By Mary Onyia
Aare Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, has agreed to forgive human right activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, and subsequently drop all criminal defamation suit against him, following the intervention of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other prominent Yoruba monarchs.
The legal luminary confessed that despite refusing all prior pleas by other prominent Nigerians concerning this case, he found himself in a fix when he learnt that the Oba was coming to see him. He knew he couldn’t possibly say ‘No’ to the Oba.
Babalola said: “But when I heard that Ooni was coming, I knew I was in a fix today. There is nothing I’m going to gain from his imprisonment and there’s nothing I want from the so-called damages. I am not in quest of more wealth; I’m rather concerned about managing the one I have already. Dele Farotimi is hereby forgiven. On this occasion, I say yes.”
Babalola affirmed that the Ewi of Ado has come here to meet him on this matter, former president Obasanjo has intervened. The same goes for Bishop Matthew Kukah and a host of other prominent Nigerians to ask for the exact thing and his answer to them has been no, adding that “but today my answer is yes.”
Responding to the Oba Ogunwusi, he said: “Your coming is unquantifiable in terms of money, who Am I? When the colonialists came here in the 17th century or thereabouts, they found as a fact that Yoruba land was a highly organised society with an advanced system of government with each town headed by an Oba who was regarded as a replica of God on earth. His words were commands.
“I was a lawyer who defended the EFCC law, yet I’m corrupt, I was given an oil bloc; when I looked at the money and saw that it was too much, I rejected it, yet I’m corrupt, I was offered ministerial appointments twice, I rejected it, yet I’m corrupt because whatever I am, I don’t want anybody to say I made it through corruption.
“I have given lectures against corruption with my papers in many universities globally. For someone to allege that I have won my cases through corruption, it’s an attempt to defame me. That was why I rejected all appeals earlier made to me.
The monarch hailed Babalola and commended his contribution to the development of the Yoruba race, the Nation and the world at large.
“We all came together to discuss the matter with him and he gave all the full respect to the Obas and agreed.
“We Obas can attest to the hard work of Aare Afe Babalola and how he had invested so hard to build his name and that can not be tarnished and rubbished by anyone.
“Aare Afe Babalola has proven to the world that he cherished his name and the world has heard him loud and clear.
Farotimi had published a book titled “Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System”, where he alleged that the ABUAD founder corrupted the Judiciary.