Mohammed Shosanya
The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has implored the National Universities Commission (NUC) to arrest and prosecute both owners and staffers of the identified universities and other private institutions in Nigeria .
He spoke after his investiture as Fellow of the King’s College, London”, and expressed concern over failure of the NUC to take punitive action against those who fun foul of its laws .
The award was conferred on him by the International Engagement and Service of King’s College, London,for his transformative contributions to the society.
He said:NUC published their names, why don’t they arrest owners of such illegal universities, why don’t you close them down.Why can’t they make the staffs of such universities face punishment and put them before the court of law and yet, they are building new ones everyday”.
According to him, these illegal institutions are major weapons against quality and functional education in Nigeria and world at large.
He added:“The biggest menace facing quality education today, especially in Nigeria and across Africa, is the proliferation of mushroom satellite campuses and study centers that have long deviated from their original conceptualization and intent.
“What we expect is for the National University Commission (NUC) to close down mushroom universities. There are many universities which are illegal, which commenced operations without the permission of NUC.
Babalola, noted that if societal ills such as religious bigotry, corruption, ineptitude, bribery are to be wiped out in the country, education remains the surest panacea to quality and productive living to ameliorating such ills in Nigeria.
“Poor leadership and fellowship, wanton acquisition of illegal wealth, disobedience to legitimate court orders are among such ills bedeviling the nation”.
The Governor of Ekiti State,Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, commended the giant strides of the founder in the areas of medicine, law, invention and sciences.
Oyebanji,represented by the State’s Head of Service, Folakemi Olomojobi,said his footprints across all sectors has made him the father of the state, stressing that his uncommon humanity and impact have ranked him higher against all odds.
The Vice President, International Engagement and Service of King’s College, London, Professor Funmi Olonisakin, who led the team to ABUAD, said the fellowship award was in recognition of the transformative contributions of the legal luminary to the society.
“We are here to award the fellowship of King’s College, London to Aare Afe Babalola, whose fellowship is typically given to people who have made transformative contributions to the society at large or King’s College, London”,she said
In her remark,the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Smaranda Olarinde stated that the investiture was in recognition of Afe Babalola’s efforts in all ramifications, which according to her, makes the legal icon the exemplar of the power of transformative education.
