Aare Afe Babalola, Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has called on the government and public-spirited Nigerians to support credible private universities while urging regulatory authorities to clamp down on illegal institutions.
Babalola made the remarks on Wednesday as he received Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) officials conducting accreditation for the university’s medical programme. He estimated ABUAD’s value at over ₦300 billion, citing investments in infrastructure, including a 400-bed teaching hospital, an industrial research park, and academic facilities.
Highlighting what he described as a proliferation of substandard private universities, Babalola called on the National Universities Commission (NUC) to revisit accreditation procedures and enforce sanctions against unlicensed institutions. “This country deserves the best and should not tolerate substandard education,” he said.
Vice Chancellor Prof. Smaranda Olarinde said ABUAD secured full accreditation for its MBBS programme within three years of inception, producing seven sets of doctors under a competency-based curriculum supported by advanced facilities. She added that the accreditation process is being conducted with complete transparency.
Babalola emphasised that private universities play a critical role in delivering quality education in Nigeria, noting that government funding alone cannot meet national demand.
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