The founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has expressed displeasure at the Federal Government’s delay in granting a free trade zone status to the university.
Babalola raised the concern when hosting delegates from the China-Nigeria Consortium on Industry and Education at the ABUAD-China Partnership Forum Meeting, on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti.
He said that the over 132 – Units of ABUAD industrial park, located in Ado-Ekiti, was enough to turn the story of Nigeria around, if well annexed and utilised.
Babalola said that China, which was a very poor country some years ago, had suddenly overtaken Nigeria in the scheme of economic matters.
The chancellor of ABUAD said that the issuance of the Free Trade Zone certificate would have enabled foreign companies to establish businesses in the park, thereby boosting Nigeria’s economy.
He lamented that such progressive ideas would have been embraced, under the defunct regional government system.
Babalola also reiterating his call for a people-oriented constitution to foster national development.
“In 1999, I travelled to China. At that time, China was a very poor country, but the Chinese people were very wise.
“They created an area, called free trade zone, which allowed countries like the United States and Germany to set up industries there.
” Unknowingly to those countries, the Chinese, learned from these foreign industries, which eventually contributed to their remarkable global development today.
“However, for the past two years, I have applied for the same concept here, but the government has refused to grant us a free trade zone certificate”, he said.
Continuing, he said, ”There is an American company ready to begin manufacturing cars in my Industrial Park, but the lack of this certificate has stalled their plans.
“If we still had the regional government system that we used to have, we would be more developed than we are today. This is why we need a new constitution.”
In her address, Ms. Wendy Wang, the Secretary-General of the China-Nigeria Consortium on Industry and Education, who spoke through an interpreter, commended Babalola for his visionary achievements in education, engineering, and health.
She described ABUAD as the best institution in Nigeria, highlighting its integration of cutting-edge technologies in its curriculum.
Earlier in her address of welcome, the Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, commended Babalola for allowing the partnership between the consortium and ABUAD.
She described the visit as a replica of the one, earlier made by her and a select ABUAD team, that Babalola sponsored to China on a working tour recently.
Olarinde said that with the partnership, “ABUAD will soon start manufacturing vehicles and robots.”
Other highlights of the event, was the presentation of the ‘Chinese Plus Digital Intelligence Education Gold Medal’ to Babalola, in recognition of his commitment to quality and functional education in Nigeria.
