Afe Babalola varsity gets Webometrics’ ranking

•FG to build transport school in Katsina
•Awards $500m for coaches and locomotives

Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado Ekiti, has been ranked “number one best” of 75 private universities in Nigeria.The ranking by a Spain-based Webometrics was released in its latest assessment of all universities in the country.

The school was also ranked number two best among all federal, state and private universities and polytechnics numbering about 278.A legal luminary and educationist, Afe Babalola, registered the university in November 2009.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) had also awarded Babalola, who was pro-chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2001 to 2007, the best pro-chancellor in Nigeria.In his response, Babalola said his decision to set up the university was influenced by his personal experience from the decay in the national education system.He said he established it to be a practical example of how problems of Nigerian universities could be solved to make them to excel in quality and functional education.

In the eight years of its existence, various bodies had ranked ABUAD as the fastest growing university in Africa. NUC claimed that its College of Law was the best in West Africa, while the Nigeria Society of Engineering described its College of Engineering as the template for engineering education in the country.

The college has won global awards in London and USA, even as the university recently commissioned an ultra modern teaching hospital with latest teaching equipment.The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, had described the hospital as the best in this part of the world, and acknowledged it to be capable of putting an end to medical tourism in the country.

Meanwhile, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, has disclosed Federal Government’s plans to establish a Transport University in Katsina State.Amaechi stated this at the weekend during an interaction with newsmenHe said the proposed varsity is in collaboration with the China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC).

The minister explained that the establishment was part of an arrangement to transfer rail technology to Nigerian engineers.He disclosed that the Federal Government would take some local engineers to China for five years training to learn railway technology.He added that the firm has also agreed to manage the Abuja-Kaduna railway for three years.The minister further disclosed that the government has awarded $500million for coaches and locomotives to build factory for manufacturing wagons.