By Rotimi Ojomoyela
ADO-EKITI—THE Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, ABUAD, is to confer Doctor of Letters (LLD) honourary degree on the former Minister of Agriculture and President African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and the Chief Executive Officer of Channels Television, Mr. John Momoh to appreciate their contributions to nation building.

Akinwumi Adesina

No fewer than 72 students of the University bagged first class among 1,042 graduating students in the 6th convocation ceremonies of the University slated for Saturday, October 20.

Speaking at a pre-convocation press conference held in ABUAD, yesterday, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael Ajisafe, hinged the high turnout of first class graduates on excellent and qualitative academic prowess  already attained by institution.

Ajisafe said: “We have disciplined students here and it has always been  the culture of the founder, Aare Afe Babalola to give automatic jobs  to first class students and these 72 will benefit from the gesture.

“Apart from handsome prizes being given to brilliant graduates, which includes  vehicles and cash gift, the founder used to give all graduates in the Faculty of Agriculture a sum of N250,000 each to empower them to go into farming. Some are even given parcels of land for farming.

“Lazy students can’t cope here in ABUAD. Our objective is to change the phase of university education in Nigeria and that we are pursuing with  vigour and we are gradually achieving that, because we are the first  university to graduate 43 medical students barely eight   years we  commence operations.”