The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, has said that his ultimate desire is to work assiduously and make his institution attain the status of Harvard University before he dies.

The legal icon stated this, at the weekend, during a media briefing in Ado-Ekiti on the ranking of ABUAD as number one in Nigeria for the third consecutive year 2022, 2023 and 2024 by the Times Higher Education Impact ranking.

According to him, the 15-year-old university has again been ranked the number one university in Nigeria and No. 200 in the world, according to the latest ranking.

“ABUAD ranks Number One in the world for SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) – the indicator relating to university measures towards affordable and clean energy. ABUAD, Nigeria ranks No. 1 in the world as a top university engaging in outreach programmes with a stewardship score of 98.0 out of 100.

“ABUAD ranks No. 1 in the world in stewardship with a stewardship score of 98.2 out of 100. ABUAD ranks Number One among all the 264 universities (federal, state and private) in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for the third time in succession.

“ABUAD ranks Number 142 Universities in the 2024 Times Higher Education 2,152 ranked World Impact Rankings. ABUAD ranks No. 4 among all the world universities in the 2024 Times Higher Education and No. 142 in impact rankings. ABUAD comes out top globally for both Outreach and Stewardship,” he said.

He further said: “This my university is one which I want to nurture to a stage that when I go, it will be like Harvard University. I hope that those who work with me and those aspiring to work with me will replicate what I am doing and be dedicated just like me.”

Babalola urged the Federal Government to copy what ABUAD is doing to maintain a predictable and stable calendar for students in public universities.

He said: “Our university is there for others to copy. It is a transformative university where there is quality, as well as functional education. We are only 15 years on the journey. We have achieved what I never expected we would achieve even in 50 years.

“I established the university to make it an example of how you can run quality and functional education. Fortunately, the National Universities Commission (NUC) appreciated this within three years by describing the university as a model, reference point and benchmark. I believe it is an opportunity for the Federal Government to follow what we are doing here and replicate it in public universities.”