Afe Babalola craves sanctions for convicted professors

Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN) has called for banning of convicted or indicted professors from taking another job in the country.

The legal icon, who made the call against the backdrop of the recent conviction of a professor for electoral offence, urged National Universities Commission (NUC) to review its laws with a view to sanctioning the bad eggs in the university system.

He said such review had become necessary to save the education sector and stop lecturers from further embarrassing the country.

Babalola spoke in Ado Ekiti at events to mark the third anniversary of ABUAD’s 400-Bed Multi-System Hospital and at the send forth for the oldest Chief Medical Director who retired from the hospital, Prof Fola Esan.

The elder statesman lamented the rot in the nation’s university system, which, he said, must be tackled without further delay to save the sector from total collapse.

According to him, reviewing the laws would not only provide an avenue for shaming such erring lecturers, but it would also make it difficult for such professors to secure alternative jobs in any university in any part of the country.

He said gone were the days when teachers, especially university lecturers, and particularly professors, were perceived to be above board as well as the embodiment of honesty, transparency, and decency.

“Indeed, that was the true situation at that time, but unfortunately, are these true of some of our professors of today?

“We have just read in the media the shameful story of one Prof. Peter Ogban of a university who has recently been convicted for electoral fraud. The offence earned him two years imprisonment.

“But where do we go from here? Since the beginning of this week, we have been celebrating three years of excellence in medicine here and also celebrating our own Prof. Esan, the CMD, a man of honour and integrity whose record in Cambridge Examination in those days is yet to be beaten. He has laid a solid foundation at the Multi-System Hospital and has set the records as a pioneer.

“It is shameful that while we are busy jubilating and celebrating Prof. Esan here, another professor like him is on a prison vacation for electoral fraud.

“I call on NUC to review its laws about the bad eggs in the university system.

The moment any academic is convicted of any crime while serving in one university, the NUC should make it impossible for him to be employed in any other university in the country again.

“This is one of the ways to sanitise the Nigerian university system. I also advise that the NUC should revive the noble and progressive actions of its former Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter Okebukola, when he was in the saddle.

“He initiated a monetary award for best university, vice-chancellor, pro-chancellor, and governing council. This is one of the ways to improve the university system as this will promote keen and healthy rivalry among the universities,” he said.