Nigeria’s Legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola has continued to confound the expectations of all and sundry as he commissions an ultra-modern multi-billion naira Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti Teaching Hospital.
Founder of the Afe Babalola University, Ado- Ekiti, remains one of the few Nigerians that domiciled all his investments in his home town and his State of origin rather than abroad or the country’s commercial capital.
Chief Babalola’s investments which include large farms, ABUAD Farms, the University and its various business ventures remain formidable employers of labour in Ekiti State and the establishment of the Teaching Hospital will further expand that scope. The Hospital built on 60 hectares of land consists nine Blocks.
The Central Block has five floors while the other eight have four floors each, all totalling 37 floors. In order to add international flavor to Health Care Delivery, teaching, training and research, just to mention but a few, the state-of-the-art hospital equipment, the management entered into partnership with reputable players in the global Heath Industry. World renowned Abbot Laboratories to provide Laboratory Equipment under a special arrangement whereby they will maintain and service Laboratory equipment thereby taking care of one of the major problems of equipment for which Nigeria has become notorious. The modern laboratory equipment already arrived the country are being installed. Aster Hospital, Dubai is to provide Healthcare of international standard for which they are internationally acclaimed especially in Surgery.
The Memorandum of Understanding has been duly executed through which Aster will carry out 50 free operations to mark the commissioning. Project C.U.R.E., United States of America is to provide modern Hospital Equipment, most of which have arrived and installed while Narula, India provided and installed five Modular Theatres as well as Pneumatic Tubes. Seven expatriates are working daily on the project. JNC International is to provide Equipment such as CT Scanners, MRI and Radiology Equipment. Most of the equipment have arrived in ABUAD. Protech Gas provided Medical Gas & Oxygen and work is in final stage; Adler England provided Steam Boiler with work in progress and College of Pharmacy, Howard University, USA set up jointly with ABUAD a Pharmacy Department and factory to manufacture drugs. Bridge of Life (BOL) USA is to supply Kidney Dialysis Machine and Care4You Association of Denmark will also supply equipment and gadgets.
The Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital is constructed with an accompanying Helipad that will support people/clients being brought in from any part of the country with ease, devoid of the challenges usually posed by the poor nature of road network in the country. The objective of the Teaching Hospital according to the founder is to bring quality health care of international standard to Nigerians at affordable cost and make ABUAD Teaching Hospital the Mecca of quality health care delivery, thereby reducing the quantum of foreign exchange Nigerians expend on Medicare abroad both in the short and long run. Indeed, it will checkmate the annual wastage of foreign exchange on people going for treatment outside the country.
As if that was not enough, Aare Afe Babalola has equally flagged off free medical care for 2,000 people from various parts of the country for five days ahead of the commissioning as part of the activities marking the 5th convocation ceremonies of the University. The free medical outreach which was flagged off on Monday in Ado Ekiti will cater for different individuals with different types of ailments inrespective of their background or tribe. The University Vice- Chancellor, Prof Michael Ajisafe, who spoke on Monday at the Pre- convocation Press Conference held at ABUAD’s talents discovery hall declared that the gesture was part of the University’s corporate social responsibilities to the society.
The University Vice chancellor assured intending patients for the free health services that they will be treated by experts from Europe, Asia and Nigeria, adding that: “The experts will treat any patient free and they will perform surgery if it is required on any patient and it will be on the bill of ABUAD and would be on first come, first served” basis, he said. He disclosed further that the University at its Convocation ceremonies slated for Saturday, October 21, will graduate 83 first class students out of 869 graduands to be conferred with Bachelor’s degrees by the institution .
Ajisafe who justified the high number of fist class graduates churned out by the university , pointed out that it confirmed the quality education being offered by the University, which he said was a function of uninterrupted power supply and full-residential policy for all students adopted by the founder, Afe Babalola. Ajisafe also disclosed that the University will commission the 400-bed ABUAD Teaching Hospital built by Chief Babalola to offer quality health services to Nigerians stressed further that the University will confer honourary degrees on the President and Chief Executive Officer of project CURE , Dr Douglas Jackson and on the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission(NUC), Prof Peter Okebukola for their contributions to humanity. “Since we began, ABUAD has proved to be a trail-blazer .
In order to add international flavour to the nation’s healthcare delivery, the 400-bed hospital built on 60 hectares of land has entered into partnership with some reputable players in the global health industry such as Abbot laboratories , Aster hospital, Dubai, Project CURE, USA. “Others include, Narula foundation, India, JNC international, Trigenesis, India, Protech Gas, Adler of England, College of Pharmacy , Howard University, USA and Bridge of Life, USA as well as care4you Association in Denmark”, he revealed. Ajisafe revealed that the university has received half of the funds promised by the African Development Bank(AfDB) to fasttrack development in the institution.
He said the degrees being awarded by ABUAD can compete favourably with those from Howard and Harvard universities , saying “certificates being offered here are scrutinized by external bodies and institutions within and outside the country, so our degrees command global respect”.
The Vice Chancellor promised that the institution will continue to strive hard until it realizes the dream of becoming one of the 100 best universities globally. The commissioning of the 400-bed ultra-modern ABUAD Teaching Hospital is one of the activities lined up for the fifth convocation ceremonies on October 20, 2017 shortly after lecture to be delivered by Prof. Okebukola, former Executive Secretary of the NUC and now Pro-Chancellor/Chairman of Council, Crawford University, Ibese, Ogun State.
The Convocation Lecture is titled: “The place and the continued Relevance of Private Universities. October 21, 2017, will feature fund raising, endowment fund and Convocation Dinner while honorary degrees will be conferred on Dr, Williams Douglas, President/CEO Project CURE Contennial, USA and Prof. Okebukola. In readiness for the big event, Aare Babalola has as usual been carrying out extensive rehabilitation work on the roads leading to the University. A couple of weeks earlier, he carried out the cleaning of drainages to stop incursion of flood water on the road. All these is just a daily routine in the life of this quintessential philanthropist and humanist. With all his wealth, Aare Afe, in spite of his age, is a hardworking man that never observes public holidays. His convoy is a regular sight on the road at 8am and 4pm daily
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