ABUAD Students Receive 5 Million Naira Reward for Excellence
Aare Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), awarded N5.05 million to outstanding nursing students during the induction ceremony of newly qualified nurses.
Chris Oyeoku Okafor 
Aare Afe Babalola, the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), has awarded N5.05 million to exceptional nursing students at the institution. This significant gesture underscores his commitment to promoting excellence, scholarship, and industry, serving as an inspiration to others.
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During the induction ceremony of newly qualified and registered nurses from ABUAD, Aare Babalola emphasized the university's mission to transform tertiary education in Nigeria and produce graduates capable of effecting positive change globally. The best graduating and best-behaved student, Rosemary Oriwoh Osamudiamen, received N350,000, while other distinguished students and the four male students in the faculty were each awarded N100,000.
ABUAD, in its 15 years of existence, has achieved notable recognition, including being rated the No. 1 University in Nigeria by the Times Higher Impact Education Rankings in 2021 and 2022, and ranking 221st globally. Aare Babalola, a strong advocate for quality education, believes it is key to solving Nigeria’s educational challenges. He remarked, “Quality education will end illiteracy, bigotry, religious intolerance, and needless conflicts.”
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Reflecting on Nigeria’s development, Babalola shared, “When I was born over 90 years ago, Nigeria had no tarred roads, electricity, or pipe-borne water. Europe was similar in the 1600s, lacking these modern amenities.” He encouraged perseverance, stating, “Nigeria should not lose hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. Since our first convocation in 2013, we have graduated 1,420 students who are now agents of change and leaders of reformation.”
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Babalola also expressed concern over the declining involvement of alumni in universities and the low participation of men in the nursing profession.
