Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has said the state deserves an airport and has called on the Federal Government to support the state government in that regard.
The governor, who spoke in Ado-Ekiti during the seventh convocation of the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), on Friday, urged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), who was Special Guest of Honour on the occasion, to help convey the message to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The governor noted that being a landlocked state, the state deserved an airport as many federal roads in the state are not in good condition.
While commending Aare Afe Babalola (SAN) for locating the institution in Ekiti State, the governor added that Babalola’s contributions to education was legendary.
”This is a miracle university. It came into being in 2009 and has become a reference point in Africa. The VP was amazed at the level of development and I advise the Vice President and the Federal Government to do something tangible to assist this great institution. This university is the largest employer of labour after EKSG. It is another government in Ekiti. We are proud of you and happy that the university is located here.
“Chief Babalola chaired the first Education Summit in 2003 and and we came from 35th position to sixth in the South-West and seventh nationwide in WAEC and NECO examinations. You were the Special Guest of Honour at last year’s summit and we came from 34th position in 2014 to number one in the country. With your zeal for quality education, I am sure that in another five years, this university can rank among the best in the world,” he said.
Vice President Osinbajo, who also lauded Babalola for his efforts, charged today’s graduates to know that they must be able to multi-task.
“You can’t afford to be mono skill graduates. You must have multiple skills. You can’t say you are a graduate of economics and thus limit yourself to that area alone. You must also understand money and how it works. Be diligent too as talent is nothing if you are not diligent,” he said.
The Vice President also advised them to show integrity wherever they are, as lack of it would later haunt them in the future.
The founder of ABUAD, Aare Babalola, said his vision was to produce quality graduates that would be able to compete with their peers anywhere in the world.
