The Vice Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde; ABUAD Chancellor, Aare Afe Babalola; and wife, Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola, at the agricultural expo on Saturday. Photo: Abiodun Nejo
The management of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti has urged the Federal Government to extend the benefits of the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, Tertiary Education Trust Fund and bursaries to private universities and their students.
ABUAD Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, appealed to the Federal Government to, rather than marginalising the private institutions, encourage them in the interest of educational development and students’ advancement.
Olarinde spoke in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday during a press conference to announce activities for the 14th convocation ceremony of the institution, saying that the university would churn out 2,194 fresh graduates on the convocation day.
She said, “At this 14th unbroken convocation, the university will graduate a total of 2,194 students. Of this number, 1,759 are graduating from undergraduate and professional programmes, while 435 are graduating from postgraduate programmes, comprising 359 students of the College of Postgraduate Studies and 76 students of the ABUAD Business School postgraduate programmes.
“Across the first-degree programmes, 286 graduands obtained First Class degrees, 824 obtained Second Class Upper degrees, 234 obtained Second Class Lower degrees and 29 obtained Third Class degrees.”
She said that the university would confer honorary Doctor of Letters degrees, honoris causa, on three Nigerians – the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo; Chairman of Cavista Holdings, John Olajide; and business leader, Dr Rosemary Osula Mku-Atu.
She said, “The honorary doctorates are intended to recognise their contributions to society and provide graduating students with examples of how professional accomplishments could be matched with service to humanity”.
The VC added that Western University, Canada, and Trinity International University, United States, will honour the ABUAD Founder, Aare Afe Babalola, with honorary degrees during the grand finale of the convocation scheduled for October 21, 2026.
She said, “The honorary degrees are in recognition of Babalola’s contributions to legal scholarship, educational innovation, philanthropy, social development and leadership”.
Olarinde, who faulted the exclusion of private universities from TETFUND, NELFUND and bursaries, said, “The government must be sensitive to private universities. Attention has been focused on government universities. Private universities have been excluded from NELFUND, TETFUND and bursaries. They should extend these schemes to all universities.”
She advised the government to, “rather than considering the status of the university as public or private, extend the same benefits to all universities. That is what I believe a highly sensitive government should do for the education sector. The education system is made up of higher education by federal, state and private universities.
The VC said that the Convocation Lecture would be delivered by Prof Okonkwo on the topic, “Functional Education and the Nigeria Project: Strategic Human Capital Development for National Renewal.”