolowo University has been doing that since 1962. I read the newspaper, the day Chief Obafemi Awolowo opened the university. Unilag has been doing it if it is just academic excellence.
“We want academic excellence quite alright but with spiritual foundation for the future. I told my children on the day of convocation that what I am doing today is not academics. Academics contributed to it. My mind was developed and stretched, but that alone does not qualify me to be a bishop, an evangelist or soul winner. The bishop is just academic, but the impact of God’s grace in my life that time when I gave my life to Christ in 1975, to answering the call of God that same year to my experience in leading as a Christian leader in The Polytechnic Ibadan, and then to my experience as a leader all through my academic sorjourn in University of Lagos prepared me for the role I am playing today.
“I have my certificate which I did not collect until 33years after I earned it. It was when we were preparing for PCU’s take-off that I had to call for it. Without spiritual foundation, I would be part of the thugs and part of the people that are troubling the nation. So, we want our children to be sound academically. My own job in achieving that – working with the Pro-Chancellor – is to make sure we have a Vice-Chancellor that can take care of that. But, beyond what the Pro-Chancellor would do, we want to be sure that there is an atmosphere of grace and glory that would change people’s lives to be God fearing, to be godly, to make it to heaven.
“So, two pillars on which the foundation of this university is based are academic excellence and spiritual soundness. And, as the founders of the university, The Sword of The Spirit Ministries does not want to compromise any of it. We want the university to be strong in both. That was why the Ministries insisted – taking a queue from other universities – that our Chaplain is a management staff of the university.
“This is a faith-based university. We are so consumed by our passion to make sure that the spiritual welfare of our children and staff are well looked after to ensure that everybody that passes through the gate of the university has an encounter with God.
“We give thanks for PCU, for the past five years a solid foundation was laid. I can vouch for Professor Oloke; he is a very godly man. He is not messing around with my daughters, not in any way. I told them, if anybody messes with any of my daughters I will eat him raw. Somebody wanted to do it and the VC brought him to me, I said ‘fire him.’ He crossed the line and he eventually fired him because there is zero tolerance for sexual promiscuity and immorality, zero tolerance for cultism and violence. If anybody does not like it, go to another university.
“Even if it is only 10 students that we have and they meet with our requirements and standard, I am good. So, the foundation had been laid, we give glory to God. So, Prof. Adejumo and your team, welcome on board. It is time to move PCU to the higher level. Please, pay attention to these two pillars and do your very best.
“Maintain the high standard, good quality control, crisis-free management, wise and pragmatic administration – there is a lot to do. I want to trust God that it is during your tenure that PCU will migrate to its permanent campus. We want to hit the ground running; we have close to one million blocks, I told them to just continue with it so that when we are ready, buildings will just be springing up.”
The incoming Vice-Chancellor of PCU, in his address of welcome, lauded his predecessor in office, Prof. Oloke, for his feat as the pioneer VC. He expressed gratitude to the Chancellor (Visioner) and his wife, Rev. Victoria Tokunbo; the Pro-Chancellor and the Board of Trustees, while calling for the support of the Management and staff of the institution.
He said that the hope of fulfilling the huge task of leapfrogging the institution to attaining academic excellence and spiritual regeneration lies in the synergy of purpose of key stakeholders.
Adejumo stated, “With profound gratitude to God and a deep sense of responsibility, I stand before you today as your new Vice-Chanceller. It is an honor to become a part of this esteemed community for academic excellence, character development and the pursuit of knowledge.
“I am highly committed to building upon the foundation laid by the Chancellor, BOT, Governing Council and my outgoing VC – my predecessor and his management team.
“Our university, anchored in faith and scholarship, holds the promise of molding individuals, not only academically but also spiritually. I am committed to fostering an environment that encourages the integration of knowledge and faith, nurturing minds and souls alike. Together, we will foster an environment that encourages learning, critical thinking and holistic development.
“As we embark on this journey together, let us draw strength from our collective beliefs and the principles that define our institution. I am eager to engage with each of you – students, faculty and staff – to understand your aspirations and concerns. Let us work hand in hand. With collective effort, I am confident that we shall achieve new heights of success in education, research and service to our community, and contribute meaningfully to the realms of education and research.”
On the readiness of his team to synergize for desired results, he said, “Your insights will guide us in shaping a vibrant and forward-thinking academic community that will uphold the mission and vision of Precious Cornerstone University, and further elevate out university’s standing on the global stage.”
Expressing gratitude for the warm welcome given to him, Adejumo prayed, “May our endeavors be guided by diligence, integrity, excellence, wisdom, compassion and fear of God, reflecting on the values that will make our university a beacon of light and hope. I look forward to walking this path of a fruitful and inspiring tenure with you, and I am confident that with strong faith in God, we will achieve remarkable milestones and impact lives positively.”
