Borno State Governor Professor Babagana Umara Zulum has appointed the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, as Chancellor of Kashim Ibrahim University in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Okay News reports that the appointment letter was presented to the monarch at his palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State, southwestern Nigeria, on Tuesday.
Governor Zulum, represented by Secretary to the State Government Mallam Bukar Tijani, cited the Ooni’s passion for education and his track record in various endeavours as key reasons for the selection.
The Ooni currently serves as Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and is the proprietor of his own university.
Tijani highlighted the monarch’s national stature, describing him as a royal father not limited to southwestern Nigeria but influential across the country and the continent.
The appointment also revives centuries-old ties between the ancient kingdoms of Ife and Kanem-Borno, both over 1,000 years old and among Africa’s enduring traditional empires.
Responding, Oba Ogunwusi expressed gratitude and pledged to actively contribute to the university’s development rather than serve as a figurehead.
He emphasised his deep commitment to education, promising to bring the same energy invested in other institutions to Kashim Ibrahim University.
The Ooni traced historical connections, noting that progenitors of the Ife and Kanem-Borno lineages were cousins, and both kingdoms resisted external conquests, including the Uthman dan Fodio jihad.
Kashim Ibrahim University, recently renamed, is preparing to produce its first graduates under the new designation.
The appointment underscores efforts to strengthen traditional institutions’ roles in modern education and national unity.
