Founder and President of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Aare Afe Babalola, has described former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, as the best President Nigeria has ever had.
Babalola said Obasanjo, who had a rare opportunity to lead the nation for three times, as Military Head of State in the late 70s, and elected President from 2009 to 2007, was known to him to be: “a very energetic, strong-willed, and stubborn person,” adding: “He is difficult to persuade, but he is a progressive man.”
“He never became a Professor, but he knows better than most Professors. He is a highly talented man, and is the best President Nigeria ever had.”
Speaking on the agenda of the group, Aare Babalola said: “I support the agenda of the Yoruba Patriots, that we want to have our rightful place in the comity of nations in the country. The kind of restructuring that is needed in Nigeria is one that would give autonomy for each ethnic nationalities to manage itself in all areas of economy, education, power, and others, with the exception of geographical expression.
He went down memory lane to explain his long years of rapport with former President Obasanjo: “The path of myself and Obasanjo crossed when he introduced zero party representation system as military Head of State. My people then chose me to represent them. And I agreed to represent them even though I wasn’t a politician. But some politician who felt that if I went to represent my people, it would affect their chance, went to court to say that I should be disqualified because I haven’t paid my tax.
“And I had an obsession at that time of over paying my tax in advance, so that if at the end of auditing, I had overpaid, I had some money repaid to me.
“I challenged them at the court because that was an attack on my integrity. So, I eventually won the case and my name was sent to Obasanjo as the qualified person to represent my people. Obasanjo in spite of that chose the politician and I went back to my practice as a lawyer. That incident prevented me from dabbling into the murky waters of Nigerian politics.
“Obasanjo left office and years after, there was an allegation by Senator Olusola Saraki that about N2.8 billions pounds and put it in his own bank then. The students then we’re angry and protested in Lagos. So, a panel of inquiry was set up to investigate the allegation.
“I was asked to defend the Federal Government at the court and Obasanjo was invited to give evidence as a former Head of State. And we met at the court where I cross-examined him. That was when he met me physically and recognised that I was the same man whose name was sent to him at the time.
“Later, Obasanjo was sued for writing a book called :” is not my will’. He called me to defend him and that was how our age long rapport began. We got closer and closer until 2009 when he was to be President and was sued again by several others, Olu Falae, Buhari and others and he invited me and I won the cases for him.
“He later attempted to make me Athorney General of the nation but I turned the offer down. But when he invited me to come clean up the rot in education system at the University of Lagos as Pro-chancellor I accepted but with a condition not to get all the emoluments. I served selflessly and was awarded best Pro-chancellor for two terms that I served there.
“The quality of education we offer is akin to that given in London, U.S and other Canada among others. Where we charge N1 million, these countries charge N17 million and N5 million. That is why our university is the best alternative to overseas schooling”, he said.
