Looking Past State Support: Oba Otudeko's Strategic Vision for Investing in Education

In 1947, Kenneth Mellanby arrived in Ibadan to lay the groundwork for Nigeria's first university, finding a complete absence of infrastructure, staff, and students, a challenge that would eventually give rise to a thriving academic community.

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Seventy-seven years later, Nigeria is home to 309 universities, with over two million young Nigerians vying for approximately 700,000 admission slots each year, underscoring the need for sustainable funding models.

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Federal universities rely heavily on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, which is financed by a 2% education tax on corporate profits, and received around ?2.86 billion in 2025 to cover various expenses, including staffing and maintenance.

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In December 2025, Vice President Kashim Shettima emphasized the need for private sector involvement in education financing, a point that university administrators have long acknowledged, during the Nigeria Education Forum held in Abuja.

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Historically, attempts by university administrators to secure private sector funding have followed a predictable pattern, with initial enthusiasm and investment ultimately giving way to stalled projects due to shifting priorities and funding constraints.

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Dr. Oba Otudeko, CFR, recognized this challenge over three decades ago and has since developed a distinct approach to investing in education, one that prioritizes completion and continuity over fleeting interventions.

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Through the Oba Otudeko Foundation, Dr. Otudeko has implemented a structured program of investments in education, focusing on building institutional capacity over time, rather than relying on episodic interventions.

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The foundation's investment portfolio encompasses a range of initiatives, including infrastructure development, curriculum endowments, vocational training, scholarships, and institutional capacity building, all designed to promote longevity and durability.

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A notable example of this approach is the Honeywell Auditorium at the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, which hosts lectures, executive programs, and convocations, and is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, a standard met by fewer than 6% of business schools worldwide.

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Dr. Otudeko's decision to invest in the auditorium reflects his commitment to supporting institutions of excellence, and set the tone for subsequent investments, including a 2,400-square-metre administrative complex for Olabisi Onabanjo University in Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State.

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Dr. Otudeko served as Chancellor of Olabisi Onabanjo University from 2001 to 2010, and the investment was made independently of any formal obligation, demonstrating his consistent principle of making commitments driven by a long-term perspective.

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The Oba Otudeko Foundation's support for Olabisi Onabanjo University includes both the endowment of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies and the provision of a 2,400-square-metre administrative complex, highlighting the importance of addressing infrastructure and programmatic needs in tandem.

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A similar approach is evident at the secondary level, as seen in the donation of an administrative block to All Saints' College, Ibadan, which helped address the common challenge of diverting classroom space for administrative use.

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Another notable contribution is the donation of a Students' Cafeteria to Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, demonstrating Dr. Otudeko's focus on targeting specific, practical barriers that can determine a student's ability to complete their education.

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Dr. Otudeko's approach to education has also shaped the operations of Honeywell Group, with the establishment of the Honeywell Excellence Programme in 1993, which has provided over three decades of leadership and graduate management training, uninterrupted by various challenges.

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Tomi Otudeko, Chief Operating Officer at Honeywell Group, notes that the company's investments in education reflect a commitment to creating environments that will train the next generation of Nigerian professionals, and that talent development is a core business function.

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Yewande Giwa, Chief Governance and Sustainability Officer at Honeywell Group, emphasizes that the organization's approach to social investment is guided by a clear framework for follow-through and accountability to stated priorities, with impact defined by continuity and enduring commitments.

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As Nigeria continues to grapple with the challenge of providing quality education to its growing population, with over two million annual applicants competing for 700,000 university places, Dr. Otudeko's more than two decades of impact offer a valuable template for other business leaders to study and replicate.