Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, has said that he believes that the only lucrative industry in Nigeria these days is politics.
The legal icon, who bemoaned the progressive marginalisation of education in favour of politics, made his lamentations during the 11th convocation ceremony of Afe Babalola University on Saturday, t.
The founder of ABUAD related his encounter with a first-class graduate who declined to pursue graduate studies after earning a master’s degree because he witnessed a classmate from secondary school who forwent higher education succeed financially in politics.
“I was the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos and a young man came out with first class in Chemistry and had the highest score that year. I called him and said, ‘I am going to give you a scholarship to do your Master’s degree.
“He was very happy and he agreed; he passed his masters. I had forgotten all about him, then he came in and said, ‘Sir, thank you for the scholarship given to me’ and I said ‘Yes, proceed to your Ph.D.’ and he said ‘No’ and I said ‘Why?’.
“He stated further, ‘My colleague, who was in class with me in secondary school, did not go to university; he is the chairman of the local government of my place. He is riding a car; he has a house.’ I was depressed. I said, ‘What do you want to do now?’ He said, ‘I want to go into politics.’ I wept inside me. That is what your country has made of Nigeria. The only business in this country today which is lucrative is politics”.
Babalola said that while he does not disapprove of any political ambitions, he believes that politics has become less ethical and more of personal gain than about serving the public good.
“I do not say you cannot be a politician but to be a politician is different from what we have now. Who thinks that politics is for making money? Politics is for service,” the legal icon added. I was a Chancellor and Pro-Chancellor before and I never had a kobo because I saw it as service. People go now to make money from public money given to them”, he further lamented.
