The Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has been described as an unusual Nigerian, who having grown up under the pernicious pangs of colonialism refused to be affected by the deceit that was the hallmark of colonialism.
Speaking over the weekend during the Nigerian Medical and Dental Council (NMDC) Accreditation Visitation Panel’s visit to the four-year old university for the accreditation of its Medical programmes, the Team Leader, Prof. Oluwole Ogunranti, said before he physically sighted Babalola and the monumental infrastructures at ABUAD, he had always believed that no Nigerian who had witnessed and grown up under colonialism would have been able to do that.
Ogunranti, who confessed to being awe-stricken at seeing the 85 years old legal icon and promoter of functional and reformatory education said it was either the renowned educationist and philanthropist was not a Nigerian, or a Nigerian that came before his time.
Affirming that Africans are backward in the scheme of things in the world today because they refuse to free themselves from the pangs of colonial mentality, the professor of Anatomy then confessed that he has not seen what he saw in ABUAD anywhere in Africa, an attestation to the fact the university has been variously described as the fastest growing university in Africa; a model, a benchmark and a reference point for other universities.
His words:”When Aare came in and I was told that is the man, I almost did not want to believe it. Honestly, I don’t know that it is possible for anybody who has passed through colonialism to achieve so much and have so much accolades showered on him while still alive”.
He added:”By virtue of what I have just seen, I could see that the man went through colonialism even more than I did, but he has librated himself and so he is making exploits in virtually everything he touches. I like what I heard about this university before I came here, but with what I have now seen, I am happy that there is hope for Nigeria.
“It is only a man with a high dosage of compassion with human kindness flowing in his veins that would want to bequeath to humanity what nature denied him when he was growing up”.
Ogunranti who commended Babalola for the disciplined way ABUAD students conduct themselves revealed that he has started some pioneering efforts in e-Medicine and would partner with ABUAD College of Medicine because of what he has heard and now with what he has seen.
On a global note and particularly having seen the quality of Faculty, teaching facilities and equipment, Ogunranti said it was not difficult for him to score the University’s College of Medicine distinction.
He wondered why African continues to be mere consumers of foreign technology and inventions instead of looking for ways of contributing its own quota in technological development and advancement.
Patently dissatisfied with this ugly trend, He said:”We are tired being mere consumers of foreign technologies; we should start developing things no matter how small. We must start from somewhere”.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Babalola had told the NMDC Accreditation Visitation team that he established the university at old age to correct the ills and rot in the nation’s educational system which he witnessed at close range during his eight years sojourn as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at the University of Lagos.
He assured the visitors that ABUAD’s medical programme will be different from others because the university itself was set up to make a difference and to make a change for the better.
But because of the enormity of the assignment, he craved the support, cooperation and advice of well meaning Nigerians as the university continues to navigate the ocean of reformatory and quality education.
(Ends)