For daring poverty like the Biblical David did to Goliath with faith, hard work dedication, determination, ingenuity and untiring deployment of the instrumentality of philanthropy to attack the ‘dreaded disease’ in his home-country for many decades; for training over 1,500 lawyers in his Emmanuel Law Chambers located in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt, in less than six decades with admirable record of producing the highest number of Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) ever, several state and Federal Attorneys-General including the incumbent Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, high court judges and justices of the appellate courts; for being one of the most decorated achievers in the country, notwithstanding that his only romance with formal education in a school setting was Emmanuel Primary School, Ado Ekiti; for being a man of many parts: lawyer, economist, teacher, industrialist, scholar, university administrator, farmer, philosopher, author, philanthropist, columnist, educationist, among others and for being in the legal practice for over six decades with unblemished record, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, LL.B, B.Sc (Econs), Lond; FFPA, FNIALS, LL.D; Doctor of Letters (LL.D); Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR), and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON), is our ICON for the week.
Born in Ado Ekiti, the capital city of the present day Ekiti State in Southwestern Nigeria to the family of Pa Joshua Adubiaro Babalola, a successful farmer, and Madam Abigail Ajayi Babalola, a successful trader, both of blessed memories, sometimes around 1928, the young Emmanuel Afe Babalola, was raised in the farm with his parents in a mud house, covered with thatched roof, sleeping on banana leaves at night, which they changed every three days, until he was about eight years when luck smiled on him: a highly respected Reverend Father had pleaded with his father to send one of his children to school and being the eldest child, the lot fell on him as his father ordered him to go, a development that prompted his relocation from the Farm House in 1937 to live in his Family House in the town against his will. According to Afe, “At that time, we didn’t bother about ambition. I was just a young boy, I wasn’t wearing clothes, of course, there were no shoes at that time. I thought and I prayed then, that one day, I will inherit part of my father’s farm. I will inherit part of his cutlasses and hoes. That was my ambition.”
Upon the completion of his primary education, he was offered admission into Form 3 Class at Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti in 1945 due to his brilliance. But he could not grab the opportunity because his parents could not afford the £6 school fees charged
But because his father had ordered his relocation, he had to leave the Farm House and was enrolled at Emmanuel Anglican Primary School, Okesha, Ado-Ekiti for his primary education. Notwithstanding that he was living in town, Afe walked about five kilometers every day from his family house to Emmanuel Anglican Primary School, Okesha, Ado-Ekiti to attend classes. It was so until he completed his Primary 6, where he obtained his Standard Six Certificate. Upon the completion of his primary education, he was offered admission into Form 3 Class at Christ’s School, Ado Ekiti in 1945 due to his brilliance. But he could not grab the opportunity because his parents could not afford the £6 school fees charged. He therefore had to secure job as pupil teacher at Saint Paul’s School, Ikere Ekiti. He later taught at Emmanuel School, Ado Ekiti where he read and passed the Teacher’s qualifying examination for admission into St Andrews College, Oyo. However, the interviewing Board turn down his admission on account of age and experience.
When he discovered that he might not be able to make any further progress in his academic pursuit, Afe took advice from a white man, and ordered course-wares from Wolsey Hall, Oxford, one of the oldest home-schooling colleges in the world, founded by Joseph William Knipe in 1894, which offered courses for Primary, Secondary, IGCSE and A Level subjects to home-Schoolers, similar to what is today obtainable on the internet, as e-learning.
In 1987, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the highest rank in the legal profession in Nigeria. He was one of the four reputable lawyers decorated with sAN RANK that year
For a course that should take him six years to complete, he chose to do it in five. He would read, prepare, write exams and send his answers by post to England, where they would be marked, with necessary corrections and sent back in 14 days. By 1950, he attempted both Cambridge School Certificate Exams (the equivalent of Senior School Certificate) and Cambridge Advanced Level Certificate Exams, all from home. Although he passed the exams, he was however, dissatisfied with his grades. So, he repeated the Advanced Level Exams to enable him prepare for a University degree. By 1953, he cleared all the four subjects at the Advanced level, more than the two that was required. At that time, there were only three Nigerians who had passed four subjects at one sitting, in the Advanced Level Exams. The other two Nigerians aside Afe were Igbos. It was a record then. After passing his Advanced Level Exams in 1953, he went further to prepare for a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of London, still studying from home. In 1959, he obtained BSc in Economics, but still proceeded to study for his Bachelor of Laws LL.B (Hons) degree, still from University of London, again from home. He completed this in 1963. He had to travel to London to sit for the Bar Exams. Upon completing his law exams in London in 1963, he was subsequently called to the Bar as a member of the Lincoln’s Inn, London and he registered as a member of the Bar of England and Wales. As it turned out, Afe’s formal education in a school setting ended in primary school. All the other educational qualifications listed against his name today were obtained through private study.
Thereafter, Afe returned home and started as a litigation lawyer at the Chambers of Olu Ayoola in Ibadan, until 1965, when he established his own law firm: Afe Babalola & Co (Emmanuel Chambers) in Ibadan which has since remained a reputable, leading law firm in Nigeria, with offices in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. To his credit, he has produced over 1,500 legal practitioners, including Judges, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and Attorney-Generals.
Chief Afe Babalola, SAN started giving scholarship to the needy and outstanding brilliant students as soon as he started earning a living from his Law Practice
After reaching the pinnacle of law practice in Nigeria, he was approached to join the bench but he rejected the offer on the ground that he would like to remain in active law practice. In 1987, he became a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the highest rank in the legal profession in Nigeria. He was one of the four reputable lawyers decorated with SAN rank that year. Others were Anthony D. Mogboh, SAN, Aliyu Salman, SAN, and former NBA President, Chief Thompson Onomigbo Okpoko, SAN. At the time he was decorated, only 53 individuals had been so recognized in Nigeria: Chief FRA Williams, SAN and one other in 1975; Chief Obafemi Awolowo, SAN and 12 others in 1978; Chief G.C.M Onyiuke, SAN and four others in 1979; F.O Akinrele, SAN and four others in 1980; Chief Bayo Kehinde, SAN and four others in 1981; Chief I. N Anyamene, SAN and four others in 1982; Akin O. Sikuade, SAN and four others in 1983; Chief Toye Coker, SAN and four others in 1984; Alhaji A.G.F Abdulrazaq, SAN and two others in 1985; Prince Bola Ajibola, SAN and four others in 1986 and Aare Afe Babalola, SAN and two others in 1987.
As a solicitor and general practitioner, Chief Afe has handled over 10,600 court cases, many of which were such landmark cases while others had helped to redefine the law, and recreate the nation’s jurisprudence. As a Presidential Nominee at the 2005 National Political Conference, Chief Afe chaired the Revenue Allocation and Fiscal Federalism Committee, unarguably one of the most sensitive Committees. Afe was twice offered the ministerial position of Attorney-General of the Federation by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; but he twice rejected it. However, in 2001, he was appointed Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. He held the position till 2008, during which he emerged as the best Pro-Chancellor of Nigerian Universities, consecutively in 2005 and 2006. In 2002, he was inducted as a fellow in the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators (NICArb). He was president of the institute from 2017 to October 2021. He made significant contributions towards the growth of the institute during his tenure. Despite his retirement, he has remained an avid supporter of NICArb and the ADR community.
In 2009, Chief Babalola, at the ripe age of 80, established the now famous Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) on a 130-hectare vast expanse of land in Ado Ekiti, to promote education in Nigeria
Afe is rated among the Top 10 Richest Lawyers in Nigeria; and highest private Investor in Ekiti State; with an estimated net worth of $350 million. Even with his stupendous wealth, goodwill, societal reach and intellectual fecundity, Aare Babalola still wears humility like a second skin. At his age, when his peers should be relaxing, smoking a pipe and sleeping, Chief Afe works round the clock. He personally oversees his vast empire, called a University. As a multi-columnist, he still directs national affairs with his rare insights and lucid adumbrations.
Contribution to national development:
Donations and Gifts:
Chief Afe Babalola, SAN started giving scholarship to the needy and outstanding brilliant students as soon as he started earning a living from his Law Practice. In fact, his good natured-ness and generosity of spirit is incomparable and unparalleled while his love and contributions to humanity are immeasurable and indescribable. Few of the donations he made to tertiary institutions, communities, hospitals and unions/societies include:
- Financed and donated the imposing multi-million Afe Auditorium to University of Lagos. The building was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR in 2006.
- Financed and donated a multi-million Naira building for African Heritage Library at Olorunda-Aba Road, Ibadan.
- Donated a multi-million Naira Nuclear Medicine Building to UCH Ibadan.
- Constructed a multi-million Naira model BAR Centre for the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch at Ibadan.
- Made substantial financial contribution to PREMI an organization for the Rehabilitation of Prisoners.
- Initiated Endowment Fund Scheme in University of Lagos. The annual income from capital investment of donation is being used to award scholarships to students in the University of Lagos. Five hundred scholarships were awarded in February 2006 under the Chairmanship of President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR. It is the first of its type in the history of our universities.
- Initiated the BOT system under which hostels worth hundreds of millions of Naira are being constructed for the University of Lagos.
- Contributed more than 10% of the money to finance the construction and take-off of Ado-Ekiti Federal Polytechnic.
- Chairman of the Committee for the construction of an Ultra Modern Palace for the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti which today is one of the best in Nigeria who also made substantial financial contributions.
- Contributed substantiality to the construction of the building donated to the Faculty of Law, UNAD, by Ado-Ekiti Community.
- Financed and donated an ultra-modern Auditorium to Faculty of Law, University of Ado-Ekiti (UNAD) which was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR in 2004.
- Built an ultra-modern Church for over N75million at Ado-Ekiti. The building was commissioned by the Archbishop of Anglican Mission in Nigeria in 2005.
- Constructed a block of flats for Inland Club at Ado-Ekiti.
- Substantial financial contribution to PREMI an organization for the rehabilitation of prisoners.
- Constructed a multi-million Naira model BAR Centre for the Nigerian Bar Association, Ado-Ekiti Branch
- Aare Afe Babalola Labour House for the Nigeria Labour Congress at Ado-Ekiti.
- Aare Afe also built a Museum in honour of Fabunmi the famous Ekiti warrior at OkeImesi, among others.
- Awards numerous scholarships annually at Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti and to Ado-Ekiti indigenes etc etc.
- The Annual Afe Babalola Poverty Alleviation Programme instituted in 2017 where he doles out millions of Naira to Nigerians to uplift them, their businesses and vocations, among others
ABUAD
In 2009, Chief Babalola, at the ripe age of 80, established the now famous Afe Babalola University (ABUAD) on a 130-hectare vast expanse of land in Ado Ekiti, to promote education in Nigeria. The University’s College of Law has, at different times, been rated best in Nigeria. Indeed, in 2013, this University was ranked the second-best private University in Nigeria, and 17 out of all the 136 universities in Nigeria.
For his immense contribution to the society, he has been severally acknowledged both locally and internationally. To date, he has over 50 titles and Awards and honours across the globe, including the Honorary Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Letters by eight universities, including University of London
The University with three-star Guest Inn facility, offers academic programmes in six Colleges: Law, Natural Sciences, Engineering, Social and Management Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences. It also offers Postgraduate Studies. Its College of Engineering is built on about three and half acres of land, and is well equipped with sophisticated state-of-the-art facilities brought in directly from Europe and the Americas. It is reputed to be one of the largest in Africa. ABUAD’s College of Medicine and Health Sciences and its Multisystem Teaching Hospital with theatres, eight modular CT and MRI scan machines, ICU and 16 kidney dialysis and machines, are nullus secondus in Nigeria, given their sophisticated medical facilities and the professional expertise with which patients are handled.
Afe Babalola Foundation:
To ensure that his investments in humanity and his family members outlive him, he has put in place the Aare Afe Babalola Foundation (AB Foundation). The aim of the foundation is to lift members of the larger society above the poverty level so that none of them would go through what he went through when he was growing up. Through this Foundation, people will be financially empowered and their children would be given Scholarship annually to take care of their School Fees and other academic pursuit.
Agriculture:
Afe has also made a deliberate foray into Agriculture through his ABUAD Agricultural Enterprise Centre to boost food production and ensure food security. Indeed, many stakeholders like the Embassy of the United States of America, Japanese Embassy and the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) have visited the flourishing Agricultural Enterprise Centre and unanimously agreed that it is the biggest of its type in any university in Nigeria today. IITA which has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the university has also designated the university as a Centre of Research where students learn many areas of Agriculture.
ABUAD Agricultural Enterprise Centre has the following Divisions: Cash crops Division with 110,000 Mango Trees, 1,000,000 Teak Trees and 500,000 Gmelina Trees, the Arable crops Division with yam, maize, cassava, plantain & Banana, pigeon peas, Legume Division with various vegetables, Moringa Division with ABUAD Moringa leaf powder, ABUAD Moringa seed, ABUAD Moringa capsule, ABUAD Moringa hair cream, ABUAD Moringa oil, ABUAD Moringa body cream and ABUAD Moringa tea as well as ABUAD Moringa soap.
It also has the Fisheries Division with five large fish lakes with at least 100,000 fishes in each of them, the Feed Mill Division where various feeds are compounded and Hatcheries as well as the Livestock Division made up of a Piggery, Snailery, Turkey, Guinea Fowl, Quail and Mushroom as well as an incubator.
Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has for over five decades, been giving scholarships and cash support to students in tertiary institutions, and this does not include the Annual Scholarship and Merit Awards in ABUAD where he gave N7.5million in 2011, N17.5million in 2012, N32 million in 2013, N35million in 2014 and N87.8 million in 2015 and N90 million in 2016 and N98 million in 2017 as well as N120 million in 2018.
He also reduced the School Fees of Students Studying Agriculture by 50%. In addition, he gives a seed money of N250,000 to every graduate in Agriculture from Afe Babalola University.
The living legend has, in the last five years, been organizing an Annual Agricultural Festival in Ado-Ekiti called ABAEX [Afe Babalola Agric Expo] with the Best overall farmer in the state going home with N1,000,000 while thee Best three farmers in each of the 16 Local Government Councils in the state with go home with N250,000 in this order: The best farmer (N200,000), the second best (N100,000), and the third best (N50,000),
Aare Afe Babalola has a wife—Yeye Aare Modupe Afe Babalola, and blessed with children, one of them a Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Recognitions
For his immense contribution to the society, he has been severally acknowledged both locally and internationally. To date, he has over 50 titles and Awards and honours across the globe, including the Honourary Doctor of Laws and Doctor of Letters by eight universities, including University of London and the elite Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, as well as many traditional titles. The London LL.D degree award made Afe Babalola to belong to the elite class of honorary recipients of the degree of the University of London, preceded only by two Africans in the history of the University, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He also holds the prestigious National Honours as the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).
Some of his numerous chieftaincy titles today are the Afiwajoye of Ado-Ekiti, the Baamofin of Aramoko, Mayegun of Modakeke, Balogun of Mobaland and the Jagunmolu of Okemesiland as well as the Aare Baamofin of Yorubaland conferred on him in 2008 by His Royal Majesty, Alayeluwa Oba Dr Lamidi Adeyemi II, the Alaafin of Oyo in recognition of his legendary exploits in legal practice and his fame that spreads like wild fire, abroad, beyond the African shores and the Black Race, among others. The Alaafin in pronouncing him as Aare Bamofin, decreed his pre-eminence as a Royal Highness and tribal legend. He was forbidden from ever prostrating to any man, except God. He is required to carry himself in the manner of a royalty.
Aare Afe Babalola has received various Awards in appreciation of his contributions in that sector. Such Awards include but are not limited to the following:
- President, Forestry Association of Nigeria
- Patron, Agbekoya Farmers Association of Nigeria
- Patron, Fadama Association of Nigeria
- Member, AfricaRice
- Grand Patron and the Distinguished Africa man of the Year in Food Security 2014, courtesy of the Forum for International Green Sustainability (FIGS), among several others.
Aare Afe Babalola has also embarked on the following community developmental efforts:
- Maintenance of Ijan-Ikare Road, including the 100-year old Ureje Bridge on a Federal Road for the past nine years.
- Generous gifts to some Federal and State Agencies and Parastatals that are poorly funded to help them put their vehicles, generators and transformers in functional position.
- Free health care for people with mental challenges, among several others.
Afe Babalola’s family
Aare Afe Babalola has a wife—Yeye Aare Modupe Afe Babalola, and blessed with children, one of them a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. They taught their children the Fear of God, humility, sacrifice, integrity, and other virtues. As a result, Afe Babola’s children have higher degrees from world-class universities like Harvard and have excelled professionally. Modupe and Afe Babola’s sons, Michael Opeyemi Babalola and George Olatunde Babalola, daughter Bolanie Austen-Peters, and two other daughters are lawyers. On top of this, Bolanie is a multiple award-winning movie director/producer, theater director/producer, and cultural entrepreneur.
Afe Babalola, SAN, OFR, CON, LL.D )Ado Ekiti), LL.D (London), is a household name in the world of legal practice and advocacy in Nigeria in the past 50 years. His presence and notable contributions are legacies in legal practice, jurisprudence and philanthropy. He is an icon by mere mention of the names of founders of tertiary institutions in Nigeria, Africa and the world.
