Masroor Mahmud Adeeyo has emerged winner of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) One-Day Vice-Chancellor Challenge, scoring a final cumulative 240 points to beat nine other finalists at the Grand Finale and Award Ceremony held at the newly constructed Senate Building, Phase 3, on Saturday.

Adeeyo, whose project "Digi Forward FUOYE: Missing Skills, Not Missing Money" focused on digital skills development, won ₦100,000 donated by King David Leaders Academy, Ado-Ekiti, alongside the Vice-Chancellor's Prize for Best Performance in the General Writing Category. He is scheduled to resume office as One-Day Vice-Chancellor on Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Oluwatobiloba Elijah Oshunbunmi, the sitting SUSC Senate President, placed First Runner-Up with 239 points to become one- day Deputy Vice-chancellor Admin and also won the VC's Prize for Best Performance in Public Speaking. Opeyemi Peter Odetunde came Second Runner-Up with 238 becoming One- Day Deputy Vice-chancellor Academic also Opeyemi won the joint winner of over all best Curriculum Vitae presentation, while Ogunleye Blessed Temiloluwa placed Third Runner-Up and Best Performing Female with 237, also earning the Prof. Cecilia Akintayo Prize for Excellent Community Project by a Female Student.

Speaking to UCJ after the win, Adeeyo said he had not expected to take the top prize despite believing he would perform well. He described feeling overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity, and urged other students to always put their best foot forward, adding that the Initiative deserves to continue and expand given its potential.

The Selection Process

According to Prof. Adebola A. Aderibigbe, Director of Career Services and organiser of the Challenge, the Initiative is designed to expose final-year students to the realities of leadership, administration, decision-making, public communication, problem-solving, and community service — part of a broader push to raise students who are academically sound, digitally aware, and leadership-ready.

The process opened with a digital call for applications on May 14, 2026, publicised via the university's website and its AI-powered station, FUOYE Voice. The 72-hour application window required a one-page letter of interest, CV, a vision statement titled "My Vision for FUOYE," and evidence of a minimum CGPA of 4.0, alongside a clean disciplinary record.

Following verification by the Examinations and Records Unit, three applicants were disqualified for falling short of the CGPA benchmark. Qualified applicants sat a computer-based test on May 18 at the University ICT Centre, covering Current Affairs, Quantitative Reasoning, and Use of English, alongside independent assessment of their application documents.

Twenty contestants met the 400-mark benchmark to advance to the "Five Pillars Engagement" — covering Book Review (based on Rich Dad, Poor Dad), Creative Writing, Public Speaking, Corporate Correspondence and Memo Writing, and Problem-Solving. A minimum average of 75%, graded by independent internal and external assessors, narrowed the field to 10 finalists who proceeded to execute community service projects addressing needs within the university or host community, backed by project proposals, evidence of engagement, and two-minute impact videos.

Other Award Winners

Boluwatife Ebenezer Paul's IRE-AKARI Project won a ₦50,000 prize from the FUOYE Alumni Association. Opeyemi Peter Odetunde's FUOYE Scholar project, a tech-driven academic support initiative, also earned a ₦50,000 Alumni Association prize. Prof. Chika Asogwa's prizes for Best Performance in CBT and Exceptional Character went to Eniolaoluwa Favour Afolabi and Abigail Oluwaseun Saseun respectively, while Dr. Olaide Oladimeji's Creative Writing book prize went to Favour Ihotu Idoko.

SUG PRESIDENT Ogbeni Adio honorary award

The Vice-chancellor during his presentation specially recognised the sitting SUG President Comr. Iyanuoluwa for his exceptional leadership gifting him a huge sum of $200 as a cash reward.

Vice-Chancellor's Remarks

The Vice-Chancellor said the Initiative was inspired by the "one-day governor" concept he witnessed at Bowen University, Osun State, tied to Bola Ahmed Tinubu's tenure as Lagos State governor, and later adopted with the support of past VC Prof. Abayomi Fashina Sunday, before FUOYE ran its first edition last year. He urged students to seize such opportunities to build their CVs early, describing the first 30 years of life as the foundation-building years.

Attendee Omogbemi Godday praised the organisers for the Initiative's rigour and called on students to seek out similar opportunities, saying he only wished he had known of the programme sooner.

With its second edition now concluded, the FUOYE One-Day Vice-Chancellor Initiative continues to reinforce the university's push to prepare students for leadership beyond the classroom, with Adeeyo set to formally assume the role on July 8.