The Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola on Thursday charged fresh students of the institution for the 2026/2027 academic session to dream big, embrace discipline and sustain the institution’s culture of excellence.
Addressing the new intakes at the General Orientation held at the Alfa Belgore Multi-Purpose Hall at the University, Aare Babalola welcomed the students to what he described as a globally rated institution.
His words:
“I want to especially welcome our new students to our midst in Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, recently rated by Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, as No. 1 in Nigeria for five consecutive years (2022-2026), No. 2. in Africa and No. 72 globally, and the only Nigerian university rated among the Best 100 universities in the world,” he said.
The Founder thanked parents for choosing ABUAD among numerous universities in the country and assured them of value for their investment:
“I want to assure our dear parents that we will not disappoint them,” he stated, noting that ABUAD is “a University where dreams are rapidly translated into reality, a university devoid of strike actions, a university with predictable and reliable Academic calendar, a university that has its own power supply system, a university where all the students are resident on campus.”
Aare Babalola, who decried the poor state of roads leading to Ekiti State, reiterated his call on the Federal Government to fix them. He explained that ABUAD was a child of circumstance, established to correct the ills plaguing Nigeria’s university system. According to him.
“For many years, Nigerian Universities have waned at a geometric rate in quality, substance and prestige,” due to infrastructural decay, inadequate funding and lack of qualitative practical training, a situation that informed his decision to establish ABUAD as a model institution.
He recalled that within 15 years, the university has achieved 100 percent accreditation for its 47 academic programmes and earned national and international endorsements. He said the National Universities Commission (NUC) has acknowledged ABUAD as “a model, benchmark and reference point” as well as “the pride of University system in Nigeria,” while the Association of Vice Chancellors described it as “the most successful private university in Nigeria” and UNESCO as “a world class institution of Higher Education.”
He also cited partnerships with Johns Hopkins Hospital, USA, King’s College London and Trinity Western University, Canada, for which he donated £10million to support indigent African students.
The Founder reeled out laurels won by ABUAD students, including Law graduates winning 24 of 36 prizes at the Bar Examination and Uwem Naomi Ekop emerging Overall Best Student in 2018, Engineering being dubbed by the Nigerian Society of Engineers as the “Template for Engineering Education in Nigeria,” and Medicine recording 100 percent with eight distinctions in its first MBBS exam. He also recalled that former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, said ABUAD’s Medical programme “will be difficult for any other university in Nigeria to equal.”
Charging the freshers to surpass the achievements of their predecessors, Aare Babalola said: “My charge to you is that we want a repeat of all these attainments by your predecessors by you. If those before you could do it, you can do it better and faster.” He urged them to dream big, saying: “It is not a crime to dream big, but it is an unpardonable sin not to dream at all. The sky is not the limit; it is the take off point for you.”
He stressed that discipline, obedience to university rules and time management remain key to attaining such heights.