When the gleaming new auditorium at Lagos State University (LASU), Epe Campus was recently commissioned, it was not just another building added to the institution’s infrastructure. For its benefactor, Mr. Tunji Bello, it symbolized a personal journey of faith, sacrifice and an enduring belief in the transformative power of education.
Bello, a lawyer, journalist, former Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and now Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, explained that the idea of building the facility began in 2021 as he approached his 60th birthday. Unlike many who would choose to mark the milestone with elaborate parties, he sought a more enduring legacy.
“For me, the idea of throwing a big party to mark the occasion was completely off the table,” he recalled. “My wife, Professor Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, who was not yet Vice Chancellor then, first suggested building something for LASU. I didn’t give much thought to it immediately, but a few days later, the idea took hold of me.”
From Scholarships to Structures
Bello is no stranger to educational philanthropy. A decade earlier, on his 50th birthday, he had instituted an annual scholarship for brilliant but indigent students of Lagos origin in five disciplines: Law, Mass Communication, Social Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
“The criteria were intentional,” he explained. “Academic brilliance was one. Two, the beneficiary had to come from a poor background. Three, they had to be an indigene of Lagos. The idea was to help those brilliant minds at risk of dropping out of school because of poverty.”
That scholarship, still running today, inspired him to think bigger at 60.
Wrestling with Doubts
The decision to build an auditorium, however, was not an easy one. When his architect, Kunmi Ayinla, presented the building plan and budget, Bello admitted he was initially frightened.
“I was immediately filled with doubt as to whether it was feasible. But when God gives you a vision, He also provides the means in miraculous ways,” he said.
One of those “miracles” came through an unusual birthday request. Instead of accepting expensive gifts, Bello asked friends to convert their gestures into cash contributions toward the project. A wealthy associate who had planned to surprise him with a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser instead donated the equivalent cash. With support from friends and well-wishers, construction commenced in 2021.
Trials, Sacrifices, and Breakthroughs
But the road was far from smooth. Inflation, rising exchange rates, and the crash of the naira almost derailed the project.
“The toughest moment was late 2023 and early 2024 when costs tripled, especially for finishing materials. At that point, I had to sell my property in Magodo to keep workers on site. I did not want it to become another abandoned project,” Bello said.
Faith and perseverance saw the project through. With additional support from friends and unexpected allies, the auditorium was eventually completed after three years of construction.
A Legacy of Inspiration
To Bello, the project is not about self-glorification but about making a consequential choice between fleeting enjoyment and posterity.
“By sowing this seed in the vineyard of knowledge, I believe we are preserving my 60th birthday cake in a way that will be shared by many generations,” he noted.
The facility, equipped with modern learning aids, has also been complemented with free WiFi courtesy of VDT Communications, whose Managing Director, Mr. Biodun Omoniyi, is Bello’s childhood friend. To ensure sustainability, a private management company will oversee the auditorium’s maintenance for a year before LASU assumes full control.
Anchored in Tradition
Bello drew inspiration from his late father, Alhaji Azeez Olatunji Bello, who in the 1950s donated land for the establishment of Ansar-Ud-Deen College in Isolo, and from his late mentor, Chief MKO Abiola, who once endowed universities across Nigeria. He also referenced President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who as Lagos governor famously donated his salaries to charity and more recently announced a ₦1 billion endowment for LASU.
“This is my token of appreciation to God Almighty for His grace and to my dear Lagos State for the opportunities given to me,” Bello said, recalling how he himself once benefited from a Lagos State scholarship as an undergraduate at the University of Ibadan.
A Call To Others
Bello used the occasion to make a broader appeal, stressing that government alone cannot bridge the infrastructural gap in public universities.
“Private individuals who have the means should invest in public tertiary education to create more opportunities, just as is prevalent in many developed countries,” he urged.
To LASU students, he left a timeless charge, citing Benjamin Franklin’s famous maxim engraved on the auditorium’s marble entrance: “Investment in education pays the best interest.”
“As you sit in this auditorium and listen to your lecturers, I hope it inspires you to excel and become the next Ayodele Awojobi, Wole Soyinka, Chike Obi, Isa Abubakar, Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, or Ojetunji Aboyade,” he told them. “Our fervent prayer as parents is that you will be greater than us.”
Beyond a Building
Ultimately, the LASU auditorium is more than just bricks and mortar. It is the story of one man’s faith-driven determination to give back, the sacrifices made to ensure completion, and the belief that education remains society’s greatest investment.
For Tunji Bello, the structure stands not only as a tribute to his 60th birthday but also as a gift to future generations of Lagosians who will pass through the institution’s halls.
And as the first students settle into the auditorium’s seats, logging onto free WiFi and absorbing lectures amplified through modern public address systems, they will also be inheritors of Bello’s legacy—one rooted in sacrifice, service, and a lifelong commitment to the public good.
