In a country which has been bedeviled by the twin disappointments of corruption and falling standard of education, a shinning pathfinder through the labyrinth of darkness has been identified and slated for honour.
Coming on the heels of the Doctorate Degree – Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) conferred on Aare Afe Babalola by the Kogi State University, Anyigba on 22nd September, 2012, the Founder/President Emeritus of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola SAN, OFR, CON will be honored with another Doctorate degree on 19th January, 2013 by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the institution’s pavilion.
In a notification letter signed by Mr. Oluwarotimi Shodimu, the Registrar and Secretary to the Senate and Governing Council of Unilag, he explained that the conferment which is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the institution, is to honour Aare Afe Babalola who has left indelible marks in the development and management of the University, as its two term former Pro-Chancellor.
He acknowledged Aare Afe Babalola’s dogged and patriotic zeal in restoring values on academia, providing blue print for income generating units and creation of new avenues of endowment in the university which has since turned the fortunes of the prestigious institution for good till date.
The Registrar, Mr. Shodimu while congratulating Aare Afe Babalola announced that the Governing Council of the University has approved his nominations by the Senate and Honors Committee to award him an Honorary Doctorate Degree – Doctor of Law (LL.D) (Honoris Causa) of the University.
He further explained that the University’s memory is filled with the remarkable strides he employed in laying the foundation by providing the roadmap for the present enviable ranking of the University as the best in Nigeria and 16th in Africa. Mr Shodimu commended him for his unrelenting philanthropic contributions to the advancement of education and his passion for seeking the general welfare of the society.
It should be recalled that this is the third doctorate degree to be awarded to Afe Babalola the legal Icon, having first been honored by the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti and the Kogi State University, Anyigba.
Written by Ayo Omotoso.