During the celebration of Afe Babalola at 60, the celebrant, Afe Babalola, revealed that he agreed to bring his university (AFUAB) to Ado-Ekiti because of Segun Oni, pointing out that the former governor prostrated and begged him to bring it there. He revealed that he wanted to build it in Ibadan when the governor told him that they’d provide him with water, electricity, and a good road.
Afe Babalola further stated that Segun Oni went ahead to plead with his royal highness at Ado Ekiti to talk to me and accept his request. He added that Oni went from there to meet his mother, who later talked to him before he accepted.
According to him, “the community asked me if I could build a university in that place for the library, and the community said they were going to give me land. The government stood up and said, We’ll give you light, we’ll give you roads, and we’ll give you water. The following day, the newspaper carried the news that Afe Babalola University would start at Ayedepo next year. He (Engr Segun Oni) was the governor of the state then; he saw the newspapers, called them, and rushed to Ibadan. Oga, do you want to build a university in Ibadan? I told him the fact.”
“Even though he was a governor, he prostrated and said, sir, please bring it to Ado Ekiti. I said, Will you be able to comply with the conditions given to me by the governor—road, water, electricity, and of course, there is an airport at Ibadan? He said yes. He left, and I didn’t want to do it. Then he went to the royal highness at Ado Ekiti to appeal to him to beg me. They all came to Ibadan, and they repeated the same question. Then they went to my mother, and it was too much for me. I agreed to bring this university to this place because of this man.”
