The first batch, post-UTME screening of candidates into Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State for 2012/2013 academic session took place on Saturday, 7th July 2007 with encouraging patronage at various centres across the country.
The centres were Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Warri and the Main campus of the University at Ado Ekiti.
In a statement, the Founder and President Emeritus of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola explained that the decentralization of Screening Centres was aimed at stress-free placements for youths desirous of University Education into our Institution.
According to him, the strategy is to demonstrate, his quantum of sincere passion towards qualitative education. He said, ABUAD was set up as a practical example of what an ideal University should be and an avenue where many educational related woes especially cultism, indiscipline and corruption in admission placements, would abate substantially. The Founder therefore called on parents to support private participation in tertiary education for the benefit of their children.
The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Sidi Osho, was the Coordinator at the Afe Babalola Auditorium of the University of Lagos, venue of the Lagos Centre. She had Mr. Opakunle and Mrs. Omiyale as Assistants.
Addressing parents at the Centre, Prof. Sidi Osho explained that ABUAD, unarguably, one of the youngest and fastest growing University in Nigeria has recorded monumental strides within its three years of existence adding that the institution is breaking new curricular grounds in many disciplines. She explained that the University’s Law Faculty is structured into two schools and various departments: School of Law, School of Criminology and Social Justice, Institute for Law and Bio-Medical Research and Centre for Technology and Enterprise Incubation. According to the Vice-Chancellor, these are new thresholds that older Universities have not explored.
Prof. Sidi Osho attributed the success story to the vision of the Founder, who sees ABUAD as a veritable platform to ventilate his long held ideals concerning education, teaching methods, curriculum and curricular contents as regards relevance to societal needs, discipline, morality and post-graduation employments.
The Ibadan Centre which had the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Michael Ajisafe as the leader of the team did their screening at the Afe Babalola International Study Centre, Bodija, Ibadan. The team also had Mr. Fabusiwa Jimi and Lolade Usikalu as Assistants.
In his remark to parents at the Centre, the Deputy Vice Chancellor explained the progress the institution is making to educate Nigerian future leaders. He said where “there is a way, then there is a will”. He cited the desire of the Founder for academic excellence, buoyed by his personal experience; as someone who was hungry for education but only got it by dint of hard work, self-denial and steely determination via correspondence. He urged parents to devote more time and resources to the development of their children.
Garki Secondary School, Area 10, Abuja was home to candidates from the Northern part of the country. The Registrar, Lady Christie Oluborode called the shot while Mr. Yele Olasehinde supported her.
Speaking Hausa, Ibo and English Languages to the parents, the Registrar, Lady Oluborode expressed her appreciation to candidates and their parents for identifying with ABUAD. She described it as a template for quality tertiary education in Nigeria and urged candidates to try their best in securing admission to the University.
At the main campus of ABUAD, an eight man team, led by a Member of the Board of Trustees of the University and former Vice-Chancellor of UNAD, Prof. Israel Orubuloye coordinated the exercise.
The team included the University Bursar, Pastor Modupe Babalola and the Provost of the College of Social and Management Studies Dr. Yekeen Lawal. Others were Miss Tolu Akinwale, Mrs Laura Olasehinde, Mrs Doris Ogunkorode, Messrs Kayode Ogunbamiyo and Kayode Aladekomo.
Addressing parents, Prof. Orubuloye enjoined them to inculcate in their children, the Founder’s virtue, of finding greater fulfillment in more edifying values of honour, humility, humanness and philanthropy rather than engaging in pursuit of worldly things. He said the University is determined to embrace the long -tested-values such as endowments and donations which have proven to be the success secrets for generating resources in the development of great Universities like Harvard, Cambridge, Yale, Oxford etc. are put to maximum use in aid of teaching, research and community service.
Prof. Orubuloye also thanked parents for choosing ABUAD. He called on others to avail their children and wards of the great learning opportunities available in the university.
The Port-Harcourt centre was at the Rivers State College of Arts and Science and had Dr. Y. Ojo and Mr. Afees Olaniyi as Coordinators.
In Warri, Delta State, Montessori International School at Airport Road was the Centre. Messrs. D.O. Ogunjemite and Ahmed Tiamiyu coordinated affairs at the screening venue.
Responding, it was the general consensus of parents that the establishment of ABUAD is unique in conception and implementation. They were particularly happy about the modern facilities in the Campus and the serenity of its environment. They berated the state of education in Nigeria which leaves little to cheer. They called on very rich elites who benefited from the nations free education policies of yesteryears to emulate Aare Afe Babalola in stemming the drift in Nigeria’s University education. The parents therefore called on both the Federal and Ekiti State governments to support the institution at all times.
It would be recalled that Afe Babbalola University has full accreditation from the National Universities Commission (NUC) to run courses in Law, Sciences, Education, Engineering, Arts and Humanities, Agricultural Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Social and Management Studies.
The next post UMTE screening exercise will hold at the usual centers on Saturday, 4th August, 2012.