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By Funsho Arogundade
In Nigeria, there are numerous wealthy figures who have amassed immense fortune but have little priority for humanitarian efforts. Dr Olatunji Olowolafe is an exception. He is not only a business magnate but also one of the country’s most generous billionaires. Olowolafe is a visionary investor with a heart of gold. He has not only amassed immense wealth but has also made substantial contributions to philanthropy.
Olowolafe’s career spans healthcare, infrastructure development, and social investment. The Are-Ekiti-born medical doctor turned entrepreneur is one figure with decades of professional experience and an excellent reputation. As a founder and chairman of several successful enterprises that have contributed significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth, his greatest legacy, however, lies in his deep-rooted dedication to philanthropy.
As a distinguished entrepreneur, physician, and philanthropist with a passion for transformative change, Olowolafe, aside from his entrepreneurial interest, believes that the only antidote to true freedom and prosperity is to ensure a stable democracy, rule of law and quality education. The billionaire businessman has quietly been working towards achieving this through his Olatunji Olowolafe Foundation. The Chairman of Deux Project Limited has set aside a percentage of his fortune to help tackle societal ills with focus on quality education, healthcare, and community development.
In January 2024, Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji appointed him the Chancellor of the State University. And he has been making his impacts felt physically and financially. As the Chancellor of the University, Olowolafe has unveiled several major interventions for the school, including Project Digi-Teach EKSU —a programme aimed at achieving 100 per cent digital proficiency among all 650 lecturers.
Olowolafe also announced a landmark partnership with London-based careers platform, Springpod. The partnership will offer EKSU students free virtual work experience with firms like Amazon, Barclays, Deloitte, and Rolls-Royce. But to demonstrate that excellence also deserves tangible reward, Olowolafe has also been providing financial reward through his foundation.
At the 30th convocation ceremony of the institution last weekend, the business magnate awarded N500,000 each to the 83 first-class graduates of the institution. He was following the pattern he established at last year’s convocation where the Foundation awarded the same cash prize of N500,000 to each of the 200 graduates who finished with First Class Honours.
“This is not charity —it is a statement of values. The message is simple and unambiguous: excellence at Ekiti State University will be seen, celebrated, and rewarded. This year, those First-Class graduates will be invited to join the Tunji Olowolafe First Class Graduate Club. Their graduation is not the end of our relationship — it is definitely the beginning,” Olowolafe said.
But the renowned philanthropist’s good deeds aren’t limited to Ekiti State University.
In March, to mark exactly one year since his beloved wife, Gbemisola Olowolafe, passed on, the businessman decided to honour her memory through a cause she held dear: the empowerment of others through knowledge. In her name, and through his foundation, the visionary leader and change-maker announced an unprecedented N1 billion scholarship for 1,000 talented Nigerian students through a full university education. Named ‘The Gbemisola Olowolafe Miva Scholarship’, the initiative will provide fully-funded undergraduate tuition at Miva Open University over the next five years. It is designed to remove financial barriers for ambitious Nigerian students who demonstrate drive and talent but lack the means to access quality higher education.
