By Gbenga Ashaolu
Today, the 18th of October, 2025, is the Second Edition of Aare Afe Babalola Day. We recall that last year, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Oba Dr. Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe, Aladesanmi III, CON, JP, on behalf of all the sons and daughters of Ado-Ekiti, declared October 18 of every Year as Aare Afe Babalola Day.
The rare honour, according to the revered traditional ruler, was and still is, in appreciation of what His Royal Majesty described as Aare Afe’s ” unalloyed commitment to public service with regard to Law, Education, Health, Community Development, Agriculture and display of generosity to those that might be fortunate to come across him in life”.
From a lowly, humble roots, Afe Babalola, the child of a peasant farmer, who worked for several days on ends, at times for three months on the farm with his father and labourers ever before he could start primary school later in the 1930s, has seen it all: from the travails of childhood, to the challenges of adolescence and youth, right up to the vicissitudes of life in his old age. Having experienced poverty and lack of cash to further his education after completing the First School Leaving Certificate, while in Standard Six at Emmanuel Primary School, Ado-Ekiti, he registered at Wolsey Hall, Oxford, United Kingdom for the Correspondence Course. For 5 years, the young Afe burnt the midnight oil before he passed the Cambridge School Certificate Examinations, with exemption from London Matriculation (equivalent to our West African School Certificate Examinations now). The rest, as we say, have become history, as he also enrolled through correspondence courses, to prepare for and sit for the GCE Advanced Level, studying at home, and passed four Subjects at one sitting, which was a great feat in those days. AFE BABALOLA never passed through the walls of a Secondary School or University as he couldn’t afford to pay the high tuition fees in those early days. But through dint of hardwork, determination and God’s abiding grace, he surmounted all storms. After working for some years, he also enrolled in the same manner, through correspondence courses, for his BSc Economics with Honours at the London University, U.K.
This is a classical example of a resolute young man, who was highly focused and it is a lesson to learn from him, that when we make sacrifices right now, later in life, we shall reap the rewards.. He is not a mediocre as he always aims for the very best. He later pursued and enrolled for the LL.B Honours in Law at the University of London, U.K, through the same correspondence course and travelled overseas to finish his Law program in London and was called to the England Bar, in 1963, the same year he became a Member of Lincoln’s Inn, London.
He started work with Olu Ayoola & Co., in Ibadan, Western Region on returning home with the golden fleece, working with the Ayoola Brothers who had qualified as lawyers earlier before him. He later set up in 1965, Afe Babalola & Co (Emmanuel Chambers) in Ekotedo axis, Ibadan. He has handled a lot of cases for individuals, families, royalty, companies and multinational corporations, federal government of Nigeria as well as leading Politicians across Nigeria. It is to his credit that his law chambers has churned out the highest numbers of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) amongst all the chambers practicing law in Nigeria and it is on record that two of his mentees rose through the ranks to become Attorney General and Ministers of Justice, of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For his meritorious services to humanity, spanning over sixty years in the areas of law, jurisprudence, education, health, agriculture, community development and philanthropy, as well as for his ingenuity and innovative approach to establish the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), he truly deserves to be celebrated in his lifetime. ABUAD was recently ranked by Times Higher Education Impact Rankings as one of the best 100 Universities in the world ( No. 84 ), No. 3 in Africa and No.1 in Nigeria for four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The maiden edition was celebrated on October 18, 2024 in Ado-Ekiti, during which Aare Afe Babalola donated #200 Million for the incorporation of two Cooperative Societies, one for men and one for women, to enable their registered Members to apply for loans at 5% interest rate to start his or her business…
From all walks of life, all roads lead to Ado-Ekiti, the serene capital of Ekiti-kete (Ekiti State) today as kindreds, family members, friends, associates and admirers of Aare Afe troop to his hometown to honour this Nonagenarian as he is being celebrated in his lifetime, with pomp and pageantry. I wish you many more fruitful years in sound health, joy, peace of mind and prosperity on earth, Baba Afe, as you have brought succour, life and hope to several people from the nooks and crannies in Nigeria and beyond through the establishment of Emmanuel Chambers, ABUAD as well as the ABUAD MULTI-SYSTEMS TEACHING HOSPITAL, both in Ado-Ekiti, that is ranked as one of the best Hospitals on the African continent.
Congratulations, Aare Afe Babalola on this epochal event. Akuu oriire, ekuu aseye!
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