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Tag: Afe Babalola

  • Amotekun legal, deeply rooted in 1999 Constitution, Afe Babalola tells FG

    A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, on Sunday said that any attempt by the Federal Government or its appendages to terminate the South Western Nigeria security outfits code-named ‘Operation Amotekun’ will fail.

    The initiative, according to him, is deeply rooted in the 1999 constitution.

    Babalola spoke on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while criticising the APC-led federal government over its pronouncement through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that the joint security outfit is illegal.

    Malami had last Tuesday announced the federal government’s opposition to the initiative, saying Amotekun was illegal and security was meant to be sole responsibility of the Federal Government.

    The founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti argued that the southwest governors had not erred but only responded to the region yearnings for improved security.

    He said this was necessary since the centralised police system had failed to ensure the safety of the life and property of their people.

    He recalled that kidnapping, armed robbery, herdsmen/farmers clash and other security challenges prompted the formation of Amotekun as a regional response by the governors to clamp down on the heinous activities of security threats in the southwest.

    The legal giant argued further that the governors had the right to protect their people because that was the ultimate responsibility of responsive government, saying Amotekun doesn’t only has its roots in the 1999 Constitution but other previous constitutions.

    He said unfortunately Malami relished on the Article 45 second schedule of the 1999 constitution (amended), that gives to the FG the exclusive power to manage the police and forgot that sections 24, 40, 45 imposes clear responsibility on citizens to ensure security of their lives and property.

    “The Amotekun outfit is a protective and supportive outfit established by the governors of the Southwest. It has its roots in the 1999 Constitution and the previous constitutions before it – 1960, 1963.

    “Section 24 of the constitution provides that ‘it shall be the duty of every citizen to make positive and useful contribution to the advancement, progress and well-being of the community where he resides’. Well-being means security of life and property etc. How many Nigerians realise that they have a duty to assist and to protect the interest of the community and themselves.

    “And Section 40 goes further that ‘every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular, he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests’.

    “When you put these two together, it shows that all of us have the duty to associate whether as Yoruba people or as state people to ensure that lives and properties are safe. The Amotekun outfit has its roots in the constitution. It is constitutional, it is legal and proper,” he said.

    According to him, the Federal Government should rather embrace and key into the initiative instead of trying to kill the laudable initiative, saying “it should immediately thank for what they are doing.

    “If this outfit had been established about 10 years ago, we would not have these issues of kidnapping, killing and other security challenges.

    “We won’t have those who go to the farms to kill people because they would be fished out. That is why the constitution says that such outfit should report to the police.

    “What I have just said is that it is to support the police, support the government in their duty to ensure that there is peace, there is safety of property, safety of lives. It is a good idea. It is belated but it is lawful and constitutional.

    “All that the AGF said is that Article 45 of the constitution, second schedule gives to the FG the exclusive power to manage the police, he did not say that sections 20, 40 and 45 are abrogated. They cannot abrogate it.

    “The sections I have quoted are superior to the schedule he is talking about and in any event, the governors have not set up a parallel police outfit, what they have done is to set up a supportive and protective organ to assist the police and in their communiqué, they said it would report to the police.

    “The law says you can join together in association to assist the police. How can the police or any government by angry about this.

    “In my opinion, the act has been done, Amotekun had been launched, let them go on.

    ‘’What the state governors have done is legal, so why should they bother? Let them (FG) try to go to court.

    ‘’They will meet the governors there. All what they would have to do is to show them sections 24, 40, 45 of the 1999 constitution.

    “It is a case that must fail if they go to court. They have not set up a parallel police outfit. No. the constitution says it is your duty to protect the interest of yourself and others and join together in doing so. So simple. The case will be so easy to win,” Babalola argued.

  • The Ekiti Knowledge City Project: Nigeria’s Stanford/Silicon Valley

    The Ekiti Knowledge City Project: Nigeria’s Stanford/Silicon Valley

    I had the advantage of reading the write-up by Nseobong Okon-Ekong from the interface Dr John Kayode Fayemi, the Executive Governor of Ekiti State, had with some journalists on his Second Missionary Journey, a privilege not granted many.
    I am particularly thrilled by Governor Fayemi’s dream and vision of wanting to build a Knowledge City among other laudable developmental efforts in his attempt “to …shoot the state into limelight with its emerging economy and attract investors as well as tourists.”
    I am highly impressed with the news that the governor wants “to turn that whole area where you have Afe Babalola University into a Knowledge City; that is medical hub, an IT hub, an Agric-tech hub, innovation hub. Investment can then come to Ekiti and we turn the place to a hub for commercial activities.”
    This, when implemented, will no doubt turn Ekiti State into a true Knowledge City, the hotbed of Computer Science innovators, deep-pocket Venture Capital Firms and Angel Investors and the place where one can meet the right people with the right resources who can help turn an entrepreneurial dream into reality.
    Stanford University owns 700-acre Industrial Park in with William Miller and Tim Lenoire as the architect and founding fathers of the present Stanford Industrial Park which has made Silicon Valley famous, thereby making Stanford University the richest university in the world while Silicon Valley remains the hub of Research Science and Technology and Innovation in different shades and shapes.
    Similarly, the proximity of ABUAD, its 121-unit Industrial Park, the 400-bed ultra-modern Multi-system Hospital and ABUAD Agricultural Enterprise Farms will be of tremendous advantage to the Knowledge City as Stanford and its 700-acre Industrial Park have positively affected the fortunes and future of Silicon Valley.
    For emphasis, Stanford University, a co-educational and non-denominational institution, was established in 1891 by Leyland Stanford, former Governor of and US Senator from California with an endowment of $5million. The present day value of which is $132 million. It is one of the top fund-raising institutions in the country and became the first university to raise more than a billion Dollars in one year.
    Its alumni have founded many companies, including Google, Yahoo, Microsystems, Instagram and generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue equalling the 10th largest economy in the world. It is the alma mater of 30 living billionaires, 17 astronauts, leading producer of members of US Congress and has produced 60 Nobel laureates etc. In 2014, endowment and donation alone was $336,697,860,000 while in 2015 endowment and donation was $368,147,895,000 which was much more than the total budget of Federal Government for all higher institutions in Nigeria. Indeed, Stanford shares a relationship will Silicon Valley unlike any other university on planet earth.
    In the last 50 years, Stanford University, its staff and graduates have launched some 1,200 companies. Today, more than 50 per cent of Silicon Valley’s product comes from companies founded by Stanford Alumni. Besides, like many research institutions, Stanford is responsible for generating lots of patents.
    In the same way, ABUAD, which is only nine-and-half years old, boasts of being the first university in West Africa to commence Mechatronics Engineering in affiliation with FESTO of Germany and the graduates are now commencing FESTO Lab. With Mechatronics Engineering, the university has the requisite capacity to train industrial personnel and mechatronics lecturers. In addition, it offers Certificate Courses in Electro-hydraulic and Electro-pneumatic, Hydraulics and Pneumatic and Industrial Automation as well as Assembly and Bottling.
    The Knowledge City will be transformed to our own Silicon Valley
    When the founding fathers of Ekiti State were agitating for the creation of the state, I played a very prominent role by deploying my connections, experience and expertise in the struggle for the creation of the state. I was the person who drafted, presented and defended the memorandum before the Mbanefo Panel in Akure.
    At the hearing of the petition, the chairman, Mbanefo, asked this question: “Do you think, Ekiti State, if created, will be viable?” My answer was an emphatic yes, which I predicated on the following:
    I told the panel about the abundance of highly qualified human resources in the state. I emphasised the fact that it is on record that most of the professors in Nigerian universities are of Ekiti origin with at least a professor from every homestead.
    I also submitted that there was a wealth of fertile and well-watered tropical land that readily supports agriculture, stressing that a time it was when Ekiti was producing as much as 52 per cent of the Cocoa in Western Region. I finally submitted that Ikogosi Warm spring, the only one of its type in West African, could be exploited by both Ekiti State Government and the Federal Government and turned into an international tourist centre that will earn billions of Dollars for Ekiti State and Nigeria.
    And so for me, what Governor Fayemi is about to do is like wanting to actualise the dream of the founding fathers of Ekiti State and my submission before the Mbanefo Panel.
    In order to accomplish the Knowledge City project, there is an urgent need for relevant infrastructure like motorable roads, rail line and airport without which there can be no appreciable development.
    Even if all these ideal projects being powered by the Fayemi administration cannot be completed in four years, appreciable progress would have been made. It will be left to those coming after him to complete them.
    I agree entirely with Governor Fayemi when he said: “I feel that government is a continuum. All of us, regardless of political party that we belong to, owe a duty to, as much as possible, complete unfinished project because if you don’t do that it is ultimately going to be to the detriment of your state. It is the state resources anyway. It is not the governor’s personal resources expended on such projects.”
    I believe that in respect of the airport, an airstrip could be completed before the expiration of his tenure. It must be borne in mind that the federal allocation coming to Ekiti State is higher than that of Gombe State which was allocated an airport the same time Ekiti State was allocated. Today, the Gombe airport is up and running. With determination, ours can join the comity of states with airports. Also, it should not be difficult for the Fayemi administration to resurface most of the roads in Ekiti, all of which are not more than 30 miles from Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
     
    Tribute
    I pay special tribute to Governor Fayemi for the reference he made to our multiple award-winning university, ABUAD, the medical exploits being made by our 400-bed Multi-system Hospital and our burgeoning 121-unit Industrial Park which is similar to that Stanford University.
    What has delayed the take-off of the industrial park is a suit filed by the company to which the government allocated land in 2009 before the university came into existence. Not only did the company fail to pay the statutory land charges, it also did not develop the land within two years as required by law. In the circumstance, the state is empowered to re-enter the land and cancel the previous allocation. Thereafter, the government allocated the said land to ABUAD to form part of its industrial park. The company filed an action in the High Court to challenge the allocation by government but the case was dismissed by the High Court. The company later appealed to the Court of Appeal which also dismissed the company’s appeal. As soon as the Supreme Court delivers its judgment in the case before it, the Industrial Park over which we have spent billions of Naira will flag off.
     

    Implementation of the Knowledge City Project, a possibility:
    It is a well-known fact that electricity is one of the most important elements for the take-off of Industries. Consequently, ABUAD has sponsored two Independent Power Projects (IPPs) which are working day and night to provide reliable and uninterrupted power supply to ABUAD, ABUAD Industrial Park, the Multi-system Hospital and the ABUAD Agricultural Enterprise Farm, as well as the Ekiti Airport which will serve the Knowledge City. The Knowledge City is surely an achievable one.
    When we wanted to start our university in 2009, not many people believed it was possible. But then, what I have more than most people is determination, industry and faith. With all these virtues, we pressed on to establish the university which commenced academic works on Monday, January 4, 2010 and today, the NUC, the regulatory authority for University Education in Nigeria, has acknowledged the university as “a model, benchmark and reference point,” as well as “the pride of university system in Nigeria.” It has also been described by the Association of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) as “the most successful private university in Nigeria” and endorsed by UNESCO as “a world-class institution of higher education.”
     
    Human Resources
    It is a well-known fact that giving is not in the Nigerian culture. In spite of this, during the agitation for the creation of Ekiti State, the committee raised funds in Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. We may have to do the same thing again to support the take-off of the Knowledge City Project. I believe that we have people who can donate generously towards the promising project.
     
    African Development Bank (AfDB):
    I am very happy that Governor Fayemi has contacted the African Development Bank (AfDB) on the Knowledge City Project. It will be recalled that the AfDB, after its well-known rigorous screening before disbursement of funds, found ABUAD worthy of its facility on account of its being a prudent manager of funds as epitomised by the Founder.
    AfDB has never assisted any university before. However, it was convinced about the facilities, performance and commitment and decided for the first time to assist ABUAD and make it a pilot for other universities in Africa and beyond.
    The Knowledge City will be an ideal venture for AfDB, the state government and ABUAD while many Ekitis who have industries outside the state and outside the country would be encouraged to invest in Ekiti State.

    • Chief Afe Babalola is the founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti.
  • Open heart surgery: Afe Babalola varsity hospital records breakthrough

    Open heart surgery: Afe Babalola varsity hospital records breakthrough

    The 400-Bed Multi System Hospital owned by the Afe Babalola University (ABUAD), Ado Ekiti, has recorded a major breakthrough in open heart surgery.

    According to NAN, a team of medical experts on Sunday at the hospital in collaboration with their foreign partners performed the open surgery, which review was witnessed by scores of residents and visitors.

    The event became one of the first major landmarks and successful in the area of cardiovascular surgical operations to be carried out in any hospital in the country.

    During the review, the team of experts, led by Professors Tayo Adeleke and Paul Davies, US based Cardiologists, said they were able to record successes in all the patients operated upon, due to the wide exposure of the medical personnel and modern equipment in the hospital.

    The team leader, Adeleke advised that for the heart to be in good shape, all Nigerians must conduct a routine check on their blood pressure, which has been identified as major cause of heart failure globally.

    He explained that the experts from US had before now, successfully performed well over 10,000 open heart surgeries across the world within the last 21 years.

    “High blood pressure is a silent killer. It is the major cause of kidney failure, heart failure and sudden death among our population.

    “The Life expectancy in Cuba is 81, that of USA is 80, so for Nigeria, which life expectancy is less than 50, to get to that level, focus must be on health sector.

    “Good equipment and personnel must be provided in our hospitals, the way Chief Afe Babalola has done in his hospital.

    “You can get quality health delivery here in Afe Babalola University hospital with what we have seen. With this hospital, I don’t think there is need for medical tourism again in Nigeria,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, the founder of the university, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), described the breakthrough as a celebration of a memorable success in the medical history of the country.

    Saluting the experts, Babalola added that Nigerian doctors and other professionals are as brilliant as their counterparts overseas, but were being underutilised by the level of decadence in the system occasioned by paucity of equipment.

    “It is sad that our people and hospitals in the country are not well equipped, they have no exposure to the right technology and that was why I established this university to make up for the gap.

    “So, my advice to everyone is that, you must be ready to embrace the revolution we are pioneering here in this university.

    “We are already partnering some hospitals in Sao Paulo, Brazil, India, Germany and Dubai to expose our medical students to better training in the course of being here,” he said.

    The Chief Medical Director of the Multi System hospital, Prof. Fola Esan, said the hospital was set up barely a year ago to properly educate medical students and to ensure the delivery of highest medical service as well as stop continuous outflow of patients and money overseas.

    He said the medical facility has personnel and equipment to perform all forms of cardiovascular surgeries and other afflictions.

    “The surgeries performed were done in a speed that had never been done before in Nigeria and in a manner comparable to how best it could be done anywhere across the globe.

    Two of the beneficiaries, Tayo Akomolafe and Dr Bukola Balogun, expressed happiness over the kind of health services they enjoyed from the hospital.

    Akomolafe said: “I came from Lagos after I had been diagnosed of complex heart problem. I was taken to the theatre and after 30 minutes, things were okay with me.

    “The equipment I saw were the state of the earth and can compare with what you can get anywhere in the world.

    “My advice is that Nigerians should no longer go abroad for medical treatment, you can get it right here in Ado Ekiti,” he said.

  • Afe Babalola laments dilapidated infrastructure in Nigerian schools

    Chief Afe Babalola, the Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, (ABUAD) Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday lamented the dilapidation of infrastructure in many Nigerian educational institutions.

    He expressed his displeasure during the 7th International Conference on Infrastructural Development in Africa (ICIDA), held in Lagos.

    Babalola was represented at the event by Prof. Adeolu Durotoye, Provost, College of Science and Management Sciences, ABUAD.

    The chancellor said dilapidated infrastructure was responsible for the alarming rate of Nigerian students going abroad to study.

    He blamed the rate of dilapidation in schools and other vocational institutions over the years on neglect by successive regimes.

    Babalola urged government to address the problem by increasing budgetary provisions for education.

    “For Nigeria to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of quality education, government must comply with the 26% UNESCO benchmark for education.

    “I recall that Chief Obafemi Awolowo devoted 54 percent of the budget to education.

    “Targeting a certain percentage of GDP each year would ensure that the education infrastructure deficit is slowly reduced, while demands for new infrastructure are met,’’ he said.

    Prof. Joshua Ayarkwe, Chairman ICIDA and Provost, College of Art and Built Environment, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, also spoke at the event.

    He said approaches to infrastructure development in Africa are Eurocentric.

    Ayarkwe said that the conference, an intellectual discourse, was aimed at rethinking infrastructure development in Africa.

    “We have come to realise that there is no way we are going to develop without an inclusive thinking, so we need to really look beyond what we are doing.

    “We need to position ourselves and look beyond the
    current mode of development and embrace the fourth industrial revolution,’’ he said.

  • Obasanjo is best President Nigeria ever had – Afe Babalola

    Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Aare Afe Babalola, has described former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the best President Nigeria ever had.

    Babalola said the Obasanjo, who had a rare opportunity to lead the nation three times, first as Military Head of State in the late 70s and twice elected president from 1999 to 2007, was known to him to be “a very energetic, strong-willed, and stubborn person.”

    “He is difficult to persuade but he is a progressive man. He never became a professor but he knows better than most professors. He is a highly talented man and he is the best president Nigeria ever had.”

    The Founder and President of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, made the remarks while receiving members of the Yoruba Patriots Group, who nominated him to be their patron.

    According to him, it was Obasanjo’s efforts in supporting UNESCO during his tenure that has helped in repositioning education properly in this country.

    Speaking about the objectives of the group, its Publicity Secretary, Segun Adewale, said it was formed in 2005 by progressive Yoruba people who desired progress and unity for the nation.

    “We felt that the way the Yoruba nation is being relegated to the background within the commonwealth of Nigeria is not acceptable.

    “What we intend to do is a legacy that would survive us. And to do this we are consulting with established Yoruba men who love the nation and who have the knowledge and have made serious sacrifices to make Yoruba number one in the world.

    “Aare Afe Babalola is one of them. This is why we consult with him to get a template that would make Yoruba the most economically developed nation in Africa.”

    Speaking on the agenda of the group, Babalola said he supported the YPG for Yorubas to have their rightful place.

    “The kind of restructuring that is needed in Nigeria is one that would give autonomy for each ethnic nationalities to manage itself in all areas of economy, education, power and others with the exception of geographical expression,” he said.