A philanthropist and chairman of First Deepwater Discovery Group, Babalola Babatunde, has enjoined alumni of various citadels of learning to invest heavily in the educational development of their alma mater to help resuscitate the dwindling fortune of education in Nigeria.
Babatunde said this while receiving an award for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Excellence given to him by the Lagos chapter of Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA at its annual alumni luncheon and awards ceremony held recently in Lagos.
The Deepwater Discovery chairman, who is an alumnus of the institution, stated that FUTA alumni must consider it significant to invest their resources and time in the development of the institution as a way of giving back to the school that produced them.
The business tycoon, who lamented the poor state of tertiary education in Nigeria, said that though other well-meaning alumni were doing their best to take the school to greater heights, more still needed to be done to provide environment conducive for learning.
While commending the Vice Chancellor and the management team for the giant strides recorded in the last few years both in learning and provision of infrastructure facilities, he tasked both the alumni and other stakeholders to continue to work together in the overall interest of development, saying that the institution remains the best among other Nigerian universities, a testimonial that is clearly evident in the performance of its students in both private and public life.
According to him, the school cannot afford to go backward at this time and as such would require all the support it can get to play in the big league of great institutions of learning not only in Africa but globally.
The chairman of the oil company who acknowledged government’s effort in repositioning the institution since its creation said it was obvious that government support cannot do it alone stressing that both the alumni and other kind-hearted Nigerians alumni must lend their support stating that their contribution remains vital to advancement of learning in Nigeria.
Other awardees at the invent include the Vice Chancellor of the University, Adebiyi Daramola, former Registrar of the University, Eunice Oyebade, Akin Aina, Shebioba Babatunde, among others.
Babatunde, who bagged the entrepreneurship and leadership excellence award, said he is delighted to be recognised for his effort towards the development of the school, adding that such honour would energise him to do more as there was nothing too little to support an institution that had contributed immensely to the success he has achieved till date.
He said: “I think I cannot quantify what my passage in FUTA has done in my life. So, I think it is expedient I replicate in good measure what the school has been able to do in my life”.
A senior official of the institution, Adebayo Aborishade appreciated the philanthropic gesture of the businessman, stating that the school has benefited immensely from his large-heartedness.
Aborishade said: “He deserves all the recognition he can get because he has his footprints all over the campus”.
Responding on behalf of the school, the Vice chancellor of the institution, Adebiyi Daramola thanked the alumni for recognising the management’s effort in taking the school to greater heights, saying that the institution remains willing and available for more support from the alumni
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