Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has said he established the institution to demonstrate how a Nigerian university could attain global standards through quality teaching, modern infrastructure, discipline and accountability.
 
Babalola, who spoke yesterday at the 19th International Conference of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology Nursing, held at the university, said that he has accomplished the purpose of establishing ABUAD and the Multi-System Hospital.
 
The legal icon said his decision to establish ABUAD was largely influenced by his experience as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), where he witnessed the challenges confronting Nigeria’s university system.
 
He said his seven-year tenure at UNILAG, during which he served pro bono, enabled him to introduce reforms aimed at restoring discipline, accountability and academic excellence.
 
Babalola said he introduced the Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) admission system after discovering that some candidates admitted through the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB’s) “miracle centres” could not justify the high scores they had obtained.
 
He also said he established an endowment fund, introduced scholarships and awards, built hostels through the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) scheme, tackled cultism, reclaimed encroached university land and established income-generating ventures.
 
According to him, these experiences informed the establishment of ABUAD, which he described as his attempt to build an institution with good teachers, modern laboratories, quality equipment and conducive learning facilities.
 
He said ABUAD had, within 16 years, earned recognition from the National Universities Commission (NUC), the Association of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, and the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for its achievements.