The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Are Babalola (SAN), has attributed the crises confronting the nation to decay in the country’s educational system .
Babalola spoke in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, while playing host simultaneously to leaders of Bursars’ Association of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology (BURSCON) and the Federal Government’s Gas Expansion Committee, who paid a courtesy call at ABUAD.
The BURSCON President, Chief Adolphus Obi, and the leader of the FG’s Gas Expansion Committee, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim, applauded Babalola for laying a solid foundation for the growth of education in Nigeria.
Addressing the gathering of professionals, administrators and academics, the legal icon said: “The problem we have today is decay in quality education in this country. That was why after turning down ministerial appointments thrice, I agreed to go to University of Lagos as Pro Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council where I had an insight into what was happening to our education system .
“At times, they used to close down the schools under the guise of strike action for almost a year, this is criminal. I want to be an example, a leader in transformation of education and that was why I established ABUAD.
“Added to the foregoing was also our leaders who are very selfish. There are many Nigerians who could buy me, they are expected to set up a university like this to give functional education to Nigerians at affordable fees, but they never did.”
