Ajirioghene Imah
Wife of the Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, has offered to serve as a lecturer at the prestigious Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) on part-time basis to impart knowledge on students and give them academic mentorship.
Dr. Oyebanji who made this known while being received by ABUAD Founder/Chancellor, Aare Babalola; Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde and other members of the management team, promised to provide community service when needed as a gesture to not only give back to the university, but to contribute her own quota to the development of one of the fastest growing universities in Africa.
The First lady, who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Education Management at the University of Ibadan (UI) has over 85 publications in reputable journals to her credit and she had produced six PhD graduates and several others at Master’s and undergraduate levels.
She also used the opportunity to canvass the support of Aare Babalola for her pet project, Widows and Orphans Hope (WAOH) Project which would be officially unveiled in October during the first anniversary of her husband, Governor Biodun Oyebanji in office.
She said: “It’s a new programme where we have registered over thirty thousand active and non-active widows and orphans. The WAOH project will afford us the opportunity to touch the lives of the vulnerable people in the state.
“We have just had our Back to School Programme where we gave schoolbags and other educational materials to indigent pupils, majority of who are orphans.”
ABUAD Founder, Aare Babalola in response to the First Lady’s request promised that the university would donate more in due course.
“You are not that type of First Lady that will be moving about, junketing for ceremonial activities. I have known many governors’ wives who only attend ceremonies, but you are truly a First Lady.
“You are the first First Lady in Nigeria that I know that will be teaching in a university (while in office). Do you know the effect it will have? Do you know the impact you will be making? This will surely have an impact on students looking at the First Lady teaching them. It will motivate them to learn.” He said
