From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) is set to honour the Governor of Borno State, Prof Babagana Zulum and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi with honorary doctoral degrees at the ninth convocation and the 12th anniversary ceremonies of the institution slated for November 20.
Others to be honoured are : the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde made the disclosure on Monday, in Ado-Ekiti, at a pre-convocation press conference heralding the events.
Prof Olarinde disclosed that the graduands are 1,415 in total. With 1,306 as undergraduate students, comprising 125 First Class, 563 Second Class Upper, 473 Second Class Lower and 60 Third Class degree holders, and 109 postgraduate students.
The VC explained that the College of Engineering came top on the list with 42 First Class honours, followed by Law with 18, Medical and Health Sciences 17, Sciences recorded 14 and Social and Management Sciences had 34.
According to Olarinde, the four eminent Nigerians to be awarded honourary degrees are persons of proven integrity and character, who have made exceptional and distinguished lifetime contributions to the society.
Prof Olarinde said Governor Zulum, Oba Ogunwusi and the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti would be decorated with Doctor of Letters respectively, while the Emir would be honoured with Doctor of Laws.
She said : ” Since we took off 12 years ago, ABUAD had won national and international awards in teaching, research, academics and had been found outstanding in community development, the recent being our ranking as the first among the private universities operating in the country.”
On the convocation lecture titled: ‘University as a catalyst for Regional Economic Development’ the ABUAD’s VC disclosed the lecture would be delivered by the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), a renowned Professor of Animal Science, Prof Suleiman Elias Bogoro, noting the occasion would be chaired by the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
The VC explained that ABUAD has gone far in the area of research, hinting that the processes for the certification of anti- COVID-19 herbal medicine designed by the institution’s experts, had been presented to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Her words : ” the drug had passed through clinical trials. It has even got preliminary certification by NAFDAC and we are now expecting the NAFDAC number for mass production
” The team of experts that did the research involved our lecturers and students, who were part of the processes and we are sure the herbal medicine will hit the market next year, ” she added.