Afe Babalola University Mentors Foreign Varsity
Tunde Olofintila
It is not for nothing that the nine-year-old Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has been acknowledged by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the regulatory authority for university education in Nigeria as “the pride of university system in Nigeria”. It is also for a worthy reason that the Association of ViceChancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) has dubbed the same university as “the most successful private university in Nigeria”, while UNESCO has endorsed it as “a world class institution of higher education”.
It is certainly for something and something positive and commendable at that, that the university which has clearly overshot its expectations within its short history of existence has become a clear leader and overtaken many universities which are several decades older than the 21st century university, which commenced academic works on Monday, January 4, 2010.
For example, in the university’s first MBBS examination in July 2018, its students stamped their stamp of academic excellence on the world when the 43 of them presented for the examination recorded an unprecedented 100 per cent with eight distinctions - the equivalent of first class in other disciplines. This accomplishment has thus made ABUAD the first university in the country to produce medical doctors in six-and-a-half years after its medical programme flagged off when some other universities, which commenced their medical programme some two decades ago are yet to graduate their first set of medical doctors.
Whilst still basking in the euphoria of this rare feat, the news filtered in from the Nigerian Law School in October last year about how ABUAD students stood out tall in this externally-moderated professional examination. Before now, NUC, the regulatory authority for university education in Nigeria, has acknowledged ABUAD’s Law College as the “best in West Africa”.
This accolade was further confirmed by the result of the 2018 bar examination conducted by the Council of Legal Education, where ABUAD recorded 100 per cent pass with the overall best student coming from ABUAD. In addition to the above, ABUAD students won 24 out of the 36 available prizes as a result of which many of the much older universities have been congratulating the university.
In the last ATS 1 ICAN examination, a 200-level Economics student of ABUAD, Miss Nellieken Ochinke emerged second best out of the 2,500 candidates who sat for the examination in West Africa, while UNESCO instituted a professorial chair on Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development.
It must be in appreciation of all these national and international recognitions and encomiums that the nine-year-old university was over the weekend approached by the 14-year-old International University of Grand Bassan, Cote D’Ivoire for mentorship and partnership.
Apart from innumerable Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and linkages with many universities in Europe, America and Latin America, the International University of Grand Bassan (IUGB) will be the third university to be mentored by ABUAD. The two others are the University of Industrial Development (UID), Ghana (since 2013) and the 27-year-old Benue University (since 2017).
IUGB’s Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Ahmed Legrouri, who led a five-man exploratory team to ABUAD last weekend commended the founder, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN for his altruistic inclinations at establishing a world class university in Africa.
Legrouri, who was accompanied by Mrs. Ramatou Coulibaly-Gauze (Director of Finance and Administration), Mr. Anoh Simeon, a consultant engineer to IUGB, Prof. Francis Sossah, an architect and his architect son, Yani, said: “We are in Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, to explore the possibility of fostering a partnership between the two universities to the advantage of the African continent. But then, I must say how delighted we are at what we have seen since we came in, particularly at the ABUAD Multi-system Hospital”.
He added: “It was such as a joy to us that
such an hospital is in Africa. The equipment therein matches those in any great hospital in Europe and America. Those manning the equipment are fantastic. I congratulate you that you have competent staff manning the expensive equipment. It is a thing of joy indeed”.
According to Legrouri, the essence of the collaboration was to adopt ABUAD as a role model following its landmark achievements in the realm of functional and quality education within the little time of existence, stressing that the existing learning facilities and array of academic gurus in ABUAD attest to the fact that the Babalolas have an unrepentant penchant for high quality market- driven education.
In his view, the partnership between the universities will engender the promotion of academic exchange that will make IUGB a widely recognised university like ABUAD
“We are here to seek partnership with ABUAD so that we can offer opportunities to our students to develop. Education is key to the development of our countries. And like ABUAD, we put emphasis on quality education and training the future leaders of the country.
“We are really very impressed with the achievements of this great institution. It is an honour to have such a wonderful meeting with you. We have learnt a lot from you. We thank you for accepting our request to partner with you. And with the achievements of this university, we are ready to adopt them as our model. We have learnt a lot from the infrastructures and the attitudinal disposition of the people managing them. And in the way of building our new campus on 80 hectares in the city of Bassam, we are going adopt what we have seen here”, he said.
Speaking at the well-attended parley with the IUGB officials, Babalola disclosed that the collaboration would be the third of its kind, after the ones with the University of Industrial Development in Ghana and Benue State University in Nigeria.
The frontline legal colossus said the decision to adopt his university as a mentor was not accidental bearing in mind the unparalleled and unprecedented achievements of the institution in the realm of functional education since it commenced academic activities on January 4, 2010.
Babalola said: “If you want to be a university internationally recognised, you must have affiliation with other institutions outside the country. And you must have students and lecturers from other countries and curriculum that will make others to come. With these, it is crystal clear that ABUAD’s place on the map of global education can’t be compromised.”
He added: “My joy is that we did not extend any invitation to those who want us to mentor them. It has always been at their own instance. What they have read, learnt and heard about us made them to approach us for mentorship for which we are very happy.”
-Olofintila wrote in from Ado-Ekiti