By: Tunde Olofintila
In his enthralling and best-selling Memoires titled “Saddam’s Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussain”, the highly revered Iraqi Air Force General, Georges Sada, said most authoritatively that: “If you want to understand what is important to a man, look at where he spends his money”.
This infallible assertion by Georges Sada, variously described as the ‘Lion of the (Iraqi) Air Force’ and the ‘Eagle of the Arabs’ on account of his dexterity as a Fighter Pilot and Trainer brings to mind the striking similarities between the Elder Statesman and Founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, LL. D (London), Fellow, King’s College, London, FNAE and the Chairman of United Nigeria Airline Company Limited, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, OFR.
Whereas Saddam was busy spending the wealth of Iraq and its oil money to acquire tanks, missiles, bombs, guns and explosives as well as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in his warped and twisted ambition to control the Arab world, Babalola and Okonkwo are enmeshed in the business of deploying billions of Naira, their prodigious energy, their time and tonnes of goodwill cultivated over the years to invest in Nigerian youths with the overall goal of producing world leaders and achievers who can stand on their own anywhere they find themselves after graduation.
Indeed, the humane and altruistic Babalola and Okonkwo who are bound together by the three-stringed umbilical cord of merit, excellence and altruism are busy exploring the frontiers of how to put the smile on the faces of ABUAD’s Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering students by way of providing first-rate professional industry-based professional training for them.
The stellar qualities in these uncommon Nigerians who were born at different times in different parts of the country came to the fore at the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between ABUAD and United Nigeria Airlines to provide industry-based training for the frontline university’s students of Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering.
Under the agreement, 20 final-year students of ABUAD’s College of Engineering would annually undergo robust and hands-on training in Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering through the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme, SIWES, at the Airline.
The collaboration which is designed to run for a renewable period of 10 years at no financial cost to the university will foster a long-term investment in Human Capital development, skills transfer, and the grooming of a new generation of Nigerian Aerospace professionals.
Speaking shortly before the signing of the MoU, Okonkwo who emphasized that excellence, merit and the spirit of giving back to the society are three inseparable qualities which bind the 16-year-old university and his Airline together, added that the agreement would enable ABUAD students to participate annually in hands-on, industry-driven training programmes in Aviation Maintenance and Aerospace Operations at no cost to the University or the students themselves.
Said the Russian-trained Economist and Entrepreneur: “I am impressed with what I have seen here today. I have heard so much about the Founder of this University, Aare Afe Babalola, but I never dreamt of having the opportunity of ever shaking hands with him. But here I am today, I am seated next to the Legal Colossus. This is a great day for me”.
He lamented what he described as the persistent disconnect between political leadership and institutions of higher learning in the country, noting that global powers such as China, Russia and the United States have advanced largely because of deliberate investment in and reliance on Academic Research and Intellectual Capital.
He therefore called on Governments at all levels to actively engage universities in solving national problems, stressing that expertise already exists within Nigeria’s academic system.
Buttressing his position, Okonkwo said: “In one of our retreat lectures at Ikogosi yesterday, someone reminded us that once upon a time, President John F. Kennedy said America would send a man to the moon. He (J. F. Kennedy) did not say so because he was an Engineer or an Astronaut.
He added: “John F. Kennedy knew that America had great intellectuals in its institutions who could transform that dream into reality. At that time, those intellectuals did not even know how to do it, but eventually they made it happen. The same thing can be replicated in our country”.
He urged Government Leaders to present national challenges, whether Legislative, Legal, Economic or Technological, to relevant university departments for research-driven solutions.
“Pick on any national issue, be it legislative or legal, take it to the Law Faculty. Let intellectuals crack it and give recommendations. If it is Economic, bring it to the Economics Department. These professionals are there to provide answers. This is part of the way to develop”, he said.
Okonkwo who said that the Airline regarded the partnership as part of its broader Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and commitment to practical education that delivers value beyond certificates, added that ABUAD graduates had continued to distinguish themselves, describing the university as an institution that had exceeded expectations.
“I have just been told right in this hall that our Benin Station Manager is a product of your university. The young man is doing excellently well, and we are looking for a way of encouraging him to do more”, he said.
In his own remarks, Babalola, who described the occasion as one of the best moments of his life thus far, re-echoed that education remains the greatest panacea against ignorance, extremism, poverty, religious bigotry, tribalism among other problems, confronting the country as well as the bedrock of national development.
The former Pro Chancellor and Chairman of Council of the University of Lagos therefore appealed to all the relevant authorities to ensure access to quality and functional education for all Nigerians in the overall interest of the country.
Babalola thanked United Nigeria Airlines for choosing ABUAD and formalizing the partnership, describing the MoU as a significant contribution to manpower development in the Aviation and Engineering sectors.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, commended the Airline for partnering with the university to advance Technical Education and professional training, adding that the Airline’s decision to commence flight operations into Ado-Ekiti on December 10, 2025, had fulfilled Babalola’s age-long aspiration for air connectivity to the state.
Olarinde described the collaboration as a strategic investment in students’ exposure and professional development, expressing optimism that it would contribute immensely to the growth of indigenous aviation expertise.
According to her, the partnership had the potential to produce professionals capable of assembling, manufacturing, piloting and building aircraft locally in future.
The VC added that the collaboration would also serve as a model for effective university–industry partnerships in the country.
Olofintila, ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Communication wrote from Ado-Ekiti