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Afe Babalola Urges Government to Honor Patriotic Citizens Over Politicians

Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has called on governments at all levels to prioritize recognizing patriotic citizens who have made significant contributions to national development rather than focusing on politicians and public officeholders.

Babalola made this appeal on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti while receiving the Ekiti Summit Person of the Year 2024 award. The legal luminary was honored for his exceptional impact across various sectors, including education, law, health, agriculture, and technology.

Criticizing the trend of awarding individuals with little meaningful contribution to society, Babalola stated that such recognition fosters mediocrity instead of merit. He warned that celebrating undeserving figures discourages those genuinely committed to national progress.

“To encourage excellence, we must recognize those making a difference,” Babalola said. “Rather than honoring politicians and lawmakers, governments should celebrate outstanding market women, farmers, and cocoa producers. That’s how to drive real progress.”

He also commended Ekiti Summit Magazine and its publisher, Femi Alufa, for their dedication to merit-based recognition, describing Alufa as a patriotic citizen committed to Ekiti’s development.

Publisher Femi Alufa emphasized that Babalola’s award was based on merit, citing his immense contributions to education and national development.

“Afe Babalola, SAN, was named Ekiti Summit Person of the Year 2024 following ABUAD’s remarkable achievements in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings,” Alufa stated, highlighting the university’s rankings:

  • No. 1 among Nigeria’s 264 universities for three consecutive years (2022–2024).
  • No. 1 globally in SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).
  • No. 1 worldwide in Outreach and Stewardship with scores of 98% and 98.2%, respectively.
  • No. 4 in Africa and No. 142 among 2,152 universities globally in 2024.

“No individual has contributed more to education, philanthropy, and preserving Ekiti’s values of excellence, knowledge, and industry than Aare Afe Babalola,” Alufa concluded.

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