From the Streets of Surulere to the Pinnacle of Academia
(As the Premier University, University of Ibadan Prepares for the 587th Inaugural Lecture on Thursday July 17, 2025)
By Olufemi Timothy Ogunyejo
Some stories are written in ink; others are etched into the bedrock of legacy. The life of Professor Olufemi Adegbola Adegbesan belongs to the latter, a compelling narrative woven through grit, grace, scholarship, and service. Come Thursday, July 17, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., the prestigious Trenchard Hall of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s intellectual cathedral, will once again host history, as this distinguished sports psychologist and eminent scholar delivers the 587th Inaugural Lecture of the institution.
With the fitting title: “A Mental Game: Revolutionizing Sport and Exercise Through the Lens of Sports Psychology Partnership”, this lecture promises to be an invigorating exploration of how psychology shapes performance, resilience, and the future of sport.
The gates of town and gown will swing open, beckoning scholars, students, policymakers, sports administrators, and global enthusiasts to witness a masterclass in intellect, legacy, and life, and to honour a man delivering this lecture as a culmination of his tenure as Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan.
Born on November 2, 1967, in the heart of Lagos at Island Maternity Hospital, young Olufemi began his journey like a seedling in the shade — modest, hopeful, and full of latent promise. The son of Omooba Ayodele Olaide Adegbesan (of blessed memory) and Mrs. Ayodele Anuoluwapo Adegbesan, his early years unfolded in the chalk-stained corridors of Methodist Primary School and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School, Surulere.
His intellectual foundation was further laid at Government College Lagos School II (now Eric-Moore High School) and Baptist Academy, Obanikoro, before he gained admission into the University of Ibadan in 1989 to study Physical and Health Education. Despite delays caused by industrial actions, he graduated in 1994, a metaphor for resilience and academic determination. Even during his NYSC at Abadina College, he stood out, a signpost of emerging brilliance.
From a Lagos schoolboy to a global scholar, Professor Adegbesan has traversed continents on the wings of knowledge. With three degrees from the University of Ibadan, he found his niche in Sports Psychology, specialising in Performance Enhancement, Motivation in Sport and Exercise, and Sport Injury Psychology, domains that bridge science and human spirit.
Today, as Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Education, he is not just shaping minds. He is shaping paradigms. His portfolio boasts 82 peer-reviewed journal articles, 6 book chapters, and contributions in top-tier outlets like the British Journal of Sports Medicine, a global authority in its field. A multiple grant award-winner, he has led collaborative research across Africa and beyond, propelling new frontiers in sports science, education, and policy. From the lecture halls to Olympic stadiums, from thesis supervisions to strategy rooms, his influence is both wide and deep.
Professor Adegbesan’s impact reverberates far beyond Nigeria. He has served as a visiting scholar at University College Dublin, taught across cultures at the University of Botswana, and made research-driven visits to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and over ten African countries. His passport is stamped not only with visas but with visions, of an Africa where sport is a tool for development, healing, and identity.
As a certified accreditor, he has evaluated academic programmes across Nigerian universities. As a consultant to the Nigerian Football Federation, a CAF psychologist and a trusted expert for FIFA disciplinary decisions, he has merged academia and real-world sporting governance
On Thursday, July 17, at precisely 3:00 p.m., Trenchard Hall will host more than a lecture, it will host a legacy in transition. A man bowing out as Dean of a storied Faculty will bow into the annals of history with words that challenge, inspire, and uplift.
This is not just an inaugural lecture, it’s a call to reimagine the future of sport and mental health, a tribute to excellence, and an invitation to dream bigger. Whether you’re a student craving inspiration, a policymaker refining reform, a coach pursuing excellence, or a thinker hungry for knowledge — this lecture is for you. You will leave with more than notes; you’ll leave with new lenses to view the world and, possibly, a renewed mind.
As one who has mentored seven PhD graduates, influenced sports policy in multiple African nations, and guided the mental well-being of athletes at Olympic and continental levels, Professor Adegbesan is the embodiment of what it means to blend science with service.
To witness him speak is to see a mind in motion and a legacy in flight, a man whose every sentence carries the weight of decades of scholarship, mentorship, and impact. Professor Adegbesan doesn’t merely lecture; he enlightens. His voice, seasoned by experience, rings with the authority of a researcher, the insight of a psychologist, and the soul of a teacher.
His journey reminds us that sport is not just muscle and medals, but a mental theatre, where resilience is rehearsed, identity is affirmed, and excellence is choreographed. Through this lecture, he invites us to revolutionize the way we see sport and exercise, not as sidelines of society, but as central stages for human development. Whether you wear a lab coat, a coaching badge, a policymaker’s pin, or a student’s backpack, this is your moment to sit at the feet of a teacher of teachers.
Come and witness the story of a Surulere son who grew from the dusty fields of Lagos to become a torchbearer of global excellence, a man whose academic footsteps have traced paths from Nigeria to the world, and whose mind continues to shape the future of sport, psychology, and education.
Professor Olufemi Adegbola Adegbesan Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan, a Sport Psychologist, academic leader, mentor of men, builder of minds gets prepared to address the world.
Be there and let history meet you at the door.
Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Time: 3:00 PM
Venue: Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan Lecture Title: “A Mental Game: Revolutionalising Sport and Exercise Through the Lens of Sports Psychology Partnership”
written by
Olufemi Timothy Ogunyejo
(A Ph.D. student in the Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies, Faculty of Education, University of Ibadan)
