Afe Babalola: I rejected ministerial appointments because I can’t work with civil servants

Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti,
says civil servants are the problems of Nigeria.

Babalola spoke at a dinner in celebration of the conferment of a
honorary doctor of letters on him by the University of Ibadan
(UI).

The dinner was organised in his honour by lawyers of Emmanuel
Chambers & Co.

He said he turned down ministerial appointments because he
cannot work with the “present type of civil servants in this
country”.

The senior advocate of Nigeria said none of the civil servants
in the country can work the way he does.

“Well, I turned ministerial appointments down for two reasons,”
he said.

“One, I cannot work with the present type of civil servants in
this country. The civil servants are the problems in this country.
None of them can work the way I work. I will create instant enemies
if I had accepted to be a minister.

“The second reason is that my clients are so many. They
protested and felt I would be disappointing them if I accepted to
be a minister. ”

He admitted that Nigeria is a difficult county but expressed the
hope that things could be better.

He said UI has trained well over 300,000 people, including
billionaires, yet the university “could not boast of of N5bn in
endowment”.

“Great universities in the world today depend not only on
tuition fees but mostly on endowments and donations, “he said.

In his address, Adebayo Adenipekun, principal partner of Afe
Babalola & Co, said they will always follow the parts of
honesty and integrity laid down by Babalola.

“I wish to assure you, sir, that the chambers is well and
kicking and still fulfilling your ideals, ” he said.

“No matter how tempting the brief may be, we always ensure that
we maintain the integrity of the chambers and would not go beyond
the bounds of due process of law.

“We are unperturbed by any disability we may suffer. We are
determined to follow your footprints of honesty and integrity.
“