The management of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) has urged both the Federal and Ekiti State governments to urgently reconstruct Ado-Ijan road, warning that the university and other establishments along the route may become inaccessible.
This was just as ABUAD has been ranked by the Times Higher Education ranking of universities, as No. 84th in the world and third in Africa.
The institution is also ranked 1st in Africa in (SDG 7 – Affordable & Clean Energy), 1st in Africa ( SDG 13 -Climate Change), 2nd in Africa (SDG 1 – No Poverty), 3rd in Africa (SDG 17 – Partnership for Goals) and 1st in Nigeria (2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025) among others.
Speaking to newsmen at ABUAD campus in Ado-Ekiti at the weekend, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Professor Olasupo Ijabadeniyi, said that the Ado-Ijan road has become impassable, adding that it is just a matter of time before the road becomes completely unusable.
Recounting the intervention of the founder of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, on the road from 2009 to 2019, he stated that further support has exceeded his capacity due to the numerous projects he has undertaken across the state.
Ijabadeniyi, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof Smaranda Olarinde, said: “The role played by Aare Afe Babalola in the maintenance of the stretch of Ado-Ijan Road from St. Paul’s Church to this university between 2009 and 2019 is in the public domain.
“The same goes for the Ado-Ekiti Cargo Airport, where he has invested billions of naira to make it functional.
“The maintenance of Ado-ljan Road and the functionality of the Ado-Ekiti Cargo Airport is certainly beyond his capacity, bearing in mind the quantum of projects he has embarked upon in the overall interest of the state.
“Because of this, the time has come for both the Federal and Ekiti State Governments to see to the immediate reconstruction of the Ado-Ijan Road and the completion of the Ado-Ekiti Cargo Airport.
“If the university is more accessible, it will attract patronage from both local and international audiences as a result of which it would he just called mewin more laurels for the state and the nation at large.”
Speaking about the recent ranking of the university, he said that the institution’s dream has been achieved, as ABUAD has navigated its way to the very top among universities nationally and internationally within its first 15 years of existence.
Ijabadeniyi expressed the happiness of the founder and Chancellor on the new ranking of ABUAD, saying that it’s a dream come true for him.
“Today, with the cooperation of and quality advice from Regulatory Bodies such as the NUC, Council for Legal Education, Ministry of Education, Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), the Medical & Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN), ICAN, CPN, PCN, and NMCN among others, the cooperation of parents and the commitment of our staff, the university has recorded spectacular achievements in Law, Medicine, Engineering, Nursing, Pharmacy, Sciences and Accounting among several others,” he said.
