Aare Afe Babalola, the visitor and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado- Ekiti (ABUAD), has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to end its monopoly and allow Dangote Refinery to sell fuel at its intended lower rate to benefit Nigerians.
He said this while receiving as the ‘Outstanding Achiever of All Time’, by the Ekiti-Kete Coalition in the United States of America, USA.
On the issue of rising fuel prices, Babalola said: “If Dangote invested his resources to build a massive refinery, why should NNPC insist on him selling to them first before selling to the public?
“Let anyone capable of building a refinery do so and sell directly to the people, which would help reduce the price.
“There should be no NNPC monopoly. Allow Dangote to sell at his rate, and the price will decrease.”
Speaking on the award, the legal luminary hailed the delegation for recognizing his efforts towards developing his vicinities, adding that such a gesture is a testament of their love towards his achievements.
The elder statesman said: “I thank Ekiti Kete Coalition for giving me this award in recognition of my achievements. I challenge you to join me in changing our mindset. There are lots of people who have more money than me to build universities but they don’t.
“I do not know why it has to take those living in America to appreciate me when the people here do not.
“The more you appreciate what others do for you, the better for the whole country.”
While presenting the award at the ABUAD campus, the President of the Ekiti-Kete Coalition in the USA, Mr Joe Olugbamila, said the recognition was in honour of Babalola’s significant contributions to education, healthcare, law, agriculture, and humanitarian efforts.
Olugbamila said: “All the achievements of Afe Babalola are beyond words. We are celebrating him to encourage others and change our mindset so that Ekiti can improve.
“Afe Babalola is an institution, an icon; it’s not him as a person but what he stands for and we all know it. If we have other people doing the same thing Afe is doing, Ekiti will be greater.”
