Adebayo Adenrele
The founder of Afe Babalola University , Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Are Babalola has tasked journalists in the state to expose the ills of government at all levels without entertaining fear.
Afe Babalola gave the charge when the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ), Ekiti State Council, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Ado-Ekiti.
The elder statesman described the profession as the most powerful weapon to sensitise, advise and make suggestions to the people.
He recalled the time when the government was scared of national dailies but later have their wings cut off because most of them are now government-owned enterprises.
The legal luminary also charged the union to prioritize the wellbeing of the citizens as a result of the poor economic condition of the people.
According to him, “Don’t lie when you publish. Tell the truth which in Law is a justification for libel.
“In this present day Nigeria, every new day brings additional problem, a day forward and a day backward which has been the problem of the country for quite a while”.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the Union, Comrade Kayode Babatuyi, who described ABUAD as a global brand, congratulated Aare Afe Babalola on the recent ranking of the Institution as outstanding university in the world which he attributed to selflessness, diligence and discipline on the part of the founder.
On her part, the General Manager of Progress FM, Ado-Ekiti, Dr. Adebola Agbaje hailed the founder for the warm reception given to the members of the pen profession, while also describing him as a father of all journalists.