The story behind a woman’s success has taken centre stage in a new biopic that traces the setbacks, persistence and personal experiences that shaped former Lagos State University Vice-Chancellor(LASU) , Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.
Titled ”Madam Vice-Chancellor: Against the Odds,” the film was produced by the Women & Girls Empowerment Foundation International (WOGEFI) and premiered in Lagos on September 15, days before Olatunji-Bello concluded her five-year tenure as LASU’s ninth Vice-Chancellor.
Rather than focus solely on her years in office, the production explores the journey that preceded her emergence as the head of one of Nigeria’s prominent universities.
The Executive Producer and founder of WOGEFI, Prof. Olawunmi Oni-Buraimoh, said the project was inspired by a question that often goes unanswered when successful women are celebrated: what happened before the achievement?
Olatunji-Bello contested for the vice-chancellorship twice before eventually securing the position. That part of her history became a central thread in the film.
“She had attempted to become Vice-Chancellor twice before eventually emerging. I wanted to understand that journey. What keeps a woman going after disappointment? What lessons are there for another woman or young girl who has a dream but encounters setbacks along the way?” Oni-Buraimoh said.
The production drew testimonies from more than 50 people who had encountered Olatunji-Bello at different points in her personal, academic and professional life.
Their accounts were woven into a narrative that examines ambition, leadership, relationships, disappointment and the pressures that can accompany a woman’s pursuit of influence.
Oni-Buraimoh, a Professor of Pragmatics and Sexuality Studies at LASU, said the decision to document the journey was also linked to a concern that the experiences of accomplished African women are often poorly preserved.
She said achievements can easily become the only part of a woman’s story that survives, while the struggles that preceded them disappear from public memory.
“There are many African women whose journeys contain lessons that have never been properly documented. If we do not tell these stories, we risk losing not only the stories themselves but the lessons contained in them,” she said.
The film also examines how successful women are sometimes introduced through the achievements of their husbands, particularly when both partners occupy prominent positions.
Oni-Buraimoh said a woman’s accomplishments should be considered independently of those of her spouse.
“A woman should not disappear behind her husband’s achievements. If she has a dream and has done the work required to pursue it, she deserves to have that journey recognised on its own terms,” she said.
That theme gives Madam Vice-Chancellor: Against the Odds a purpose beyond commemorating an individual career. The film uses one academic’s experience to explore how women negotiate disappointment, pursue leadership and build identities that are not defined solely by the people around them.
The project also reflects WOGEFI’s focus on women and girls’ empowerment, student development and gender-related issues. Its approach combines advocacy with storytelling, using a real-life career to place personal experience alongside wider conversations about women in leadership.
Oni-Buraimoh said storytelling could preserve lessons that formal records might not capture. In her view, documenting the lives of accomplished women allows younger generations to encounter the difficulties behind achievements rather than seeing success as an effortless destination.
The biopic was produced with support from corporate sponsors. Zenith Bank served as the headline sponsor, while Viva Plus was the gold sponsor. Lotus, Wema Bank and United Bank for Africa also supported the production.
The film’s release comes at a significant point in Olatunji-Bello’s career. She completed her five-year tenure at LASU on September 19, 2026, after leading the institution through a period marked by institutional reforms, increased revenue generation, digital transformation, research initiatives and infrastructure development.
Her final days in office therefore coincided with the public presentation of a story that looks beyond the office itself.
At its heart, ”Madam Vice-Chancellor: Against the Odds” asks audiences to consider what is often missing from conventional accounts of achievement: the failed attempts, difficult decisions, relationships, sacrifices and persistence that precede the moment when a woman finally occupies the position for which she has worked.
By putting those experiences on screen, WOGEFI has turned one woman’s career into a record of the journey behind the title and a reflection on how the achievements of women are remembered.
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