The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has commended the Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, for his outstanding contributions to quality healthcare delivery and medical education in Nigeria.
The commendation came when the 1st Vice President of the NMA, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, led a nine-man delegation on a courtesy visit to the ABUAD founder on Tuesday in Ado-Ekiti.
Olowojebutu praised Aare Babalola for his massive investment in the university’s infrastructure, especially the 400-bed ABUAD Multi-System Hospital—widely acknowledged by healthcare stakeholders as the most well-equipped hospital in Sub-Saharan Africa—the Industrial Park, the Independent Power Plant (IPP), and the ABUAD Enterprise Farms.
He said:
“I have gone round the university, the hospital, the Industrial Park, the Independent Power Plant and the farm. I was almost in tears when I saw the magnitude of what a single man, who has never worked in government, has put in place here.”
Olowojebutu added that Aare Babalola’s efforts stem from his love for humanity and the desire to uplift his people, stressing that the founder could easily have taken the projects to Abuja, Lagos or Ibadan, but chose Ekiti instead.
He continued:
“I am overwhelmed with joy at what I have seen today—a clean and functional hospital, a radiology department with two MRI machines, a dialysis centre with affordable charges. I am marveled that you not only produce your own oxygen but also supply others. What you have done here is amazing and worth emulating.”
“As a professional body, we celebrate you for putting Ekiti in the limelight. We will continue to promote your work and speak with stakeholders in the health sector on the need to support and encourage you.”
Earlier, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, described Aare Babalola as a man who has transformed the ecosystem of healthcare and medical education in Nigeria. She said the nonagenarian lawyer and philanthropist deserves total support and encouragement for his impact across various sectors of national development.
She stressed that support for ABUAD’s vision is even more essential now, given the overwhelming doctor-to-patient ratio in the country.
Also speaking, ABUAD’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Olasupo Ijabadeniyi, described Aare Babalola as the best investor in medical education, arguing that someone who reinvests his hard-earned resources from legal practice into healthcare and training deserves national praise, not criticism.
He said:
“Here is a man who built an ultra-modern 400-bed hospital that has been endorsed as the most well-equipped in Sub-Saharan Africa. He could have used his money to travel the world, but instead, he chose to better the lives of his people. Nigerians must stop politicizing everything and learn to acknowledge good work.”
In his response, Aare Afe Babalola thanked the NMA delegation for the visit and reflected on how safe and orderly life used to be during the colonial era and early independence years.
He attributed his success to the education he acquired through private study and thanked God for enabling him to achieve his goal of establishing a non-profit university focused on quality and functional education, one that demonstrates how a university should truly operate.
He noted that many wealthy Nigerians have the capacity to do even more but have not looked in the direction of education.
He urged Nigerians to work together to build a better country and be their brothers’ keepers.
According to him, giving, even in small ways can change lives:
“There are many Nigerians who do not know what they will eat today. A little act of kindness, a smile, paying a child’s school fees, or giving someone N10,000 can make a meaningful difference. We never know how far a single gesture can go. This is how to build a better society.”
