Celebrating a Visionary Leader: Dr Sophia Vivian ADEYEYE Ends a Remarkable Tenure as NLA Oyo State Chairman (2022–2025)

 Congratulations to Dr Sophia Vivian Adeyeye on the successful completion of her three-year tenure as Chairman of the Nigerian Library Association (NLA), Oyo State Chapter. Her leadership journey, which began with her swearing-in during the 2022 Library Week at the Kenneth Dike Library, University of Ibadan, has been nothing short of transformative. I still recall that memorable day clearly, the excitement, the expectations, the energy in the hall as she and other executive members took the oath of office. Those three years now feel like days packed with progress, innovation, and renewed visibility for the chapter. Her manifesto was ambitious, almost larger than life, yet she embraced it with the confidence and determination of a true visionary.

From the moment she assumed office, Dr Adeyeye hit the ground running. She embarked on courtesy visits to both well-established and hard-to-reach libraries (academic, public, research, special etc), information centres, and library schools across the state. Her emergence was, in every sense, a blessing, reaffirming Oyo State’s reputation for excellence, echoing the saying: “Aji se bi Oyo la ri; Oyo kii se bi baba enikan.” True to this heritage, she strengthened the foundation laid by her predecessors and pushed the chapter to new heights. She sustained the legacy and raised the bar.

As someone who dearly loves the profession, I followed her activities closely. I was often amazed at how she balanced her enormous responsibilities: one of which is serving as Head of the Department of Information Management at Lead City University, a three-in-one department overseeing Office and Information Management, Health Information Management, and Library and Information Science. That role alone is energy-intensive. Yet, beyond that, she remains a global citizen, actively contributing not merely as a member but as a title-holding participant in IFLA, AfLIA, IASSIST, IASL, and several other international bodies.

To carry the weight of all these responsibilities: coupled with the demands of chairing NLA Oyo, is no small feat. As the Yoruba proverb reminds us, “A t’eri ajanaku ki i se eru omode” the head of an elephant is not one a child can carry. Yet Dr Adeyeye not only carried it; she carried it with grace, passion, and excellence.

Among her many achievements, one that stands out is the remarkable growth in the association’s membership strength. Under her watch, the chapter became a vibrant hive of activity. Week after week, there was always an NLA Oyo programme, workshops, seminars, library weeks, and intellectual gatherings that left lasting impressions. Each event under her leadership outshone the last: the 2023 Polytechnic Ibadan Library Week, the 2024 LAUTECH Library Week, and the beautifully organised 2025 Oyo State School of Surveying Library Week, among others. These were not mere ceremonies; they were intellectually rich engagements where pressing issues in librarianship were discussed and meaningful solutions were crafted.

Dr Adeyeye also turned many long-standing ideas into reality, such as the Librarian Hangout of 2024 at Botanical gather, University of Ibadan, organised dinner with our matriarch, and with the patriarch as well other NLA Oyo stakeholders. and the revival of the Library Forum magazine, regular online webinars, and a sustained presence of NLA Oyo at state-wide symposia, conferences, and ceremonies. Under her leadership, NLA Oyo became visible, influential, and proudly represented everywhere it mattered.

Thank you, Dr Sophia Vivian ADEYEYE, for sharing your brilliance, passion, and positive energy with the association. You truly deserve every accolade. You are an exceptional leader, a vibrant professional, and a treasure to our community. As the chapter moves forward, we hope to continue drawing from your wisdom. May God bless you, strengthen you, and prosper everything you lay your hands on. Amen.

Written by

Dr Azeez Adebamgbola Adeoye

Wizard Librarian
Head, Library Digital Services Department
Senior Librarian; Doctor of Library and Information Science (Technology)
Federal University of Health Sciences, Ila-Orangun, Osun State, Nigeria
Tel: +234 703 029 2959, azeez.adeoye@fuhsi.edu.ng