From Stage Lights to Lifelines: How Oluwatoyin Alabi Rewrites the Script of Purpose at UNILORIN – By Christie Doyin

 

By Christie Doyin

On a night when the stage at the University of Ilorin pulsed with ancient voices and modern questions, when dialogue met destiny under the glow of theatre lights, one man quietly reminded everyone that art, like life, finds its deepest meaning when it serves humanity.

Dr. Oluwatoyin Alabi did not arrive merely as a guest. He arrived as a lifeline.
As students of the Department of English and Literary Studies delivered a gripping performance of Wedlock of the Gods, their artistry laid bare the enduring power of African theatre, its ability to interrogate culture, challenge injustice, and awaken empathy.

Yet, beyond the applause and the emotional crescendos, the evening would come to be remembered for something even more profound: the moment purpose stepped out of the audience and into action.

Visibly moved by the students’ discipline, emotional depth, and command of the stage, Dr. Alabi rose to speak, not with rehearsed rhetoric, but with the conviction of a man whose life has been shaped by struggle, gratitude, and an unshakeable belief in human potential.

In a gesture that drew sustained applause, he awarded scholarship to Afolabi Precious Olamide and presented her with a ₦100,000 cash grant to ease her hostel accommodation problem.

Another student, whose portrayal of a motherly role, despite all her slapping, beating and jakking of clothes of those unfortunate to be close to her in her moment of frenzy, stirred hearts across the hall, received a ₦100,000 cash prize for her exceptional performance.

In those moments, theatre became more than performance. It became possibility.
For Dr. Alabi, such gestures are not spontaneous acts of charity; they are the natural expression of a life philosophy forged long before success arrived. From earning a modest ₦1,400 salary in his early working days to building thriving businesses across Nigeria’s hospitality and Oil and Gas sectors as founder of _The Promise Fast Food,_ his journey has been one of resilience, vision, and deliberate generosity.

“When success does not lift others,” he believes, “it is incomplete.”
That conviction echoed again during his visit to the University of Ilorin FM radio station, where he spoke candidly about purpose, development, and the responsibility of those who have been privileged by opportunity.

 

 

He praised the university’s commitment to practical learning, describing its modern radio studio as more than infrastructure, a breeding ground for confident voices, skilled professionals, and future storytellers.
Education, to Dr. Alabi, is not confined to classrooms or certificates. It is practical. It is dignifying. It is transformative.

This belief now finds form in his bold vision for Kwara State. He announced plans to partner with the University of Ilorin to establish a Promise Fast Food outlet on campus, an initiative designed to meet a simple but pressing students’ need: access to quality and affordable meals.
“Students actually need this,” he said.

“And at The Promise, we do nothing but good food.” Yet his most ambitious dream reaches even further. In Igbaja, his hometown in Ifelodun Local Government Area, Dr. Alabi envisions Nigeria’s first tuition-free university for indigent students an institution focused on Sports, Vocational Studies, and Entertainment. In a rapidly changing economy, he believes these fields hold the key to employability, creativity, and self-reliance.

“The greatest investment anyone can make,” he often says, “is in human capacity development.” His love for Kwara State is both vocal and practical. While commending Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq for laying a strong developmental foundation, Dr. Alabi calls on citizens to see progress as a collective duty.

“Nobody will do it for us,” he insists. “Development is shared responsibility.”
Back at the drama night, as the final curtain fell and emotions lingered in the air, it was clear that Dr. Alabi’s presence had altered the narrative.  What began as a stage performance became a story of restored hope. What unfolded as drama transformed into destiny.

In Dr. Oluwatoyin Alabi’s world, philanthropy is not an afterthought to wealth; it is its foundation. Whether through scholarships, enterprise, education, or the arts, his life tells a consistent story, one where promise finds purpose, and success is measured not by profit margins, but by lives transformed.

And long after the stage lights dimmed at UNILORIN, that message continues to resonate: that when art meets empathy, and success bows to service, the future becomes brighter, for everyone and that is when we know that God’s covenant shall surely come to be.

 

k