Samson, BOVAS boss, targets top-10 ranking for UNIOSUN

…Adeleke installs BOVAS CEO as third chancellor

Victoria Adunola Samson, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of BOVAS Group, has set a target of placing Osun State University (UNIOSUN) among the top 10 universities in Nigeria within the next five years.

Speaking during her investiture as the third Chancellor of the institution at the Olagunsoye Oyinlola Auditorium, UNIOSUN Main Campus, Osogbo, Samson said achieving the target would require collective effort from all stakeholders.

“We must also collaborate to effectively improve the webometric ranking of this University. We must ensure all hands are on deck to bring UNIOSUN to the class of top 10 in Nigeria in the next five years. I strongly believe this is achievable,” she said.

Samson, an indigene of Iree, said her primary focus during her tenure would be to support infrastructure development for students and faculty members.

“My primary focus during my tenure as Chancellor will be to join the University to raise, deploy and build infrastructure that helps to support both students and faculty members. This is because when the faculty, either academic or administrative, is well taken care of, they will also do the best for the student population as a whole,” she stated.

The new Chancellor also pledged to strengthen collaboration between the university and industry, saying, “As a Chancellor, I would like to ensure the bridge between the town and gown is further strengthened through increased collaboration and cooperation between the university as knowledge producers and trainers and the industry.”

Acknowledging her predecessor, Apostle Folorunso Alakija, Samson said she would build on the foundation already laid.

“I am sure the work to be done in my tenure is a continuation of the good work that has been done by Apostle Folorunso Alakija in this University. I believe that the good foundation already laid will enable us to build what will take UNIOSUN to the next level of success and greatness not only within Nigeria but beyond.”

In his address, Governor Ademola Adeleke who formally invested Samson as the third Chancellor of the university, described her appointment as a deliberate recognition of her integrity, proven competence, outstanding leadership ability and unwavering commitment to national development.

The governor said Samson “represents integrity, symbolises diligence, epitomises discipline and signifies purposeful leadership,” expressing confidence that her tenure would usher in another era of excellence, innovation and institutional advancement.

In his welcome address, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Odunayo Clement Adebooye said Samson’s reputation for ethical leadership, experience on the boards of DAPPMA and IPMAN, and training at Harvard Business School would bring “invaluable benefits for strategic networks and institutional advancement” to the university.

Earlier, the Governor commissioned four projects at the university: the UNIOSUN Sports Complex, a 3-in-1 Science Laboratory Complex, a 500-capacity Lecture Theatre and a 750-capacity Lecture Theatre.

The VC said the projects were fully funded by the Osun State Government through the university’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Samson succeeds Apostle Folorunso Alakija, who served as Chancellor of the university from 2016 to 2026.