Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), has said his ultimate desire for his institution to achieve a status akin to Harvard University.
The legal icon stated this while addressing the press last weekend in Ado Ekiti regarding ABUAD’s ranking as the number one university in Nigeria for the third consecutive year (2022, 2023, and 2024) by the Times Higher Education Impact ranking.
According to him, the 15-year-old university has once again been ranked as the No. 1 university in Nigeria and No. 200 in the world in the latest rankings.
“ABUAD ranks number one in the world for SDG 7 (Affordable and clean energy) – the indicator related to university measures towards affordable and clean energy. ABUAD, Nigeria ranks No. 1 in the World as Top Universities engaging in Outreach Programmes with a stewardship score of 98.0 out of 100.
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“ABUAD ranks No. 1 in the World in Stewardship with a stewardship score of 98.2 out of 100. ABUAD ranks Number One among all the 264 Universities (Federal, State, and Private) in the 2024 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for the third time in succession.
“ABUAD ranks Number 142 Universities in the 2024 Times Higher Education 2,152 ranked World Impact Rankings. ABUAD ranks No. 4 amongst all the World in the 2024 Times Higher Education and No. 142 in Impact Rankings. ABUAD comes out top globally for both OUTREACH and STEWARDSHIP,” he said.
On his wish for the young university, Babalola said: “This university of mine is one that I want to nurture to a stage where, when I am gone, it will be like Harvard University. My hope is that those who work with me and those aspiring to work with me will replicate what I am doing and be as dedicated as I am.”
Speaking about the lack of a stable calendar in public universities, he urged the Federal Government to emulate ABUAD’s approach to maintaining a predictable and stable calendar for its students.
“Our university is a model for others to emulate. It is a transformative university where there is quality and functional education; we are only 15 years into this journey. We have achieved what I never expected we would achieve even in 50 years.
“I established the university to exemplify how you can run quality and functional education. Fortunately, the Nigeria University Commission (NUC) appreciated this within three years by describing the university as a model, reference point, and benchmark. I believe it is an opportunity for the federal government to adopt what we are doing here and implement it in public universities.
“I keep asking why the new universities, particularly the private universities, are not emulating what we are doing here. I do not understand why we do not embrace good practices.
In this country, we tend to emulate bad practices. You, the press, should inform them that this country cannot improve until we learn to adopt what is good.
“When we were about to start this university, I said I could not establish a university where there would be strikes, cultism, and other vices. That is why, up until today, we have had a predictable academic calendar. Even during COVID-19, my staff were working.”
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