The founder of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti,  Afe Babalola, is unhappy that President Bola Tinubu’s government is delaying granting ABUAD free trade zone status.

Mr Babalola raised the concern when hosting delegates from the China-Nigeria Consortium on Industry and Education at the ABUAD-China Partnership Forum Meeting on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti.

He said the over 132 units of ABUAD industrial park in Ado-Ekiti was enough to turn the story of Nigeria around if well annexed and utilised.

Mr Babalola said China, a poor country some years ago, had suddenly overtaken Nigeria in the economic matters.

The chancellor of ABUAD said issuing the Free Trade Zone certificate would have enabled foreign companies to establish businesses in the park, thereby boosting Nigeria’s economy.

He lamented that such progressive ideas would have been embraced under the defunct regional government system. Mr Babalola also reiterated his call for a people-oriented constitution to foster national development.

“In 1999, I travelled to China. At that time, China was a very poor country, but the Chinese people were very wise. They created an area called a free trade zone, which allowed countries like the United States and Germany to set up industries there.

”Unknowingly to those countries, the Chinese learned from these foreign industries, which eventually contributed to their remarkable global development today.

“However, for the past two years, I have applied for the same concept here, but the government has refused to grant us a free trade zone certificate,” Mr Babalola said.

He added, “There is an American company ready to begin manufacturing cars in my Industrial Park, but the lack of this certificate has stalled their plans.

“If we still had the regional government system that we used to have, we would be more developed than we are today. This is why we need a new constitution.”

Wendy Wang, the secretary-general of the China-Nigeria Consortium on Industry and Education, who spoke through an interpreter, commended Babalola for his visionary achievements in education, engineering, and health.

She described ABUAD as the best institution in Nigeria, highlighting its integration of cutting-edge technologies in its curriculum.

(NAN)