By Ayodele Abere
The Founder and President of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, has again enjoined journalists to wake up to their responsibilities as the watchdog of the society by giving balanced reportage of the happenings in the Society.
Afe Babalola reechoed this on Tuesday while giving remark after his wife, Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola was decorated as the grand matron of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Chapter at the University Campus in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
Describing her wife as a model, the legal luminary and administrator per excellence, while appreciating Ekiti Journalists for the honour done to Yeye Aare Babalola, which he said was commendable, said it takes the concerted effort of all to make Nigeria safe saying no one person can govern a country.
Lamenting the deplorable state of the country, Aare Afe Babalola who noted that no sensible businessman in anywhere in the world would be interested in investing in Nigeria, emphasized that it’s the duty of government to provide enabling environment for all.
The celebrant of the day, Yeye Aare Modupe Babalola, who equally bagged National Icon of Excellence Award by the Union, said the double honours of being decorated as an Icon of Excellence and the grand matron of the Ekiti Council of NUJ constitute a great challenge for her.
In her word, “they are appreciated, but they are also both a challenge to me and probably others to do more for society so that we can leave it far better than we have all met it”.
Yeye Aare Babalola, who appreciated the recognition of her humble contributions to humanity urged journalists to always promote the culture of excellence to ensure a better society to the advantage of all.
She however, called on the rich and the more comfortable members of the society to come to the assistance of the less privileged to ensure growth and development.
“We should love our neighbour as ourselves. Your neighbour is not the man or woman living next to you. It’s that person you extend a helping hand to”. Said the award winner.
The Vice Chancellor of ABUAD, Professor Smaranda Olarinde who according to her was particularly thrilled to see the gathering of eminent personalities who have taken time out of their very busy schedules to honour the Chief Executive Officer of ABUAD Ventures, noted that it’s a well-deserved recognition of a woman whose life radiates grace, virtue, humility and godliness.
Earlier in his own remark, the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ekiti State Council, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, explained that NUJ is confident that the choice of Yeye Aare as grand matron of the union is an added advantage, morale booster, encouragement, hope of better tomorrow for the journalism profession.
Babatuyi who said Yeye Aare now has a say in the media industry, told the gathering that Ekiti State NUJ is seriously lagging behind, not only in the southwest but Nigeria at large, pointing to the fact, that Ekiti NUJ is the only Council in the southwest without her own secretariat where journalists can gather to brainstorm and even relax.
“Since the creation of Ekiti State our union has not been lucky to have a government or individual that can help us.
“After assuming office, I came up with the idea of a guest house which the union can operate to generate little funds to attend to administrative needs without necessarily going cap in hand to beg for fund at every time.
“This project is at sixty percent completion but has been lying fallow for a while due to lack of resources”.
He therefore solicited the kind support of Aare Afe Babalola and other relevant stakeholders towards completing the project and put it to use, which the matchless philanthropist, Babalola pledged to complete for the union.
The immediate past Chairman of the Council in Ekiti, Comrade Rotimi Ojomoyela, appreciated Afe Babalola’s gesture towards NUJ members saying now, that Yeye Aare Babalola has become the grand matron of the union in Ekiti, that the union won’t be far from her in seeking advice and giving direction.
