Babcock University, Covenant University, and Redeemer's University are among the most recognised private universities in Nigeria. While many Nigerians know these institutions for their modern facilities and strong academic reputations, fewer are familiar with the stories behind their establishment. This article highlights the origin of these institutions and how they were founded by churches in Nigeria.
How Babcock University Began
Among the three institutions, Babcock University has the longest history and dates back to the activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nigeria. It actually began on September 17, 1959, as Adventist College of West Africa (ACWA). Established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church as a senior college for training church workers from the West African sub-region, ACWA opened its doors with only seven ministerial students. The liberalisation of private university education in Nigeria during the late 1990s created an opportunity for the college to transform into a full-fledged university.
In 1999, the Federal Government granted the institution a licence to operate as Babcock University. The university was named in honour of David C. Babcock, whose missionary efforts laid the foundation for Adventist work in Nigeria. The transition marked a major milestone not only for the church but also for private higher education in Nigeria, as Babcock became one of the first private universities licensed in the country. Since then, the institution has expanded into a comprehensive university offering programmes in medicine, law, engineering, nursing, public health, education, business and the social sciences.
The Vision Behind Covenant University
The story of Covenant University is closely linked to the growth of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, popularly known as Winners Chapel, founded by Bishop David Oyedepo in 1981. According to the university's website, Covenant University is a product of the Liberation Commission that God gave to Bishop Oyedepo in a May 1981 vision encounter. The drive to establish CU emerged in October of 1999, one month after the dedication of Faith Tabernacle, the largest church auditorium in the world constructed in one year with local resources.
By November 27, 1999, an in-house consortium on the university's take-off was inaugurated. By December 1999, the application form for a private university operating license was issued by the National Universities Commission (NUC). By July 15, 2001, the verification team of the NUC came for the final inspection of facilities and programmes. The outcome of that visit was the Federal Government's approval of CU on January 16, 2002. The NUC sealed the approval with the presentation of the operating license on February 12, 2002, by which CU, Ota, Ogun State, was authorised to operate as a private university in Nigeria.
The Establishment of Redeemer's University
The origins of Redeemer's University are tied to the remarkable growth of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) under the leadership of pastor E.A Adeboye. The school's official website stated that it had always been the desire of the RCCG to make an input into university education in Nigeria. To realise its dream, the RCCG and the proprietors of the university initially acquired a large expanse of land in Ede South Local Government Area of Osun State, having obtained the Certificate of Statutory Right of Occupancy in 1997. The site of the university covers an area of about 812 hectares.
However, during an assessment visit of facilities for the take-off of the university, the NUC advised the acquisition of a parcel of land within the vicinity of the take-off campus as the permanent site. Therefore, the university, through the proprietor, acquired about 500 hectares of land close to the take-off campus situated between Ibafo and Asese Junction at Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State on Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The institution received its licence from the Federal Government in 2005 and began operations in the same year.
From Faith to Education: A Shared Vision
Although Babcock University, Covenant University and Redeemer's University emerged from different Christian traditions, their histories reveal a common theme. Each institution was born from the conviction that education should go beyond classroom instruction to include moral development, leadership training and service to society. The Adventist College of West Africa (later Babcock University) was established in 1959 but was licensed as one of Nigeria's first private universities in 1999. In 2002, Covenant University was licensed and opened in Ota, Ogun State, while Redeemer's University was licensed by the Federal Government and began operations in 2005.
Today, these universities stand as enduring symbols of how religious organisations have shaped Nigeria's higher education landscape. In a related story, Legit.ng shared how JAMB was formed in 1978 to standardise university admissions amid resource wastage and inefficiency, and the UME was introduced. The article highlighted the transition from UME to UTME and the examination's evolution to computer-based testing.
