The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; popular cleric Pastor Tunde Bakare; and legal luminary Damian Dodo SAN will be conferred with honorary degrees by the management of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) during the forthcoming convocation ceremony.
The Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Smaranda Olarinde, spoke while addressing newsmen on Monday ahead of the 15th anniversary and the 12th convocation ceremonies. She announced that the institution would be graduating no fewer than 1,662 students, with 226 finishing with first-class honours. Among the total graduates, 1,485 students will receive a bachelor’s degree, and 177 are postgraduate students.
According to her, the three eminent Nigerians being honoured have distinguished themselves through their service to humanity and contributions to the development of the education sector in the country. The VC added that the three individuals would be decorated with honorary degrees during the grand finale of this year’s convocation on Monday, October 21, 2024.
Professor Olarinde revealed that the convocation lecture titled “Diaspora Engagement for National Development” will be delivered by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Saturday, October 19, 2024.
As part of the convocation, she stated that on Thursday, October 17, the maiden edition of the ABUAD International Hydrogen Summit would be held, with the Minister of State for Environment, Dr. Iziak Salako, and the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Johannes Lehne, among others, serving as keynote speakers.
“In strict compliance with the 2012 Keffi Declaration, the university’s council and Senate, after a thorough as well as merit-based selection process, approved the nominations of these three eminent personalities for the conferment of honorary degrees. This is in appreciation of the various ways they have impacted society. Coincidentally, all three recipients of the university’s honorary degrees this year are lawyers,” she noted.
The Vice Chancellor emphasised, “Afe Babalola University is committed to impacting technologically driven knowledge, developing skills, and building complex individuals with sound moral values, prepared for the competitive global market to be job creators and not just job seekers.”
On the achievements of the university and the iconic ABUAD Multi-System Hospital, she highlighted that the hospital has successfully completed 18 kidney transplant surgeries, achieving success for both donors and recipients. “At the last intervention, six transplants were done in three days,” she added.
Professor Olarinde also mentioned that the institution has commenced the production of plant-based pharmaceutical products, stating that they have locally developed three drugs, including Virucidine (an immune system booster syrup), Natucadine (an anti-ageing herbal supplement), and AB-Mal (an anti-malaria capsule). “The efficacy of the drugs has been tested, and excellent results were obtained,” she said, soliciting partners for the promotion and sales of these pharmaceutical products.
“We set up the Bogo Research Centre for the manufacture of drugs. So far, we have developed three products: virucidine, natucadine, and AB-Mal. The three drugs are natural and plant-based, with no chemical additives. We are looking for partnerships in the promotion and sale of these medications. This will necessitate more collaboration with us in the realm of research. Therefore, we call for people and organisations to help introduce our pharmaceutical products to the outside world by getting partners to promote them,” she added.
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