London Varsity rated Mandela, I as greatest self-made persons – Afe Babalola

The Founder and Chancellor of the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), on Tuesday said that the former President of South Africa, Mr. Nelson Mandela, and himself were recently rated as the most successful self-made men by the University of London.

Whereas Mandela resumed his LLB studies with the University of London during his imprisonment in 1962, Babalola, on the other hand, attended Emmanuel Primary School, Ado Ekiti, after which he enrolled for the Senior Cambridge School Certificate examination by private study from Wolsey Hall, Oxford, and later obtained the A’Level certificate of the University of London before he proceeded to the London School of Economics, where he received a bachelor’s degree in Economics.

The legal luminary stated this in Ado-Ekiti while playing host to delegates from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), led by its Deputy Director-General for Partnerships and Delivery, Kenton Dashiell.

He, however, sought partnerships from the US and Europe in the manufacturing of drugs being produced from ABUAD’s research Centre using African herbs, which he said are more potent, stronger, and more effective than those produced overseas.

The legal icon also called for private investors who are interested in investing in the university, even as he sought assistance for grants from donor agencies to further support the development of ABUAD.

He said, “Those who know me know that I am a self-made man without university education. My education ended in primary six, but I built on it. Through private correspondence courses, I obtained two degrees from the University of London. About a week ago, the university where I took my correspondence degrees came out with a publication about their outstanding students who took correspondence to make it in life.

“The number one person was Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa. They said he was in prison when he took tuition from them and became a lawyer. The next person is Afe Babalola. They said this man was born into poverty, was raised in poverty, and he took tuition from overseas through them, passing Cambridge at home.”

Babalola noted the university’s significant achievement in producing a certified product using local herbs to combat viruses, stressing that herbal-based drugs are more potent and effective than modern capsules.

He stated, “We are seeking investors. ABUAD has grown beyond what you knew. We are looking for partnerships and grants to support us.

“We want partnerships from the US and Europe to collaborate in the manufacturing of drugs using African herbs, which are more potent, stronger, and more effective than those produced elsewhere.”

The elder statesman praised IITA for visiting the institution, noting that their long-standing partnership has benefited the university in agriculture and other sectors, attributing the university’s beauty and structure to the influence of IITA, which he described as a “London in Nigeria.”

In his remarks, IITA’s Deputy DG commended the fruitful partnership between IITA and ABUAD, which began in 2012. He assured that his institution would continue to invest in the university to not only rank among the top universities globally but the best in the world.

He said, “We will do everything possible to make sure this partnership grows stronger. We will invest to see this University become more professional and make sure that ABUAD is ranked globally among universities like Cambridge, Harvard, among others.”
[add]