Some governors’ wives prefer ceremonies to making impact, says Afe Babalola

The Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, on Wednesday, lampooned some wives of state governors for their preference for attending parties to human capital development.

Babalola, who spoke in Ado Ekiti in reaction to the offer by the wife of Ekiti State Governor, Dr Olayemi Oyebanji, to teach ABUAD students and give them academic mentorship, said such gesture was a welcome development in view of its benefit to the students.

The governor’s wife, who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Education Management at the University of Ibadan, had during a visit to ABUAD where she gave the offer, also requested Babalola’s support for her project, ‘Widows and Orphans Hope’.

Babalola said, “You are the first First Lady in Nigeria that I know will be teaching in a university (while in office). Do you know the effect it will have? Do you know the impact you will be making? This will surely have an impact on students looking at the First Lady teaching them. It will motivate them to learn.

“You are not that type of First Lady that will be moving about for ceremonial activities. I have known many governors’ wives who only attend ceremonies, but you are truly a First Lady”.

The ABUAD founder lauded the governor’s wife for her level of achievements in academia through her contributions to knowledge in her field of Educational Management which is being acknowledged locally and globally by the impact she makes through her numerous research publications.

Babalola promised to support the governor’s wife’s WAOH project, saying, “I have always been interested in philanthropic activities. I am going to contribute to the pet project now personally and the university will add to it. Do not think you must have billions of Naira before you can help others. Your giving out means a lot.”

Speaking on the WAOH project, the First Lady said, “It’s a new programme where we have registered over 30,000 active and non-active widows and orphans. The WAOH project will afford us the opportunity to touch the lives of vulnerable people in the state.

“We have just had our ‘Back to School Programme’ where we gave schoolbags and other educational materials to indigent pupils, the majority of whom are orphans,” she said.

Credit: The Punch