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Tag: University

  • Admission: Federal University Gusau sets 170 as cut-off marks

    Admission: Federal University Gusau sets 170 as cut-off marks

    The Federal University Gusau (FUGUS) has announced 170 as minimum mark for the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) cut-off marks for admission into the University for the 2017/2018 academic session.

    The Information Officer of the University, Malam Umar Usman disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Gusau on Saturday.

    Usman said that the university management had arrived at the decision to set 170 as minimum cut-off marks after getting statistics on the candidates who applied for admission into the institution.

    The Information Officer added that the 170 was arrived at after getting a statistic that most of the candidates who applied for admission into the University scored 120 and above in their JAMB exams.

    He said the university was only given a quota to admit 1,500 students through JAMB and Direct Entry for the coming academic session.

    According to him, over 5,000 applicants applied for admission into the University.

    “If we will stick to the 120 minimum cut off marks given by the JAMB, majority of applicants who are going to attend the University’s aptitude test for the admission will not get it.

    “We decided to minimize the difficulty by raising our points to 170 so that most of those that will pay for post UTME in the university will get the admission,” he said.

    He noted that the University also run Pre-degree programme in Science, Art and Social Science based courses which would also be considered in the admission to make up the 1, 500 required students for the session.

    Usman said the university is soliciting more assistance from well-to-do individuals and private organisations to provide more infrastructure that would make JAMB increase the quota given to the institution.

    He said that for the admission quota to be increased there must be adequate structures and facilities in place.

    NAN reports that JAMB had on Tuesday announced 120 as cut-off marks for admission into Nigerian Universities for the 2017/2018 session while 100 marks was for Colleges of Education and Polytechnics. (NAN)

  • Mix reactions greet JAMB cut-off mark

    Mixed reactions have greeted the new cut off mark for university admission by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) fixed at 120 score.
    The board also pegged entry qualifications benchmark into polytechnics, colleges of education and monotechnics at 100. But candidates seeking degree admission into the colleges of education must equally possess 120 like that of the universities.
    An admission seeker, Toluwase Olayiwola who sat for the last JAMB exam hailed the decision saying ” it would give more students the opportunity to be able to gain admission into different institutions.”
    ” People are not going to schools again just to get certificates but just to get experience because the educational sector is nothing to write home about,” she said.
    Another prospective  university student, Joseph Mary, said she was happy with the cut off mark but noted that some  federal universities would not comply with it.
    “The likes of University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Lagos will not,” she stated adding that the best thing JAMB can do is to make sure all federal universities comply with the pegged cut off mark.
    Michael Anthony in an interview with The Nation however faulted the decision noting that  “it is dullards that will gain admission into the institutions?
    “The cut off mark is too low. How on earth will JAMB announce a cut off mark like that. I wonder how the screening will be.
    “The Joint Admission Matriculation Board is giving all dick, Tom and harry access  into the University and this will increase the crime rate some tertiary institutions. It will cause overcrowding in the university. Even the university does not have what it takes to accommodate large number of students,”  he said.
  • Chibok girls ready for university,says FG

    Chibok girls ready for university,says FG

    The  106 students  of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok,Borno State who were released from Boko Haram captivity recently  are now ready to proceed to the university in continuation of their education,according to the Federal Government.

    Women Affairs and Social Development Minister  Jummai Alhassan told reporters yesterday in Abuja that the girls would first head to  Chibok to spend  a week after which they will move to  the  American University of Nigeria for their foundation programme next month.

    One of the girls required a prosthetic leg in the aftermath  of her ordeal, several needed surgery for injuries and four babies have been born as a result of their detention, the minister said.

    Twenty-four girls who had managed to escape were already studying courses at the institution and will be joined by the rest of their freed classmates in the new school year.

    The freed girls, who are all in good health, have received extensive trauma counselling since regaining their freedom.

     Mrs. Alhassan denied reports that the girls were being kept in isolation in Abuja.

    She said  experts who have been watching over the girls since their return from Boko Haram captivity are satisfied that they exhibited no  traces of abnormality.

    According to her, the initial fear that girls had about going to school and continuing their education and going out had been conquered.

  • Tech-U and the university ideal

    Nigeria’s and, undeniably, West and Central Africa’s first technical university, The Technical University (Tech-U), Ibadan, could not have come any other time other than now. A product of structured and strategic thinking, the university answers to the crying need to reclaim the university ideal and stem the raging tide of scotching youth unemployment arising, in some measure, to a consistent inadequacy in entrepreneurial and vocational trainings. The glaring limitations of the conventional universities in this regard provide a good ground for the take-off of an institution like the Tech-U.

    In his peroration on the history of universities in the United States of America, Robert Church brilliantly stresses the essence of university to be an emporium of learning and knowledge production for the continual advancement of society. He credits America’s vast progress in different areas to the great ideas which resulted from the workings and exertions of its higher institutions. It is in that connection that what he regards as the “university ideal” manifests – knowledge generation and dissemination, and the building of human capacity for the development of society. The university ideal, as he argues, is to “foster the search for new knowledge necessary to meet the ever-changing needs of modern society, to train intelligence and direct it to the service of society and [humankind …] these expectations form the essence of what may be called the university ideal.”

    In Church’s submission above, it is clear that a university does not begin to have any relevance until it is capable of generating and transmitting ideas that inspire and sustain human progress. The continual timely essence of the university inheres in its progressive enhancement of societal development in all humanly feasible ramifications. What this also means, as numerous examples from different advanced countries of our planet show, is that no nation can develop beyond the capacity or scope of operations of its educational institutions. Put another way, a nation whose educational bodies do not contribute consciously and largely to its quest for progress is a nation for whom development is a mirage.

    It is in that connection that the entrance of the Tech-U to the higher education industry in Nigeria requires some attention. Established by the Oyo State government under the leadership of Governor Abiola Ajimobi, Tech-U seeks primarily to embody the university ideal through the efficient and responsible use of science, technology, engineering, and innovation in solving societal problems. It is founded on the principle of unique innovation, research collaboration, exceptional service, integrity, excellence, and the uplifting of human condition. This university, which will commence academic activities next October with two faculties (Natural Sciences and Engineering and Technology), and Centres for Language and General Studies, and Entrepreneurial and Vocational Studies is not in existence to serve some political aggrandisement need nor is it in place as a mere inconsequential addition to the ordinariness of many existing universities in Nigeria.

    Tech-U is a science-oriented institution with strong interest in generating solutions to the avoidable problems plaguing our society. Indeed, its focus on STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – education is strongly informed by the fact that development education is critical to the actualisation of progress for any country. This institution is out to produce young minds who are not only scholarly rounded, but who are equally soundly innovative, skilful, ethically sturdy, and wired to generate solutions to problems. The resolve of the management of the university is to see to it that the institution operates in all critical areas as a university whose existence means something to societal pursuit of progress through a constant conflation of old and new knowledge, and wide-ranging development of human capacity.

    What this means is that for the university to translate its vision into reality, things have to be done differently from extant norm in administration, curricular policies, teaching and training of students in the country’s higher institutions. That is, certain things have to be unique. Yes, Tech-U is poised to exemplify uniqueness in technical, development education. It is ready to set the pace and become a reference point through the quality of its graduates.

    More specifically, the management of the institutions has outlined certain initiatives that will enable Tech-U to accomplish progressively the university ideal. In the students of this university, the entrepreneurial spirit will be ingrained and sustained. Each student, regardless of their course of study, is required to sign up for two vocational programmes right from the 100 level. Before graduation, they must be certified as qualified in the two vocations enlisted in. It means they can begin their own start-ups. At 300 level, the students are expected to write proposals. The best of these will be selected and sent to the Bank of Industry as applications for grants, with the university as their guarantors. It must be noted that the vocational studies will be handled by experts in the various areas, not academics.

    The idea here is that graduates from Tech-U are not going to be the usual, conventional graduates that have come to be infamously characterised by the twin malaises of unemployment and un-employability. Our graduates are not expected to finish their studies and be out there walking the streets in search of jobs. With their vocational trainings, they can set up their own businesses to meet real market needs through creative production of products and services. The point has to be emphasised, as Adetona Salau, a STEM education advocate avers, that for young graduates to be effectively productive and contribute considerably to the economic affairs of their country/world, they need “a solid, entrepreneurship-style education”. This education, Salau explains, must empower them “with useful knowledge and skills to become employable; to quickly be productive when hired; and to even start their own businesses if they want to”.

    For us at Tech-U, our conviction is that entrepreneurship provides one of the fastest routes to socio-economic development. It enhances job creation and lasting productivity. This is the reason for the entrepreneurship curriculums that we have designed for our students – hence the sense in the motto of the university, Building Minds, Training Hands. Theory and praxis are fittingly married in the training of our students.

    Another important initiative that will distinguish graduates of Tech-U is their bi-lingual skill. This is expected to widen their sphere of opportunities and internationalise them. For example, of the 16 countries in West Africa, only four are Anglophone while 12 are Francophone. The point of this is that there are opportunities that being bilingual can enable one to tap richly from. It is in view of this that the study of French language has been decided as compulsory for all students of the university. In this too they must be certified. In fact, it is one of the conditions for graduation. Graduates of Tech-U will be empowered to fish in the waters of international markets, corporations, and industries.

    As an extra boost, students will, in addition to French, register for one Nigerian language. There will be various options to choose from. Taken together, the picture that emerges is one of students who will be fully busy and comprehensively engaged. In being so intensely engaged, it does not mean that the students will be debarred from some beneficial social engagements. The goal is to build the complete person, one who is psychologically well-adjusted and truly empowered to positively advance his/her society.

    As for facilities, Tech-U is well prepared to ensure that no essential equipment, tools, and other modern necessities of training in STEM education will be unavailable. Whatever is needed to ensure the quality training of students is being put in place. Moreover, the classrooms are designed to accommodate a maximum of 24 students. All the classrooms, library, and other similar ports of activities are fitted with air conditioners. Useful technological resources are richly deployed in all vital areas of the university. Quality learning must happen in conducive physical facilities. Therefore, it is not surprising that the National Universities Commission’s team that visited the university sometime in July to assess its resource readiness for take-off was largely impressed with the quality of the facilities already in place.

    One other strong point of the university is the high premium placed on partnerships and collaborations with established technical institutions overseas and reputable international organisations. For instance, Tech-U is collaborating with Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA. As a matter of fact, students from Tech-U, Ibadan, will visit the institution for one year in the course of their programmes. A university which must operate in tandem with the university ideal must not only be international but must also have international exposure and connection. It is also for this reason that Tech-U will admit students from anywhere in Africa.

    Without doubt, a university that seeks to operate in this mode requires strong support from every vital sector of society.

     

    • Ademola is the Media/Public Relations Officer of Tech-U
  • KWASU now a debtor institution, says Pro-Chancellor

    KWASU now a debtor institution, says Pro-Chancellor

    Alhaji Saidu Isa, Pro-Chancellor, Kwara State University (KWASU), has said that the university has assumed the status of a debtor institution following its recent financial constraints.

    Isa made the statement on Saturday in Malete, Ilorin, during the 5th convocation ceremony of the university.

    He said that the university had in the last two years, depended on its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to pay staff salaries and offset some recurrent expenditure.

    The Pro-Chancellor, who is also the Chairman of the university`s council, appealed to the state government to revert to status quo by giving monthly subvention to the university to augment its IGR.

    ”This is because our IGR has been overstretched beyond capacity and it is now difficult to pay salaries.

    ”The management, having found no alternative, has resorted to going cap-in-hand to borrow from banks in other to meet some obligations,’’ he said.

    Isa disclosed that the loans so far taken by management was close to one billion naira and was essentially used to pay salaries.

    He said there were some critical teaching and research related facilities that were lacking in the university but could not be provided due to funding difficulties.

    In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, while corroborating Isa’s submission on financial constraints, said that payment of staff salaries had become a luxury rather than a right.

    He appealed to individuals, philanthropists and business organisations to support the university through donations to alleviate its financial constraint.

    ”Overcoming these challenges is critical to the attainment of our envisioned loftier heights and will serve as catalyst for the growth and development of our dear community, state and the country,” he said.

    The VC advised the grandaunts to distinguish themselves by building on the entrepreneurial skills acquired during their course of study in the university.

    ”As a KWASU graduate, you have no business giving your CV’s to families, friends and organisations in search of a job.

    ”Through the entrepreneurial skills you have acquired, strategically position yourself in the business world through branding and quest for business excellence.

    ”And do not forget the spirit of community service already instilled in you,” Na’Allah stressed.

    In his remark, Gov. Abdulfatah Ahmed represented by the Commissioner for Education, Musa Yeketi, reiterated his administration’s commitment to harness the full potentials in agriculture to unlock desired development.

    The governor challenged the academia to deploy its researches towards designing required machines to process raw materials that were being wasted yearly into finished products.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 989 students graduated from six colleges.

    Thirty-one of them had First Class, 496 Second Class Upper Division, 376 Second Class Lower Division while 84 had Third Class.

    Adeniyi Aderounmu was the best graduating student with a CPGA of 3.90. (NAN)

  • Varsity workers want corrupt Vice Chancellors prosecuted

    Varsity workers want corrupt Vice Chancellors prosecuted

    The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) wants Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities accused of corruption arrested and prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to justify the current fight against corruption by the federal government.

    The union also said it does not make sense to allow such Vice Chancellors to remain in office while being prosecuted, pointing out that if judges accused of corruption can be asked to step down, there was no reason to allow the Vice Chancellors to remain in office.

    In a communique at the end of  its National Executive Council meeting, the union said it will amount to double standard on the side of the Federal government if judges and other Nigerians accused of corruption would be arrested and prosecuted, while Vice Chancellors accused of corruption are allowed to remain and even preside over convocations.

    In the communique signed by the National President, Comrade Samson Chijioke Ugwoke and the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Salaam Abdussobur, the union said that its members who expose alleged corrupt practices of some Vice Chancellors were being harassed and suspended while the government has kept mute without taking appropriate actions.

    The union “observed with great worry, the increasing corruption and the consequent intimidation, harassment and victimization of whistle-blowers who expose the rot and decadence in our Universities.”

    “NEC wondered why Vice-Chancellors who are facing criminal prosecutions in competent courts, sit-tight in office as in the cases of the Federal University of Technology, Akure and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, where the Vice-Chancellors of both Universities continue to superintend over the affairs and budgets of the Universities, with the active connivance of their Governing Councils.

    “The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja has convened an illegal meeting of Council outside his power, since he is not a Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. NEC concludes that the Federal Government appears to be encouraging the same corruption it proclaims to fight, with the continued stay in office of these Vice-Chancellors, who host convocation ceremonies, hold Council meetings and take actions that put a moral question on the anticorruption stance of the Federal Government.

    “Further, Government appears to be operating double standard, if it could insist on the stepping down of Judges being prosecuted for criminal offences, while Vice- Chancellors are allowed to continue to run amok in Universities.

    “NEC further observed that the level of sleaze in our Universities will remain unchecked, if Government does not take firm and decisive steps to nip it in bud. NEC therefore advises the Government to act decisively and concretely on the growing tide of corruption in our Ivory Towers.

    “If Government is indeed convinced and determined to stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria, the University system must not be immune from its searchlight. If we are to bequeath our future generations an incorruptible legacy, then our Universities and Institutions of learning must be monitored closely,” the union  stated.

    The union expressed concern over the delay in reconstituting Governing Councils of federal universities whose tenure has expired, pointing out the performance of many of the governing councils left much to be desired.

  • Amosun signs bills to upgrade MAPOLY to university

    Amosun signs bills to upgrade MAPOLY to university

    •Re-establish OGUNPOLY

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has signed into law the bill upgrading the state-owned Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY), Abeokuta, to Moshood Abiola University of Science and Technology, Abeokuta.
    The governor, who assented to the bill, earlier passed by the House of Assembly, during the executive council meeting yesterday, also signed into law, the bill for the re-establishment of the Ogun State Polytechnic, which will be sited in Ipokia-Yewa-Awori axis of the state.
    Amosun revealed that the institutions will be multi-campus, as government would engage professionals and people of high knowledge to provide technical guide, adding that this will enhance the prospect of education in the state.
    Commending the House’s efforts for the timely and successful passage of the bill, the governor assured that necessary documents have been prepared and sent to the appropriate quarters.
    The Speaker, Suraj Ishola Adekunbi, said the House swung into action and accelerated the passage, because of the priority the government is giving to the education sector.
    He noted that the step will create jobs, open access to tertiary education in Ipokia and encourage the people to embrace education.

  • IYANYA TO SPEAK AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

    IYANYA TO SPEAK AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

    UP To Something crooner, Iyanya, and Temple Management Company have been invited on an entertainment panel to speak at the Africa Business Conference holding at Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA today.

    The conference will be hosted by Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business in conjunction with the African Studies Program focuses on the theme, ‘Time for Ownership: The Future of Business and Governance in Africa conference.’

    Expected to attract business leaders and investors, the conference will take place at the Rafik B. Hariri building on the main campus of Georgetown University.

    A letter conveying the invitation was signed by Adeleke Adegbulugbe, Head Partnerships/ Georgetown Africa Business Conference, Georgetown University, Mcdonough School Of Business.

    Iyanya who recently joined Mavin Records is joined by Terfa Tilley-Gyado, Director of Communications, Temple Management Company, Lagos who would moderate the panel on the entertainment and sports panel at the conference.

    Currently in its second edition, organisers projected the conference to bring together over 30 leaders from across Africa to discuss the developments of various industries – including banking, energy, healthcare, and entertainment. The demography of attendees also spans business, government, nonprofits and academia interested in learning more about business in Africa. Speakers include top executives from Proctor & Gamble, Kosmos Energy, Lilium Capital and the World Bank.

  • University matriculates 1,569 students

    University matriculates 1,569 students

    Federal University, Kashere (FUK) has matriculated 1,569 students for 2016/2017 Academic Session.
    The matriculating students who cut across different segments of the country took the matriculation oath to abide by the rules and regulations of the University.
    In his speech, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Alhassan Gani, said the university is destined for higher education owing to the interest shown by applicants who sort admission.
     He said; “Our past performances in terms of student output, quality of teaching and conducive learning environment earned us this attraction. We must, therefore, sustain efforts in providing quality education. This puts us on the watch academic excellence.”
    The VC further charged the students to take their studies seriously by promptly attending lectures, reporting all assignments and participating in all other academic activities enshrined in the curriculum.
    He stated his determination to see that the institution becomes a centre of learning, adding “since our motto is ‘Education for Global Citizenship’, we must strive hard not to only be current with trend of events that sustain life while preserving the environment but being participants and major contributions in all endeavours in a sustainable environment.”
    He enumerated achievements recorded within the short period of its establishment to include, accreditation of its programmes and the expansion of the University Clinic into a health Centre.
    “The University has four Faculties, 19 Academic Departments and 34 Academic programmes.
    “Out of the 22 Degree programmes presented to the National Universities Commission (NUC) for accreditation, all the five programmes in Faculty of Science and four in Faculty of Humanities secured full status while the rest were given interim.
    “It is important to note that none of our programmes was denied accreditation. This year 12 programmes will be presented for accreditation and we are making efforts to ensure they all scale through.”
    Speaking on building projects, Gani thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for allocating funds for the construction of buildings for faculties of Agriculture and Education and Chancellery for administration in the University.
    He also acknowledged the contribution of the Federal Government in its drive to adequately fund the institution of higher learning.
    The Don disclosed that FUK will soon commence Remedial and Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) programmes in Gombe state and appealed for support from all stakeholders.
    He added that the National Centre for Remote Sensing, Jos and FUK signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the University to host its North East Zonal Laboratory.
  • Afe Babalola University: Wonder in Ekiti land

    Afe Babalola University: Wonder in Ekiti land

    AfeBabalola is wearing two caps viz, as a highly successful legal luminary for which he is famous and well known for decades as a celebrated Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and as a great educationist which was perfectly demonstrated first as thefirst and pioneerChairman of Counciland builder of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti,during the Shagari administration in the early 80’s.This had happened decades before his well-rememberedachievement as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) from 2001 to 2008, during which time he raised the University to an enviable position by a dint of hard work, transparency, discipline and integrity. So good was he on this job that he was ably rewarded with the award of “The best Pro-Chancellor of all the Nigerian Universities” back to backin 2005 and 2006. During his stewardship, UNILAG was also adjudged as the “best university in Nigeria”. As the White Paper issued by the Federal Government on the Visitation Panel rightly observed, “The leadership style of Aare AfeBabalola was exemplary. He acted commendably by paying his bills anytime he chose to stay in an hotel as well as by donating his sitting allowances to the University endowment fund”. This report did not include a lecture theatre he built for the University in a conspicuous location on UNILAG campus and named after him.
    AfeBabalola knew that the best Universities in the world were not established by governments but by individuals, giving examples like the University of Bologna in Northern Italy, established by a missionary in 1088 AD. There is also the University of Paris and other great Universities like the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in England, Harvard, Stanford and Yale in the United States of America, for example, which are not government Universities but remain the best in the world. For him, it is one thing for government to fund a University, but it is another thing to know how the money given is spent. According to AfeBabalola, “until we adopt the philosophy behind private business and success, I don’t think anything government does can ever succeed”. He supervises all projects in his University at reduced costs without the rituals of inflated contracts where the government says “it spends x amount of money, but the value of what is on ground is less than half of xgiven. So, even when government pours in a lot of money into the system, there is no guarantee that the money is well spent or will not be diverted into private pockets”.
    All along,AfeBabalola loved a man called John Harvard, the founder of Harvard University and, for him, that is the kind of man he wants to copy in his own University. Thus, the founder of ABUAD said categorically that the standard of Harvard University is what he emulates in his University. And you can see this in the judicious utilization of space from the kind of imposing structures of tall buildings which constitute a citadel of architectural masterpieces, beautiful to behold, all over the place. All of this is designed to make ABUAD a home of academic excellence. In this respect, I think AfeBabalola should forge a strong linkage with Harvard for him to accomplish his life time and future objectives for ABUAD.
    The background to the story of ABUAD, located in his home town, Ado-Ekiti, can be traced to AareAfeBabalola’stenure and experience as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of UNILAG. According to him, “the decision to establish the university (ABUAD) arose because of the rot I saw in UNILAG”. For him, his University is “designed to right the wrongs in tertiary education in Nigeria and set a pace for a model University”. What is more, AfeBabalola’s University is “a result oriented institution for producing highly skilled and socially relevant graduates, capable of applying scientific knowledge for the resolution of social and technological problems”. Thus, after months of the conception and registration process, ABUAD threw open its doors to students on January 4, 2010, with five Colleges – Science, Engineering, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, Social and Management Sciences.
    The infrastructural development of ABUAD as a private University is second to none, from the administrative buildings to the five colleges, hostels for male and female students and staff quarters. There exist expansive buildings for International School consisting of Kindergarten, Nursery, Basic Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary School, as well as remedial classes for WAEC and JAMB. The International School, according to its coordinator, Mrs. OlubukolaAjisafe, “is to produce future leaders”. Apart from well-equipped laboratories, there isan imposing library, printing press and many other business venturesand amenities that bring comfort to the University community. ABUAD is self-sufficient in food production for its staff and students while, in addition, it exports its agricultural products including fish, swine, chickens, turkeys, beef and fruits of various kinds, from pawpaw to mangoes, pineapples, etc.while it also has bread (bakery) and pure water factories.Of special interest is the newly constructed Teaching Hospital complex. The massive structure of The Teaching hospital complex consists of several buildings of architectural beauty whichinclude hostels for medical students, interns, house officers and special staff quarters for nurses and consultants. According to the Provost, Prof OlurotimiSanya, “The Teaching Hospital will close door against medical tourism”.
    Aare AfeBabalola has a large plantation of teak trees for which he has a factory where woods are produced for his building structures as well as for export. He even has a farm for moringa which he refines for sale in his supermarket near his big gym and multipurposecentre. Interestingly, most of his agricultural products, including poultry, fish (fresh and dried) and many others are exported beyond the State. Perhaps the greatest beneficiaries of his agricultural products are the staff and students of the University who do not go outside the campus to look for food items,as both staff and students live in staff quarters and hostels (male and female) respectively.I believe the same is true for people of Ado-Ekiti and its environs. To staff and students of ABUAD, feeding is not their problem. It is pertinent to point out what the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Michael Ajisafe, said about ABUAD’s special interest in agriculture. Hear him: “Everybody is thinking of petroleum, but we want to go into agriculture. We feel very strongly that it is time we asked so many students to come back and specialize in agriculture. We graduated a few this last convocation ceremonies and Aare AfeBabalola gave each of them half a million naira to set up their agricultural practice. Anybody who specializes in agriculture here or wants to study agriculture is given 50% tuition free to encourage agriculture”.
    From all the above, there is little wonder that, recently, the University carried the news on 19 October, 2016,of the special approvalby the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB Group)of US 40-million dollars corporate loan for AfeBabalola University (ABUAD) “to finance part of the University’s expansion plan”. The project “will make ABUAD a Centre of excellence for tertiary education in Africa, expand access to high quality education to over 10,000 students per year”. The expansion plan consists of construction of new facilities – including a 400- bed Teaching hospital, an industrial research park and a small hydro power (SHP) installation (1.1mw). The project, approved by AfDB Board of Directors on October 19, 2016, is the Bank’s first private-sector transaction in the education sector and a pioneering project on the African continent. To single out ABUAD for this whooping corporate loan even amongst the first generation Universities in Nigeria owned by the Federal Governmentshould make ABUAD an envy of other Nigerian Universities.
    As it would be expected, Aare AfeBabalola has been showered with encomiums all the way. Notable among them are those from two former Presidents and Former Military Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Hear them: “AfeBabalola’s University is a model to emulate” (former President Olusegun Obasanjo). “Notably one of the most outstanding individual contributors towards government educational project”(former president Goodluck Jonathan) and “The setting (of the university) is superlative and impressive with nothing of its kind that I have seen so far in this country or anywhere” (General Gowon, former Military Head of State). AndProf M.F. Useh, Dept of Medical Lab Science, UNICAL, Calabar wrote: “Chief AfeBabalola has established a landmark through ABUAD on how public and private universities should be planned, built, and run”.For Hon JusticeYinkaAyoola, “This is an institution which can stand side by side with any educational institution in the world. It raises the benchmark for quality education in Nigeria… There is no doubt that the shaping of the direction of education in Nigeria has started”, and for the late Hon. Justice KayodeEsho, Jsc retired,”It compares with great Universities such as Harvard, Yale and Oxford. AfeBabalola deserves the highest honour of the country”. And from far away Europe, “It is an outstanding University without comparison” (Prof WilGoodhear, President, European Business Assembly and President, Rectors of Europe).
    Lastly, a most dedicated honour was done to Aare AfeBabalola as the pioneering Chairman of Council and builder of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti whose massive infrastructures he singularly put up and supervised during the administration of former President ShehuShagariin the early 80’s. A special honour was also donetoAfeBabalola by Mr. Sunday Akinwamideon the ground of his immense contributions to education in Nigeria”. Incidentally, Mr. Akinwamide is currentlya lecturer in the Department of Computer Scienceat the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. While commending AfeBabalola for his unquantifiable interest in, and contribution, to the Nigerian education, Mr. Akinwamide has released a DVD titled “E-LearningMathematics” where a brief mathematical lecture and past questions for Common Entrance Examination in Mathematics were solved. The DVD is adorned with Aare’s ceremonial photograph as ABUAD President conspicuously displayed,dedicated to, and in recognition of his “unquantifiable interest in,and contributions to, education in Nigeria”.
    To this great Nigerian, a most celebrated icon of the law profession (SAN), a great achiever in the Nigerian educational sector, and an outstanding philanthropist we say,”more grease to your elbow”, as your place in Nigerian history of educationis eternally secured. In the future, we wouldsurely talk of AfeBabalola University as we now talk of Harvard, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
    •Professor Makinde is DG/CEO, Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo, The State of Osun.