Tag: ABUAD

The Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has entered into a partnership with a leading Chinese firm, Cherami-PV Group, to deploy artificial intelligence-driven solutions for early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Speaking at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding by the two parties in Ado-Ekiti, on Tuesday, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, said that the partnership was aimed at addressing one of Nigeria’s most pressing public health challenges.

Prof. Olarinde said the partnership would leverage the AI-enabled breast imaging to improve early diagnosis,  enhance accuracy, and expand access to quality screening, stressing that technology would complement, not replace, medical expertise.

The VC who described the partnership as a model for impactful collaboration between academia, healthcare, and industry noted that the pilot phase of the project would ensure ethical compliance, capacity building, and evidence-based implementation.

She expressed confidence that the partnership would deliver measurable benefits to Ekiti State, serve as a model for similar collaborations across Nigeria and Africa, and ultimately contribute to saving lives, advancing knowledge, and strengthening global partnerships.

Read Also: ABUAD unveils dress code, matriculates students from UK, Pakistan, Sierra Leone

The CMD of ABUAD Hospital, Dr. Akinola Akinmade, described cancer as one of the leading causes of death in Nigeria, with breast cancer posing a particularly grave threat to women.

He disclosed that about 32,000 women are diagnosed with the disease annually, while no fewer than 16,000 die each year, and 42 women die every hour.

Akinmade said early detection remained critical to reversing the ugly trend, noting that the partnership between ABUAD and Cherami-PV group would deploy artificial intelligence to enable rapid and accurate diagnosis.

The CMD added that the initiative would also provide telemedicine support to complement ABUAD’s existing manpower, improve clinical decision-making, and strengthen capacity building for healthcare professionals.

He said that the collaboration would further lead to the establishment of a standard cancer treatment centre at the hospital, positioning ABUAD as a leading hub for cancer care and research in Nigeria and beyond.

The co-founder of Cherami Investment, Prof. Wei Xiaolin, expressed delight over the partnership, describing ABUAD as one of the most outstanding academic and medical institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He said that the decision to partner with ABUAD was informed by the university’s unparalleled reputation for innovation, research excellence, and its consistent delivery of world-class healthcare services.

He added that the partnership between Cherami Investment and ABUAD was anchored on shared values and a collective resolve to address critical health challenges, especially cancer.

Prof. Xiaolin said that the collaboration would combine ABUAD’s strong clinical capacity with Cherami’s technological expertise to deliver innovative solutions that would not only benefit Nigeria but also serve as a model for Africa and the global health community.

Prof. Xiaolin, who hailed Babalola, whom he described as a rare visionary and a hero of Africa, noted that his life story and accomplishments in law, education, healthcare, and philanthropy stood as a source of inspiration beyond Nigeria.

In his remarks, Babalola declared that the university was fully committed to conquering cancer, describing the deadly disease as one of the greatest health challenges confronting humanity.

He said that ABUAD was established to tackle impossible problems through cutting-edge knowledge, research, and innovation, stressing that cancer would not be an exception.

Babalola said that ABUAD hospital had, over the years, recorded notable medical breakthroughs, recalling its significant role in researching and producing a drug approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control during the COVID-19 pandemic.

He expressed confidence that cancer, like other complex diseases, could be defeated through sustained research, collaboration, and determination, saying, “Whatever it takes, we are ready. With this partnership, we believe a cure for cancer is achievable.”

The Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), has unveiled a dress code for its students, saying the policy is aimed at promoting discipline, professionalism, and a strong sense of identity tied to their chosen careers.

The university announced the policy on Tuesday during its 17th matriculation ceremony, where a total of 2,764 fresh students, including foreign students from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and Sierra Leone, were formally admitted into various programmes.

Speaking at the ceremony held on the university campus, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, said the dress code was a core part of ABUAD’s culture and values, stressing that appearance plays a key role in shaping character and public perception.

She explained that male students are required to wear shirts tucked in with ties, while female students are expected to dress corporately, warning against provocative clothing, excessive jewellery, and flamboyant hairstyles.

Olarinde added that each college in the university has designated colours to reinforce identity and discipline.

Read Also: I have achieved my goal for establishing ABUAD, says Afe Babalola

She said the College of Engineering wears green, Law students wear white and black, Medicine and Health Sciences red, Pharmacy purple, Sciences light yellow, and Social and Management Sciences blue.

“Remember, the way you dress is the way you are addressed. Hold this standard proudly as part of ABUAD’s tradition,” she said.

The Vice-Chancellor reminded the new students that the university was founded on the principles of labour, service, and integrity, urging them to embrace the virtues of discipline and responsibility as they begin their academic journey.

Olarinde, who cautioned them against bad company and antisocial behaviour, stressing that university life comes with freedom that must be guided by wise choices, noted that students’ decisions would either propel them towards success or hinder their progress.

She described ABUAD as an institution driven not just by infrastructure but by students committed to learning and societal impact, adding that excellence is impossible without quality and disciplined learners.

The VC also commended parents for trusting the university with the education and development of their children, assuring them of ABUAD’s commitment to providing a disciplined, intellectually stimulating, and morally sound environment.

She said the university would continue to groom students to emerge as well-rounded individuals equipped to lead, serve, and positively impact society.

After his seven-year stint as pro bono Pro Chancellor & Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) ended abruptly, courtesy of a radio announcement by Alhaji Babagana Kingibe, the then Secretary to the Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua-led Federal Government, dissolving all university councils, the legal juggernaut and elder statesman, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, mooted the idea of establishing his own private university.

• By Tunde Olofintila

To set the ball rolling, he assembled a team of some seasoned academic eggheads, made up mainly of former university vice chancellors, to advise him on his self-imposed but rather expensive and non-rewarding enterprise designed to develop his community, raise a new generation of future leaders and leave the society better than he met it.

And what did he get in return? Instead of advising him on how his dream of institutionalising quality and functional education and how a university, properly so-called, should be run, some of the advisers expressed skepticism while some others expressed subdued optimism: some ‘let’s wait and see attitude’. There were yet some others who told him point-blank that running a university was and still is an expensive and non-rewarding venture.

Not a man to cave in after he has made up his mind on anything, Babalola told them that he did not invite them to advise him on how expensive running a university could be, but what he could do to run his own university successfully and differently from the extant ones.

Shortly after take-off on its permanent site in the heartland of Ado-Ekiti, frontline educational stakeholders started showering encomiums and accolades on what has now become the increasingly famous Afe Babalola University. For example, the university was acknowledged by the National Universities Commission (NUC), the regulatory authority for university education in Nigeria, as “a model, benchmark and reference point” as well as “the pride of university system in Nigeria” and endorsed by the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) as “the most successful private university in Nigeria”. UNESCO, on its part, dubbed it as “a world class institution of higher education”.

But today, the 15 years down the line, the university, which has become the toast of its peers, including those that are several decades older than it has in 2025, has been rated by the highly respected Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (THEIRS) as No. 84 in the world, No. 3 in Africa and No. 1 in Nigeria for four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024 and now 2025 among other eight (8) other categories.

Indeed, the mustard seed of 2009 has become a great oak tree in 2025.

Addressing the media on the recent monumental achievements by the university over the weekend, ABUAD’s Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof. Olasupo Austen Ijabadeniyi, recalled how Babalola emptied his bank deposits, sold his shares in many blue-chip companies and his choice properties in England, Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan, to establish ABUAD with the fuller hope of making the university the birthplace of educational renaissance.

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Exited on how ABUAD has been able to navigate its way to the very top in the comity of universities nationally and internationally within the first 15 years of its existence, Ijabadeniyi equally recalled how the uncommon hard work the university embarked upon immediately it took off on its permanent site paid off handsomely so much so that it has since then been carting home awards and accolades from both national and international educational stakeholders.

ABUAD’s current impressive rating by Times Higher Education Impact Rankings would appear to be a confirmation of Babalola’s reaction to former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed’s questions to Babalola during the former’s visit to the university in 2015.

After touring the length and breadth of the university, Justice Mohammed came to the ultra-modern College of Law building. Looking round the massive building, the learned jurist took a deep breath and asked rather rhetorically: “Aare Afe Babalola, what else do you want? If it is money, you have it. If it is goodwill, you have it in quantum. If it is success in your career, you are by any means successful. I don’t know what else you want to become”.

Replying the learned jurist, Babalola replied: “I thank God for what he has enabled me to achieve. My wish, my hope and prayer is that this university would, in my lifetime, be recognised by the international body as one of the best 100 in the world. So, I still have a lot of work to do to bring this dream into fruition.”

With the announcement of the 2025 result of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings at about midnight on June 18, 2025, the wish, hope and prayer, which Babalola expressed to Hon. Justice Mohammed in 2015, has become a stark reality before our very eyes.

In addition to being ranked No. 84 in the world, the university which commenced academic works on its permanent site on Monday, January 4, 2010, has been ranked as No. 3 in Africa and No. 1 in Nigeria for four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024 and now 2025 and in eight other categories.

According to Ijabadeniyi, the above outstanding achievements by the university did not just come from the blues. They are the direct result of the resilience, hard work and Frankenstein leadership by our Founder & Chancellor, the tireless efforts of our Vice Chancellor, Prof. Elisabeta Smaranda Olarinde, and her management team, the commitment and dedication of ABUAD staff as well as the cultured and ever-obedient students.

Beyond these human elements, the university has been propelled to these commendable heights by what Ijabadeniyi described as “some uncommon things the university has deliberately put in place which have now stood it as a clear leader among its peers, including those that are several decades older than it”.

The propellers for the university’s success story include such things as being the only fully residential university in Nigeria today, the first university in Nigeria to commence academic works on its permanent site, the university is reputed for having a serene and conducive learning environment, the only university that has students from all the 36 states of the Federation, including the FCT, a university that also has students from some foreign countries and a university with a well-planned landscape, which enable seamless movement of students from the college areas to their hostels and facility areas.

Others are well-equipped modern Laboratories and Workshops as a result of which the Nigerian Society of Engineers acknowledged our College of Engineering as the “Template for Engineering Education in Nigeria”, full Accreditation by NUC and Professional Bodies in all its 44 programmes, mandatory for its students to have Certificate of Proficiency in one modern foreign language (Chinese or French) with scholarship to study in China and compulsory evening classes for students between 7-9 p.m.

Yet others are dress code for both students and staff (a culture that is now being emulated by other institutions of Higher Education in the country, regular and uninterrupted power supply from the university’s Independent Power Plant (IPP), a university dam, which ensures regular supply of water, predictable and stable academic calendar, which enables students to graduate on time, many of its students being offered direct admission to pursue their Ph.D Degrees without going through Master’s Programme because of the quality of education on offer in ABUAD, modern Sports Centre with Olympic-size Swimming Pool, scholarships for outstanding and indigent students and modern Research Institutes as well as annual awards to outstanding researchers.

Reduction of tuition fees for students studying Agriculture by 50% and seed money of N250,000 to every graduate in Agriculture from university to start his/her own business upon graduation, Youth Empowerment Scheme under which the university has trained over 1000 youths and expended N186 million and a 124-unit Industrial Research Park designed to harmonise University Education with Industry, stimulate economic development and provide employment for university graduates, professionals and artisans as well as the ultra-modern 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital, which leading healthcare stakeholders have acknowledged as the “most well-equipped hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa”.

For the university to continue to move mountains of achievements and bring glory to Nigeria, Ijabadeniyi called on both the Federal and Ekiti State Governments to expedite action on the reconstruction of the Ado-Ijan Road and the Ekiti Cargo Airport, two major projects on which Babalola has invested billions of Naira to make them functional.

His words: “If the university is more accessible, it will attract patronage from both local and international audience as a result of which it would win more laurels for the state and the nation at large.”

•Olofintila is ABUAD’s Director, Corporate Affairs