Clamp Down On Substandard Varsities, Babalola Tells Commission

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has been instructed to review its accreditation procedures and crack down on illegal universities in the country.

Elder statesman and legal luminary, Aare Afe Babalola (SAN), who made the call in Ado-Ekiti, while welcoming the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) Accreditation Team to the institution, said Nigeria deserves the best and should not tolerate substandard education.

This came as Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), put the current value of the private university, established a few years ago, at well over N300 billion.

The ABUAD founder, who urged government and public-spirited Nigerians to support credible private universities, noted that the institution was established as a non-profit institution committed to excellence in teaching, research and community service.

According to him, “Previously, the NUC used to insist on prior visitation to permanent sites of proposed universities before approval; they would look at the buildings, number and quality of teachers, among other parameters, before approval.

“There is a long list of illegal private universities in Nigeria today.  I want the NUC to seriously consider closing such illegal universities down and arresting their owners. This country deserves the best and should therefore not tolerate substandard education.

“What makes a man, and indeed the country, is quality and functional education. A well-educated person does not think about himself.  Rather, he thinks about his neighbours and the society to make life better”.

Harping on how the money is being wasted, he said, “ABUAD is a non-profit private university where nobody has shares.  Any extra money generated is continually reinvested in the university. As of today, the valuation of the University is put at over N300 billion. When you go round, you will see for yourself: the hospital, the farm, the industrial park, the colleges and the serene campus.

“According to the World Bank, the three objectives of a university properly so-called are: quality teaching, quality research and community service. We are proud that we have been excelling in all these three parameters”.

The Vice Chancellor of the Institution, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, in her welcome address, described the MDCN visit as a critical step in the ongoing accreditation of ABUAD’s Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme.

She outlined the university’s journey in medical education since 2011, noting that ABUAD secured full accreditation for its MBBS programme within three years of inception, which, according to her, is an uncommon feat in Nigeria’s university landscape.