The Founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), has urged those seeking to secede from Nigeria to have a rethink.
The legal luminary advised the secessionists to learn from China how the Asian nation utilised its diversity for development and greatness.
Babalola spoke on Monday at the maiden Inter-Continental Universities Conference hosted by ABUAD in collaboration with China-Africa Discourse Studies (CECADS) with the theme: Building Bridges for Advancing the SDG: Enhancing Inter-University Scientific Collaboration between Africa and China, at the university’s campus in Ekiti State.
The foremost lawyer noted that most people believed that the size of China, couple with the country’s large number of tribes and languages, were responsible for its underdevelopment, just as many Nigerians also believed that the large number of tribes and languages is also responsible for her underdevelopment.
“However, China, which is like an elephant to an ordinary sheep or dog, has today taken advantage of the population and made the country a huge success, one of the first three civilised countries in the world.
“Those who are advocating that Nigeria should be balkanised should learn from how China took advantage of its size, population, and manpower to become one of the leading civilised and industrialised country in the world.”
The Consul General of the People’s Republic of China, Ms. Yan Yuqing, assured Nigerians that her country was willing to cooperate more with Nigeria in the field of higher education, among others.
The envoy said her country would also explore support for more outstanding Nigerian students to study in China while Chinese students would come to Nigeria for exchanges, and support more joint scientific research among both countries’ universities.
She said Nigeria, being the largest economy in Africa, has great potential for development in science, technology and innovation, talent development and technology-driven innovation.
“I believe that Afe Babalola University is the key facilitator of China-Nigeria cooperation in education and science and technology for sustainable development.
“China and Nigeria are important strategic partners. I look forward to deepening the friendship and mutual understanding between our countries through cooperation in education, science and technology and employment empowerment, and thus creating an example for cooperation in other areas.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
