That Afe Babalola University is Where to Excel
Iread the opinion of Mr. Juwon Jacobs last week in this same newspaper. I respect his views and observations as a stakeholder in Afe Babalola University, ABUAD. But for those of us who are passionate about this monumental institution and the vision that created it, the misgivings expressed by Mr. Jacobs are nothing but initial hurdles for a young but dynamic and soaring institution. If were Mr. Jacobs, as a parent, I would rather send my observations and opinion to the proprietor of the university, Aare Afe Babalola, who is more than willing to listen to students and parents alike.
I can testify that many times I have witnessed unscheduled meetings between ABUAD students, parents and the proprietor. After listening with rapt attention, Aare Babalola often proffers immediate advice and solutions. The last episode I witnessed in his office on campus was that of two medical students who missed the scheduled time to attend clinical sessions at the Ido-Ekiti medical school. Aare Afe not only gave the students a second chance, he provided a vehicle to convey them and offered the parents an undisclosed amount of money, ostensibly to cover their cost of transportation back to Lagos.
Undoubtedly, Aare Babalola presides at ABUAD with a father-figure; a compassionate one for that matter. For a private university envisioned as a benchmark for others in the country, that is indeed an irreducible minimum step. But the proprietor has taken several extra steps to keep his vision on track, to wit, provide quality education that will nurture high caliber graduates. What is required of parents, teachers and students is to buy into this vision. Quality education cannot come cheap!
It is improper to compare fees in governmentowned and private universities. What any dispassionate critic should compare are the competence of teachers, equipment to work with, the school environment and the quality of graduates. With increasing population and keen competition for available spaces, many parents are enrolling their wards in ramshackle institutions in neighboring West African countries, at prohibitive cost. In several elite secondary schools at home, parents are paying fees in Dollar and Pound Sterling! For those who value quality education in a disciplined and fitting environment, ABUAD is the place to go.
The sprawling university is built on 130 hectares of land on the outskirts of Ado-Ekiti. It was constructed within eight months. It admitted its pioneer students, 240 of them, in January 2010. Now there are 5,350 students.
Quite imposing, fully air-conditioned with state-of-art facilities, the university has residence for all students and teachers. Presently, there are five college buildings equipped with modern teaching facilities including e-learning platform, electronic boards, virtual library and ICT centre with 500 desktop computers, all connected to the internet. The institution offers academic programs in Law, Social and Management Sciences, Sciences, Engineering, Education, Arts and Humanities, Agriculture, Medicine, Nursing, Medical Laboratory Science, Computer Science and Geology. The institution has five huge hostels, a modern cafeteria, a 5,000-capacity auditorium, a virtual library and a sports complex. The latest addition is the College of Engineering, built on two-anda-half acres, offering seven courses including mechatronics.
It is instructive that in 2013, the National Universities Commission had scored the university 100 per cent in the accreditation of its 14 programmes. And recently, the President, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Mr. Isaac Olorunfemi said ABUAD has the best engineering facilities and resources in the country. “The facilities are superb and no university in the country has such. Human resources are also great. The college will be made a template for the teaching of engineering courses by the NSE and COREN”, he said after a visit to the institution.
The feats achieved by the five-year old ABUAD are indeed unrivalled anywhere in Africa. It is therefore wrong for anyone to insinuate that fees charged there are ‘dangerously expensive’. For the proprietor, ABUAD is a niche, a reference point; for the parent, it is a matter of choice and priority. As a father, I have elected to give my children quality and enduring education rather than bequeath to them big cars and sprawling mansions.
Afe Babalola University is not just another private university. Before parents decide to enroll their children at ABUAD, I recommend they read the proprietor’s autobiography, Impossibility Made Possible. There, Aare Babalola describes himself as a self-made man who “is proud of the qualitative primary education” he had.
He is convinced that it was the high quality of instructions he received at the primary school that laid the foundation for his subsequent educational achievements. Aare Babalola has said it many times that he is quite unhappy that the same quality of education is no longer available in most educational institutions in the country.
To quote the legal icon, “this development and my experience of dwindling qualities on standard of education in University of Lagos provided the urgent need to establish a first class university to serve as a benchmark for other universities.”
In fulfillment of the humanitarian philosophy of its founder, no fewer than 350 students of ABUAD are presently enjoying annual scholarships and merit awards funded by the university, endowments and benefactors. All indigent and very brilliant students registered in the university are eligible for this rare gesture from a man who knows the value of education. Besides awarding full scholarship to brilliant students, loans and bursaries are available for the underprivileged and physically challenged students.
There is no gain-saying the fact that ABUAD is riding on the reputation of its founder to gain fast recognition at home and internationally. While presenting its license in November, 2009, the National Universities Commission described ABUAD as a “reference point”. To quote the Chairman, Screening Committee on Private Universities, Prof. Jibril Amin: “The Afe Babalola University has now become a reference point for the NUC. They helped us to raise the quality bar for private universities. Those coming after Afe Babalola University will have a higher hurdle to scale.”
The European Business Assembly, in March, 2011, appointed Aare Babalola an honorary professor of International University and invited him to attend the Oxford Summit of Leaders. Its Director General, Mr. John Netting, in a letter, said “we are pleased to inform you that you have been awarded Honorary Professorship of International University. It will be a pleasure to highlight your remarkable reputation and successful professional achievements which are shown by our research. For EBA and its National Committees, the determining factors for your nomination were: initiatives for education development in Nigeria, promoting of education amongst young people and active implementation of best international practices’’.
Two months ago, the University of London bestowed the Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) on Aare Babalola during its 2015 graduation ceremony at the Barbican Centre, London. The Vice Chancellor, University of London, Sir Adrian Smith, responding to a mail said: “We are indeed delighted that Chief Afe Babalola will be accepting the honorary degree from the University of London because he has an exceptional record in both his personal achievements and in the difference he has made to others, particularly in the legal profession in Nigeria.”
For ABUAD and its chief architect, the vision is sharp, focused and the journey ahead is long but promising.