Between Obafemi Awolowo and Afe Babalola
Just like the Bible, in the Book of 1 Corinthians 15:45, referred to Jesus Christ as the second Adam, a Nigerian Academic, Prof. Raimi A. Olaoye, has described the Elder Statesman and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Are Afe Babalola, SAN as the second and modern day Obafemi Awolowo on account of his (Babalola’s) exploits in the realm of education through which he is putting the smiles on the faces of many and receiving accolades nationally and internationally. The setting was the personality lecture in honour of late sage and first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo, SAN and Aare Emmanuel Afe Babalola, SAN, titled “Connecting the past with the present for a rewarding future of Nigeria education system”, organized by the University of Ilorin Chapter the Nigerian University Education Students Association (NUESA) Even though Olaoye, a Professor of History and International Relations at the University of Ilorin, laboured assiduously to convince his audience that it was an herculean task to deliver a personality lecture in honour of the duo of Awolowo and Babalola whom he described as fathers, role models, foremost educationists, courageous nationalists and great Nigerians, he held them in rapt attention for the duration of the lecture. His words: “To write in honour of these great Nigerians is a task uphill. These are great men whose shoes are too big for (an) ordinary person like me to unlace. I got to know our guests many years ago through their intellectual works and nationalist dispositions. The only time I physically came into contact with Chief Obafemi Awolowo was in the early ‘80s, during the political campaign of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). “My physical contact with Aare Afe Babalola in the ‘70s was through my uncle, Chief J. A. Aderibigbe, who was his contemporary in a College at Ibadan. But more importantly is the fact that I have the knowledge of these great personalities through their positions in the society, meritorious services to the humanity and invaluable contributions to national development”. After taking a cursory look at the past, Olaoye affirmed without any fear of contradiction, that every individual on planet earth is educated bearing in mind that all human beings, at one point or the other, must have benefitted from one or more of the three broad categories of education: Traditional Education, Oriental (Islamic/ Arabic) Education and Occidental/ Western Education. According to him, in Nigeria, before the advent of colonialism, the precursor of other types of education was traditional education which was largely built on local customs and traditions as a result of which it emphasized the culture, value, norms and mores of the Nigerian communities. And because moral value was the epicentre of the traditional education then, the prevalence of anti-social vices such as larceny, armed robbery, rape, kidnapping, human trafficking, drug abuse, gay marriage, sexual abuse and other horrendous vices of today was minimal. This enabled the Nigerian communities to be relatively peaceful and stable, while the issues of economy and socio-political growth and development taking their course. This was the situation, when the British colonialists came to impose their values on the Nigerian societies. At some point later, the Missionaries of different denominations such as the Church Missionary Society, the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian and the Roman Catholic as well as the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) among others took over to provide Western education with emphasis on three ‘Rs’, that is, Reading, (W)Riting and ‘Rithmetic which emphasized the inculcation of moral value with the overriding philosophy of the missionary education based on European culture, value, orientation, customs and traditions. This was the system of education inherited by the Nigerian nation at independence. But because Awolowo and Babalola, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) and Alumni of the famous University of London and others in their mould who had been bitten by the bug of seeing their people beyond mere interpreters, cleaners, messengers and catechists among others in their mould rose up to the challenge to break the barrier in western education which was beyond the reach of the poor. Of particular importance in this respect was the introduction of Free Primary Education in the old Western Region by Awolowo way back in 1955 and the deployment of as much as 52% of the Region’s resources on education to make total men and women out of the indigenes of the Region then. This paid off with the monumental development of the region ahead of others, even till today. He commended the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation for its cardinal philosophy of preserving and nurturing the legacy of education of the late sage to fruition, a development which gives verve and vigour to the hope of a rewarding education system in future. Governments at all levels must be awake to their responsibility as far as education is concerned. They must appreciate that sound education constitute a potent weapon to fight ignorance, lack, poverty and disease and so, they must accord education a prime of place in the scheme of things. It is a notorious fact that Awolowo has played his part and has gone to join the saints triumphant, but his re-incarnate, Babalola, has stepped into his shoes by virtue of the gigantic strides he took by establishing ABUAD which commenced academic works on January 4, 2010 to change the face of education in Nigeria and bring back its lost glory in education and for which he had been commended nationally and internationally by education stakeholders including UNESCO. According to Olaoye, “Aare Afe Babalola’s efforts are an indication that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Although, I have not been to the University, but what I have been seeing on the television and reading from the newspapers are symptomatic of “Renaissance” that promises a re-birth of glorious period of education in Nigeria. Based on Awolowo’s and Babalola’s vision for education and general development of Nigeria, they, in concert with a few others like them, have always been seen in the mould of Nationalists and Pan-Africalists such as Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikwe, Kwame Nkrumah, Leopold Cedar Senghor, Houphouet Boign, Dauda Jawara, Nassingbe Eyadema, Marcus Garvey, E.W. Blyden and W.B. Dubois. “In point of truth, Aare Afe Babalola, just like the late sage, is strongly passionate about how to reform our education system in Nigeria. His popular column on Thursdays in the Nigerian Tribune has always addressed variety of issues on education such as the need for quality education, good remuneration for teachers, review of school curriculum and education which is responsive to the needs of the country. His strong passion for the future of education in Nigeria is not misguided, knowing him as foremost educationist, erudite lawyer (SAN) and someone who hails from home of Professors, Ekiti-Kete”. The world is now a global village and new trends in education and other facets of life keep on emerging by the day. In the world of today, the emphasis is on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The world is also in the direction of knowledge-based economy. In all of these, the use of computer and other ICT facilities would rule the future world of education not only in Nigeria but elsewhere in the world. And so, Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind. Nigeria should therefore go back to the roots, pick up the pieces and review the policy for a rewarding system of education in Nigeria for the labour of our heroes, past and living, to endure and stand the test of times.
The Bench as the throne of God
It is often said that there are five frontline professions in the world: Medicine, Divinity (Theology), Architecture, Sociology and Law. Whereas Medicine deals with man’s physical, psychological and emotional balance in his environment, Divinity relates to his spiritual wellbeing and his relationship with God, the Ultimate Celebrity, while Sociology talks about the development and structure of society and social relationships i.e. the role and part of man in the society where he lives. On its part, Architecture deals with the various degrees of comfort that technology brings the way of man through the house he lives in, the various means of transportation, electricity, water etc while Law relates to all the rules of conduct in an organized community (society) as upheld by authority to prevent the Hobbesian state of anarchy. Of the five major professions, Law appears to be the pivot on which society stands because despite and in spite of the very important roles the other four play, without Law, man will not enjoy himself on planet earth and he will not enjoy his relationship with his peers and neighbours as everyone would be a law unto himself, a sure recipe for chaos and disorderliness. Essentially, Law is in two parts: the Bar and the Bench. Section 231 of Nigeria’s constitution brings into sharp focus that deserving and desiring members of the Bar qualify to be elevated to the Bench after a minimum of 10 years post-call experience and proven integrity, industry, character and learning as well as honour to adjudicate over all manners of cases, including those involving human lives. The above is perhaps in tandem with Plato’s position on the appointment of judges to the effectthat “A judge should not the young, but old so that he would have seen and known evil: evil, not emanating from his heart, but from the deeds and actions of others”. No wonder then that Sir Darnley Alexander, former Chief Justice of Nigeria and later Chairman, Nigerian Law Reform Commission (NLRC) told this writer in an interview in 1985 that: “under no circumstances should any one become a judge until he is 40 years to enable him garner, through diligent practice, the requisite knowledge and experience to be able to stand in the position of a judge”. But what do we find on the Bench today? Not only are some appointed before theyturn 40 (some below 35), there are allegations of some judges doing the obverse of what they were appointed to do thereby, willy-nilly, impairing and indeed perverting the course of justice. The import of the place of judgeship is perhaps better appreciated in the words of R. Ekpu when he said: “When you look at the courts today and you find judges who are willing to turn the law topsy-turvy in order to serve interests other than those of justice, then the courage of the few, who realise that they are sitting on the throne of God and that the only expectation is that they should do justice to all manner of men, strikes you deeply. For indeed the seat of a judge is the Throne of God”. “If a man has the power of life and death over another man, what more can he ask for except the humility to approach his job with reverence, and if one may borrow the lingo of the law, to do justice to all who bow before the throne, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. “Judges ought to earn respect from all corners – from the men at the Bar, from those on the Bench, from the parties that bow before them and from those who watch from the sidelines. They ought to be able, in their interpretation of the law, to remedy equities that have been wronged, and to strive to make inequality equal. They ought to carry themselves with grace, dignity and integrity for those are the ornaments of their hallowed office, knowing full well that one false sentence can do great harm to a nation or a generation”. No doubt, Nigeria has been blessed with a plethora ofupright, downright and forthright judges in the mould of the late Justice AdetokunboAdemolaformer Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), late Justice TeslimOlawale Elias (former CJN and President, International Court of Justice (ICJ), late Justice Darnley Alexander (former CJN and later NLRC Chairman), Justice KayodeEso, Justice ChukwudifuOputa, Justice Andrews OtutuObaseki, Justice AdolphusKaribi-Whyte, Justice Nikki Tobi (all former Justices of the Supreme Court), Justice Mustapha Adebayo Akanbi, former President of the Court of Appeal and later Chairman, ICPC), Justice Adetunji Adefarasin (former Chief Judge of Lagos state) and Justice SaiduKawu (former Kwara state Chief Judge and later Justice of the Supreme Court) who are not only legal icons of unquestionable integrity, character, industry and dignity, but jurists of honour with impeccable world class erudition. Mention must also be made of late Justice Timothy AkinolaAguda, former Chief Judge of the bigger Ondo state and former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), who because of his distinction and excellent track record on the Bench was ‘exported’ to become the first Chief Justice of Botswana, then a less developed judicature so that the small African country could benefit from the wealth of experience and knowledge of a frontline judge from a well developed judicature. Till date, the touch of legal excellence he lit during his tenure as Chief Justice of Botswana continues to glow in that country. The above luxuriant and lucent picture notwithstanding, the Nigerian Bench today, on the other hand, appears to have been blemished by some judicial officers who are imbued with the exact opposite of the sterling qualities that brought the world class jurists mentioned above to limelight and for which they are still well respected today, whether alive or posthumously. The decadence and unenviable spate of corruption on the Nigerian Bench today is so prevalent, alarming and worrisome that Eso recently had to stoke the fire of the despicable cankerworm by branding some judicial officers ‘billionaire Judges’. There are wide-spread allegations of some judges, instead of the hallmark of discipline, diligence and learning of the Bench, engaging in underhand activities, thereby compromising their stand as a result of which they cease to be above board unlike Caesar’s wife. In a tacit agreement with Eso, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), former (bigger) Ondo state Attorney-General and former President, Nigeria Bar Association, warned those who desecrate the judiciary and particularly the Bench of dire consequences when he said ”… pointedly put and stated, every judge should be God fearing, corrupt-free and shun all influencing tendencies because at the end of the judgment on earth, all of us shall face the judgment of God and must remind ourselves that God is not a respecter of persons”. Strolling into the court rooms in their magisterial excellence after the three convectional knocks on the door, as glamourous and captivating as it is, is hardly all it takes to be a good judge: it is neither the beginning nor the end. Rather, it is the aggregate of what judges do in the hallowed bowels of their courts, their chambers and their public conduct that determine the quality of the judex. The question the judex should then ask today is “Who is a good judge?” What can I do to be a good judge? Or put differently, what can I do not to be a bad judge? Remember, God is the ultimate judge of all.
When gold rusts, what will iron do?
Headlines are seldom cast with question marks. It is a rare phenomenon. But since a drastic disease often calls for an equally drastic measure of cure, one’s position about casting the above headline with a question mark is assumed pardonable and justifiable in this discourse. Having said that, let us pan the camera in the direction of African ethos and wisdom. The Africans have this aphorism that no one knows the child more than his mother. This is not only true, but it continues to be relevant even till date. With this at the back of his mind, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Okey Wali, SAN, recently took a cursory look at legal practice in Nigeria and berated his colleagues for not paying sufficient attention to professional standards and professional ethics which they observe mainly in the breach. As a result of this untoward practice, Wali lamented that lawyers who must always maintain honour and dignity of their profession as essential agents of the administration of justice, are viewed in a negative light by members of the public in many jurisdictions, particularly in cases where lawyers may have abused their positions and for some other reasons. The NBA President who interfaced with members of the Bench, the Bar and Legal Academics as well as Law students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, last week said “a consequent obligation of Lawyers is to maintain the highest standards of ethical conduct” and therefore called on the National Assembly to enact a new piece of legislation to replace the near obsolete Legal Practitioners Act (LPA) in order to checkmate the prevalence of declining professional standards and breach of professional ethics by many legal practitioners in the country. Wali, who spoke in a paper titled “Professional Ethics and the Future of Legal Profession” in Nigeria at the 4th Edition of the Aare Afe Babalola Annual Lecture organized by Ado-Ekiti Branch of the NBA in Ado-Ekiti, lamented that the current LPA neither provide for nor cover the latest and emerging global trends in the legal profession generally and provision of legal services in particular. He suggested among other things that Nigeria should emulate the practice in England where there is a new legal system which has brought massive reform to the legal system, adding that the volume of disciplinary petitions received daily at the NBA Headquarters is a sad testimony and commentary that some lawyers are grossly deficient in character and ethical conducts. His words: “In my capacity as the President of the NBA, I have observed the disturbing volume of petitions against lawyers. The number is alarmingly high. Some Nigerian lawyers, for variety of reasons, have not shown sufficient commitment to the ethical obligations of the profession. Ethical lapses have become more prevalent because, for a long time, particularly in the 90s, enforcement of discipline was in a long lull, partly because of the internal crises in the NBA and the inability to give disciplinary matters attention”. He added: “Legal practice presents lawyers with a broad range of ethical problems and tensions. These ethical problems occur in the lawyers’ relationship with hierarchy of persons he relates to in his professional life like clients, the courts, professional colleagues and the society at large. These ethical tensions and lawyers, who must cope with them, operate in spheres where success cannot be guaranteed and in circumstances that offer room for exploitation. Therefore, the need exists to device rules that will assist lawyers in resolving these tensions and raising the ethical standards of legal practice”. To address this ugly and unacceptable trend, Wali advocated a total review of the Rules of Professional Conduct, stating that “we shall work with the excellent draft already prepared by the Candide-Johnson Committee of the Bar Council”. The seven-man Committee chaired by Mr. C.A. Candide-Johnson, SAN, had earlier sat and reviewed the Rules of Professional Conduct and came up with an improved draft rules of professional conduct and submitted its report to the office of the Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN. Another way of addressing the menace, he said, is an immediate commencement of the teaching of Professional Ethics, the most fundamental subject in the legal profession, from 100 Level of university education so that they would not only be confronted with the issue of ethical standards/demands early in their training, starting their training with professional ethics will embed that subject in their consciousness with indelible force. On the other hand, leaving the subject to the last lap of the training of would-be lawyers at the Law School, in his view, would amount to an afterthought, included merely to fulfill all righteousness. Obviously concerned and worried about how the breach of professional ethics has eaten deep into the fabric of legal practice in Nigeria, Wali said apart from formal curricular teaching of professional ethics, NBA will send its paragon of professional integrity to Law Faculties and the Law School to make presentations to students and teachers alike on professional conduct, discipline and ethics. This, in his view, will add a practical dimension to the training and encourage exchange of ideas between legal academia, practising lawyers and law students on this and other subjects. He however submitted that the war for the entrenchment of professional ethics should not be left to the NBA alone. Rather, the impetus of change must come from such sources as the public which bears the brunt of unethical conduct, the legal profession that is concerned about its image and the government that previously felt unconcerned about ethical practices and seem united in their condemnation of ethical lapses. Be that as it may, it remains unfathomable, foggy and incomprehensible why lawyers, who as active players in the temple of justice condemn, in superlative terms, any disobedience of court orders which the late Hon. Justice Kayode Eso (JSC), dubbed (executive) lawlessness and recklessness, would be the ones to pay lip service to the fundamental concepts of professional standard and professional ethics. When they behave this way, what do they expect from all others – from their colleagues at the Bar, from those on the Bench, from the parties that bow in court and from those who watch from the sidelines? Lawyers ought to carry themselves with grace, dignity and integrity as well as the observance of all rules of practice for these are the ornaments of their hallowed profession. And this reminds one of the evergreen words of Geoffrey Chaucer to wit: “when gold rusts, what will iron do?” Tunde Olofintila wrote from Lagos.
Aare Afe Babalola in the eye of history
In the eye of history” refers to viewing events from a long-term, impartial perspective, often highlighting significant works, reflecting how time reveals deeper truths, a concept tied to the historical symbolism as a mirror of the soul or truth, but also used literally in titles about the history of vision itself. In essence, in the eye of history means looking at something with the benefit of hindsight, seeking deeper understanding beyond immediate perceptions, often through documented evidence or artistic interpretation. In itself, History was defined as the systematic study and narrative of past human events, using evidence like artifacts, documents, and oral traditions to understand change over time, provide identity, and offer lessons for the future, covering everything from global civilizations and major wars to personal milestones and the development of ideas. It’s a discipline within the humanities and social sciences, involving interpretation, analysis, and storytelling, with historians acting like detectives to piece together the past from clues. In a brief essence, Karl Marx must have had Aare Afe Babalola in mind when he said, “Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.” At 80, Aare Afe Babalola conceptualized the idea of founding a privately owned citadel of learning as his own way of adding value to humanity and knowledge acquisition, and that was one of the histories made by an enigma in law and humanity. And by extension, the Baamofin of Yorubaland could be referred to as a polymath. When checked upon, polymath are those who have not stuck to a single area of knowledge and have dedicated themselves to exploring different opportunities by taking advantage of the circumstances offered by technological evolution and the increasingly blurred boundaries of scientific disciplines. Going by his panoply of seemingly unmatchable achievements, Aare Afe Babalola succinctly fits into the above description. From Economics to Law, Agriculture, science, education, leadership, entrepreneurship, and humanity, Baba Afe Babalola has become an Irunmole(Deity) virtually in all disciplines and human endeavors. In a laconic sobriquet, Aare Afe Babalola has become a renaissance polymath who conceptualizes transmogrifying ideas ten times ahead of others. As a way of rejuvenating the fast ecplising values in education, Aare founded Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD. Today, his vision in education has in no unquantifiable measure redefined what is globally obtainable in education and set standards for modern day best practices. ABUAD as his brainchild is reputable for many firsts- in medicine, law, engineering, agriculture, astronomy, science, education, leadership, entrepreneurship, and humanity. As a private university, ABUAD generates its own independent power and oxygen, and this necessitated former Governor Kayode Fayemi during the inauguration of the IPP to say, “What the whole state has been finding hard to achieve regarding a better source of power supply, Babalola was able to do within a short time. Why will more garlands not be put on his neck? Why will Aare Baamofin of Yorubaland not be further recognized? His life has been that of achieving in the face of odds.” As part of his own way of promoting education, ABUAD awards scholarship to outstanding students, and they give discount on courses like agriculture so as to encourage students to take more than active interest in agriculture, just as his heavy investment in agriculture has fetched him an award in Food Security, and he has instituted an annual awards for Ekiti farmers. Known for his uncommon philanthropic gestures, Aare Afe Babalola has sponsored the education of countless hapless Nigerians who are today leaders and captains of industry. His commanding stature and authority in law has compelled many governments to make him the AGF, an offer that he has rebuffed on numberless occasions. While he was 80, he teaches law in his University, with interest in Law of Evidence and Leadership. According to him, teaching Law is not new to him because he had taught before, both in secondary school and at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies. On why he teaches Law he said, “Some of the students came to me from our College of Law that I should teach them and I took up the challenge by taking them some courses including Law of Evidence, which is a very difficult course in Law. Apart from Law, the University also exposed the students to enterpreneurial education and agriculture. Our students are taught enterpreneurial studies and agriculture as a way of encouraging them to develop interest in agriculture and to be self-reliant. This is the way I think Universities should affect their communities. After my day’s workbin the University, I make sure I go to the farm. I do this daily because it has therapeutic effect on me. I don’t need sleeping pills to sleep after going through the rough terrain in the farm.”““For his impeccable penchant in excellence and academics, ABUAD’s Law Department is reputed to be the best in West Africa, while the College of Engineering was adjudged by the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, as the best equipped engineering college in Nigeria. That Aare Afe Babalola is a Doyen in the healthcare sector is an understatement. With Aare Afe Babalola 400- bed Multi-System Hospital, AMSH, one needs not be recounted that the era of medical tourism is long gone. The AMSH was built on 60 hectares of land, and its consists of nine blocks. As a leading healthcare center, AMSH has successfully done over 40 kidney transplants and other sensitive renal breakthroughs with commendable records in brain and spine surgeries, neurosurgeries, and the first penile implant surgery in the country. At AMSH, there are dedicated centers in cardiac, renal, and fertility care with affordable in-vitro fertilization(IVF) treatments. According to the Founder, he lost six of his siblings to poor maternal healthcare and this must have informed the free medical services tagged “Afe Abiye Program”, a regular free community medical outreaches in antenatal care, consultations, laboratory investigations, and immunization for children under age five. At AMSH, best global practices are well observed and prioritized with world class health infrastructure which has been described as the most equipped health facility in the Sub-saharan Africa, with advanced diagnostic equipment, including two Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRIs, two CT scanners(64 & 128 slices, mammography, fluoroscopy, and a molecular laboratory for viral studies.“ “As a legal juggernaut, he has made appearances in court handling over 10,600 court cases, and his meritorious and enviable achievements have attracted to him many local and international recognitions and awards. With ABUAD and its affiliate chain of enterpreneurial outlets, Aare Afe Babalola is the second biggest employer of labour and his businesses pay the highest taxes to the government in the state. In ABUAD, another astronomical wonder is ABUAD Planetarium. According to studies, Planetarium is a domed building in which images of stars, planets, and constellations are projected for public entertainment or education. It could be a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for the training in celestial navigation, especially space science, and traditionally constructed with a screen onto which images of stars, planets and other celestial bodies or objects are projected. The planetarium was established to promote educational experience for knowledge seekers, students, and members of the public. In Nigeria, ABUAD’s planetarium is first, and the second in West Africa, and the second largest in Africa. ““Today, many stories of how Aare Afe Babalola made it from his humble beginning to the echelon of enviable greatness and nobility is replenished with courage, perseverance, hardwork prayer and determination. A man was formally not trained in any classroom sat for A’level exams and passed. This alone is more than grace. Through his visionary hindsight, he has bequeathed to the world an enduring legacy that transcends generations. “Men make history and not the other way around. Going by the words of the late sage, Harry S. Truman, he said, “In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.” In future time, posterity shall inevitably vindicate Aare Baamofin of Yorubaland as that one person who left the world better than he met.
Yet another honour for Afe Babalola in faraway London
The ever-flowing flood of Awards and Recognitions that has been the lot of the legal colossus and proponent of quality, functional and impactful education, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, LL. D (London), FKC, FNAE, continued over the weekend with his decoration as “The 2026 Icon Man of the Year Award” by Triangle News International. The latest Recognition for Babalola, the Founder & Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, took place at the 2026 edition of the Face of Africa Leadership Award for Governance and Public Service Excellence in faraway London, an act which constituted the addition of another colourful feather to Babalola’s already well adorned Hat of Awards and Recognitions. In his remarks after his Award was presented to him by the highly cerebral Governor of Zamfara State, His Excellency, Alhaji Dauda Lawal, an elated Babalola, expressed immense gratitude to Triangle News International for honouring him and other eminent and deserving Nigerians as part of the activities marking the organization’s 10th anniversary of consistent storytelling, honouring excellence and building bridges across nations. Represented by ABUAD’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Elisabeta Smaranda Olarinde, FCI. Arb, FCAI, Babalola said: “I was deeply delighted to receive the letter of nomination from the CEO and Publisher of Triangle News International, Otunba Femi Salako, who emphasised that the Award is “…one of the highest honours bestowed by Triangle International Magazine… and reserved exclusively for individuals whose life work demonstrates exceptional leadership, visionary impact and enduring contributions to national and continental development”. He added: “I am sincerely grateful and profoundly humbled to have been considered worthy of this distinguished honour. I am especially pleased by the timing of this recognition, coming as Triangle News International marks its 10th anniversary. I therefore join other well-wishers in congratulating and commending your organisation for a decade of consistent storytelling, honouring excellence, and building bridges across nations. “Receiving this Award today in the historic city of London is, to me, a fitting testimony to the transformative power of quality and impactful education. It is no secret that I share a special bond with London, particularly with the University of London. As many of you may already know, my Standard Six Certificate from Emmanuel Primary School in my hometown of Ado-Ekiti was the highest level of formal education my parents could afford for me. “Armed with this lonely Certificate and without ever stepping a foot in any Secondary School, I passed the Cambridge Senior School Certificate in 1950 through private study, six GCE Ordinary Level papers of London University in 1952 and four Advanced Level papers at the same sitting in 1954. Soon after that, I enrolled for the B. Sc Economics of London University and passed with Honours in 1959 and later passed the LL. B Honours of London University in 1963 as an external student. “But for Wolsey Hall, Oxford, one of the oldest institutions offering correspondence education in over 120 countries of the world, I would never have gone beyond primary education. In the words of Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, the highly revered Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Nigeria, the best I would have been able to attain was to have ended up an unsung farmer or at best the Secretary of the Local Motor Union. “However, providence has something different in stock for me. The opportunity Wolsey Hall, Oxford, gave to a farm boy from a remote part of Ado-Ekiti became the turning point in my life. It laid the foundation for my later academic and professional achievements, including my Call to the Bar in England in 1963 as a member of Lincoln’s Inn, London, and my eventual elevation to the rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 1987”. Underscoring the place and import of quality, functional and impactful education as epitomized by his life, Babalola said: “As my personal story clearly shows, education remains the surest panacea to problems of poverty, ignorance, banditry, extremism, religious bigotry, tribalism among others. It has therefore been my lifelong desire and commitment to provide the same opportunity for transformative education, which Wolsey Hall gave to me, to millions of underprivileged people in Nigeria and beyond”. According to Babalola, it was his burning desire and conviction to change society and leave it better than he has met it over nine decades ago that inspired the wide-ranging reform programmes he initiated during his seven-year stint as Pro-Chancellor & Chairman of the Governing Council of the University of Lagos. Many of the achievements recorded during that period, including but not limited to upgrading the profile of the university, eradicating cultism on campus, ensuring stable and predictable Academic Calendar and turning the university around by ensuring accountability as well as using his own resources, goodwill and connections to develop the University have been celebrated globally and continued to serve as reference points to this day. He reiterated that it was the same vision that led him to establish Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, a non-for-profit private university in 2009, to teach Nigerians how a university properly so-called should be run. Appreciating how well the university has fared in its 16 years of existence, Babalola said: “As many of you already know, since its establishment in 2009, ABUAD has grown remarkably in reputation and impact. The University has received several national and international recognitions, including being ranked in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings as No. 84 University in the world, No. 3 in Africa and No. 1 in Nigeria for four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025”. He assured the audience that ABUAD’s story of redefining education in Nigeria has only just begun, stressing that Nigeria, Africa and indeed the world, will become more peaceful, more prosperous, and more progressive when quality and affordable education is made accessible to all. The legal giant maintained that his personal aspiration and commitment is to continue to do all that is humanly possible to make the Nigerian university system one of the best in the world, adding that with unbending determination and abiding grace of God, this is attainable. Babalola thereafter invited members of the audience to visit his university, ABUAD, to see what the university has been doing to institutionalise quality, functional and impactful education, teach Nigerians how a university properly so-called should be run and raise a new generational of transformational leaders that will change the society for the better. The visit, according to him, will equally enable them to explore opportunities for collaboration as ABUAD continues the transformational journey of rewriting Africa’s story through high-quality and impactful education while its 400-bed ultra-modern ABUAD Multi-System Hospital continues to redefine quality medical healthcare delivery including over 54 successful kidney transplantation. He specially acknowledged his family for their endless support and commitment. He commended the Vice-Chancellor, Management and staff of the University and the ABUAD Multi-System Hospital for their steadfast dedication to the ideals of the university. In the letter nominating Babalola for the Award, Triangle News International emphasized that the Award is in appreciation of Babalola’s extraordinary achievements in legal practice, educational innovation, philanthropy and institutional building, unwavering commitment to excellence, coupled with unmatched personal investment in Nigeria’s educational landscape that have combined to transform him into a symbol of possibility and a model of transformative leadership across Africa. Said Salako, the organization’s CEO, “Your legacy, embodied most notably in your university, ABUAD, continues to inspire upcoming generations of leaders, scholars and reformers who now look to you as one of Africa’s most distinguished icons of service, integrity and nation building”. Babalola congratulated all fellow Award Recipients made up of technocrats and policy makers, top politicians, Business Magnates and Philanthropists across different strata of the Nigerian society, for being found worthy and deserving of their various Awards which are “reserved exclusively for individuals whose life work demonstrates exceptional leadership, visionary impact and enduring contributions to national and continental development”. The former Pro Chancellor & Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, encouraged all Award recipients not to see their various Awards as an end in themselves. Rather, they should appreciate and acknowledge them as veritable springboards and catalysts that should propel them to do more for Nigeria and Africa with the overall aim of making the world a better place for all to live in. He congratulated Triangle International Magazine and Salako and its hardworking CEO for organizing this year’s Award and expressed the optimism that the Award would be a continuous event. His parting words: “As we depart from this Hall to our various locations around the world, it is my wish that we all work towards the promotion of quality, functional and impactful education”. Earlier in his Keynote Address titled “Harnessing the Role of Nigerians in the Diaspora for National Development, Collaboration, Investment, Knowledge, Training and Civil Engagement”, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo advised Nigerians not to be discouraged by the spate of negative tales being bandied around about the country. Rather, Tunji-Ojo encouraged Nigerians to continually appreciate that there is nothing wrong with Nigeria that cannot be corrected, adding that Nigerians should graduate away from ceding the all-important issue of responsibility to leaders alone because all Nigerians have various roles to play and individual duties to perform in the overall development and growth of the country. Emphasizing the place of Nigerians in the development of the country, the Minister concluded with the following words: “No matter how fertile the land may be, we must still plant the seed to have a bountiful harvest”. Olofintila, ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Affairs, writes from London.
Afe Babalola proffers solutions to dwindling quality of education in Africa
In his Book titled “A Paradise for Maggots: The story of a Nigerian Anti-graft Czar”, Wale Adebanwi, a Rhodes Professor of Race Relations and Director, African Studies Centre in Oxford University, painted a lucid but agonizing picture of how corruption has robbed Nigeria of its best in virtually all facets of human endeavor. Likewise, legal juggernaut and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, yesterday (Tuesday, May 1) recalled how the quantum and quality of education in the colonial era up to 1966 when the Military made an incursion into governance in Nigeria, was a lot better than what it is today. In his usual brutally frank, firm, fair but friendly persona, the frontline legal icon and Educationist painted a picture of how a combination of lack of true federalism among the States created at the 1884 Berlin Conference having regard to Amalgamation of many incompatible tribes, failure of successive African Governments to invest adequately in education, failure of African Government to sensitize their citizens that no government alone can fund quality and functional education and poor leadership as well as over bloated population have over several decades combined to render the search for sustainable education in post-colonial Africa illusory and utopian. Speaking during a Lecture titled “The Search for Sustainable Education in Post-colonial era in African States” in Oxford University, United Kingdom yesterday, Babalola recalled that in terms of quality, composition and structure, the educational institutions established during the Colonial era in many parts of Africa enjoyed the three essential trappings of being autonomous, collegial and self-governing as they were meticulously planned and patterned after elite UK universities. Unfortunately, the elite classical model of university education in such model institutions like the Fourah Bay College in Sierra Leone (established in 1877), Achimota College in Gold of government Higher College (both established in 1934), and Liberia College in Monrovia (1833) and the University College, Ibadan, Nigeria among several others, started dwindling at an escalated rate with the takeover of government by military dictatorships in many parts of Africa with the attendant insufficient funding of education and overconcentration of political and financial power at the centre in most African States. According to him: “With Military leadership in Nigeria came the absolute concentration of powers in the Central Government. The Military Constitutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda and Libya amongst others accumulated several Executive powers to the Central Government, thereby strangulating the capacity of the Regions and states to independently finance and execute education expansion programmes…The added impetus for Military Authorities to curtail students’ demands and protests as well as checkmate University Staff Unions led to the rise of governmental control and influence over key decisions in the education sector” Like Steven Kumalo, the main character of “Cry, The Beloved Country” once remarked that “the tragedy is not that things are broken, the tragedy is that things cannot be mended again’”, Babalola, a sure footed authority in Educational matters, feels that it will be grossly unfair to continue to blame the dwindling fortunes and quality of education on the Colonial Masters when African States should rather look inwards and ask salient questions about what successive African Governments have done to build and improve upon what the Colonial Masters bequeathed to them at independence. Illustrating with Nigeria, Babalola recalls how Nigerian University system became increasingly less autonomous, less collegiate and highly dependent on government for funding and decision making in the period between 1966 and 1999 when Nigeria was under Military rule with the attendant over concentration of political and financial powers at the centre. It was during this period that government became a major stakeholder in education and started meddling in such routine educational matters like the constitution and membership of the Governing Councils of Universities and appointment of key Administrative Officers of universities. He lamented that lack of adequate funding has forced African Universities to become local institutions, attended mainly by local residents from the immediate State or Region where such universities are located, unlike the practice in those days where the likes of the University of Ibadan, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the University of Lagos were like mini United Nations with students and lecturers from all over Africa, Europe and America. In his view, Africa can only build world class universities for a world class economy by deploying significant portion of their yearly budgets to revitalizing and supporting their universities, both private and public, stressing that education that does not equip graduates to become independent thinkers, employers of labour, captains of industries and agents of economic change in the key sectors of the economy is unsustainable and irrelevant. By investing in Entrepreneurial Education, African universities can also diversify their income to become more self-sustaining and this is what he has been doing since he established his own university, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, in 2009, after his seven-year stint as the Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Nigeria. Today, ABUAD Ventures, according to him, contributes significantly to the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the university. Undoubtedly, his experience as a former Pro Chancellor & Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos where he was voted Best Pro Chancellor twice by the NUC and subsequent establishment of his increasingly famous Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), where he has deployed over N80 billion for investments on state-of-the-art infrastructure and ICT expansion since it commenced Academic Activities on Monday, January 4, 2010, today stands him out as an authority on how a University should be run and how a university should not be run. To get out this quagmire, Babalola, canvassed for National Restructuring which would end “the brand of federalism practiced across post-colonial Africa that has stifled innovation and has made it difficult for states, private sector and even universities to attain the required level of financial and structural autonomy needed to drive sustainability”. Worried by the quality of leadership in the post-colonial African States, he quipped: “Africa needs a new crop of leaders who are prepared to provide a vision for true federalism. We need leaders who will not sink back to pre-mordial ethnic attachments nor be moored or covert bigotry. We need leaders who will invest their personal fortunes to develop their country. We need leaders who are prepared to make sacrifices and make personal contributions to higher education which cannot be met by government alone as I did in UNILAG. We need more Nigerians particularly the rich ones to invest in education by establishing not-for-profit first-class institutions of learning like ABUAD”. He concluded by canvassing for National Restructuring and Constitutional Reform to correct the arbitrariness that occasioned the 1884 Berlin Conference where incompatible people were amalgamated as nations and the frail and structurally defective federal structures put in place by the colonial leadership. Perhaps the 1884 Berlin Conference and the resultant lopsided partitioning of Africa viz-a-viz the Amalgamation of incongruous people as nations must have inspired Walter Rodney in writing his enthralling masterpiece titled “How Europe underdeveloped Africa”. In Babalola’s view, “our current claims to being a federation is not only comical and deceitful, but it also indeed requires urgent surgical operation. Restructuring is not a call for disunity or conflict; it is a well-informed call for a speedy return to the confederation principles contained in the Independence Constitution which our Regional Leaders negotiated with the British between 1957 and 1959”. He equally canvassed for a National Education Fund and the commitment of a minimum of 25% of the National Budget to Education in order to be able to rapidly catch up with the rest of the world in terms of quality education. He wondered why ABUAD, like all other private universities, has been excluded from accessing the multi-billion TETfund University Research Funds. TETfund is made up of 5% levy on public and private companies to support education. Worse still, government also collects custom duties on education and hospital equipment freely donated by foreign philanthropists. Besides, Babalola admonished African leaders to promptly address the peculiar African factor of geometric rise in population through reckless procreation which impacts negatively on the yearly revenue of government regarding government expenditure on other sectors. Recalling the story of a 93-year-old Bello Abubakar in Nigeria who had 97 wives and 185 children, Babalola added: “It is unfortunate that while other countries are curtailing population growth, Africans revel in producing children without caution. When China woke up to the reality of population explosion starring it in the face, it pegged the number of children in a family to one. On the contrary, we continue to revel in the unwholesome habit of giving birth to a multitude of children”. He therefore called on the Governments of African States to make it abundantly clear that there is a limit to the amount of money they can provide for education amid competing areas of needs. They should equally stop deceiving the populace that if elected, they will provide free education. This, in his view, is how Nigeria came about establishing several state universities which are nothing but glorified secondary schools. Olofintila wrote from Oxford, United Kingdom