ACU Honours Archbishop Akinfenwa, Wife with Hymn Fest
…As Visitor described Prof. Oduwole ‘a Woman of Grace, an Achiever’
It was an atmosphere of angelic praise on Sunday, April 26, 2026, as the sonorous voices of the Ajayi Crowther University Choir, the Ibadan Anglican Diocese, and the Ibadan South Diocese Choir converged at the Cathedral of St. James the Great, Oke-Bola, Ibadan, for a Community Hymn Singing in honour of the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph Olatunji Akinfenwa and Mama Comfort Akinfenwa.
The musical festival, which drew a massive turnout of clergy, worshippers, and dignitaries from Ajayi Crowther University (ACU) as well as from Ibadan, was a celebration of the Archbishop’s remarkable 40 years of faithful priestly ordination, 28 years of distinguished episcopal consecration, and three years of governance as Visitor to ACU.
Leading the university’s delegation at the event was the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Ebunoluwa Oduwole, alongside Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Afolake Olanbiwonninu; Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Olukayode Binuyo; Registrar, Dr. Bode Olofinmuagun; Bursar, Dr. Ayodele Olusanwo; and University Librarian, Dr. Bose Ajiboye.
Also in attendance were Prof. and Prof. Mrs. Adeniyi Osuntogun, member, Board of Trustees of ACU; Mr. Segun Bolarinwa and Barrister Akinrinade, members of ACU Governing Council.
Demonstrating his appreciation, Most Rev. Dr. Akinfenwa thanked Prof. Oduwole, the Principal Officers of the University, and everyone who came from Ajayi Crowther University to honour him and his wife.
He described the Vice-Chancellor as a woman of grace, an achiever, and an exemplary leader who knows what she wants to achieve from the onset.
He prayed that God would continue to stabilise her, members of her management team, and all ACU staff and students.
Earlier, while welcoming guests to the evening of praise, Prof. Oduwole described the gathering as “not only an assembly of voices, but a sacred convergence of hearts united in praise, thanksgiving, and reverence unto God.”
“The man, the Visitor, the Baba, the trailblazer who produced the first female Vice-Chancellor and the first female head of institution in the Anglican Communion,” she declared.
She also honoured Mama Comfort Akinfenwa, calling her “a remarkable matriarch whose life has been a testimony of grace, service, and steadfast commitment to God’s work.”
Describing the hymn singing as “more than a musical event but a spiritual experience,” Prof. Oduwole noted that hymns have long served as “vessels of doctrine, history, and devotion, binding generations together in shared expressions of faith.”
“As a faith-based institution where we raise godly intellectuals, Ajayi Crowther University remains committed to nurturing not only intellectual excellence but also spiritual vitality,” she said.
Delivering the exhortation titled “E Ma Tesiwaju” (Press Forward), taken from Philippians 3:14, the Bishop of Ilesa South West Diocese, Rt. Rev. Samuel Egbebunmi, charged the Archbishop and his wife to continue pressing forward in their good works for God and humanity without looking back at persecution by the world.
“Bishop and Mama Akinfenwa are fantastic leaders,” Rt. Rev. Egbebunmi said, praying that God would fight for them in any challenges that came their way. Recalling the Archbishop’s transfer from Sokoto Diocese to Ibadan, he described his journey as “wonderful from the beginning.”
The Bishop also praised Prof. Oduwole and her management team for their transformative work at the university and charged all attendees to live by the theme by pressing forward in all adversities.
The evening reached an emotional peak when the Archbishop and Mama Akinfenwa personally delivered the hymn “O Jesus, I Have Promised,” demonstrating that beyond preaching from the pulpit, they have also mastered the art of praise.
The event, organised by ACU in collaboration with the Ibadan Anglican Diocese and Ibadan South Diocese, ended with prayers for continued grace upon the Archbishop and his wife, who will be retiring in a few weeks ahead.
