Shut down all substandard universities – Afe Babalola tells Nigerian Govt

Eminent lawyer and elder statesman, Afe Babalola, SAN, says unless the Federal Government takes decisive steps towards closing down all mushroom institutions and study centres across the country, the nation’s educational system will continue to witness a decline.

Babalola stated this in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday while being conferred with the Fellow of King’s College, London, for his transformative contributions to education and the society.

The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti ABUAD, said the National Universities Commission (NUC) should particularly focus its searchlight on all universities and centres that are not operating according to approved standards and requirements.

He described such institutions as ‘major weapons’, fashioned against quality and functional education in Nigeria and the world at large.

“The biggest menace facing quality education today, especially in Nigeria and across Africa, is the proliferation of mushroom satellite institutions and campuses, including study centers that have long deviated from their original conceptualization and intent.

“What we expect is for the National University Commission (NUC) to close down mushroom universities.

“There are many of such institutions that had been pronounced illegal by authorities but which are still operating, allegedly, and which commenced operations even without the permission of NUC,” he said.

Babalola continued, saying, “I recall that the NUC once published their names. But why don’t they arrest owners of such illegal universities, why don’t they close them down?

“Why can’t they make the staffs of such universities, face punishment and put them before the court of law? Yet they are even building new ones everyday.”

Earlier, the Governor of Ekiti, Biodun Oyebanji, hailed Babalola’s achievements in the areas of medicine, law, invention and sciences.

Oyebanji, represented by the newly appointed State’s Head of Service, Dr. Folakemi Olomojobi, said Babalola’s footprints across all sectors had made him the father of the state, stressing that his uncommon humanity and impact had also ranked him higher.

On her part, the Vice President, International Engagement and Service of King’s College, London, Prof. Funmi Olonisakin said the fellowship award conferred on Babalola was in recognition of the transformative contributions of the legal luminary to the society.