ABUAD VC Reaffirms Vision for Home-Grown Technological Innovation as Staff Return from UAV Training

The Vice-Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Prof. E. Smaranda Olarinde, FCArb, FCAI, says her firm desire is to see automobiles and advanced technologies designed and manufactured by staff and students of the institution. 

She made this declaration when a 10-man team paid her a courtesy visit after returning from a highly intensive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Operation and Industrial Application Training held at the Ogun Guangdong Free Trade Zone from Tuesday 2^nd to Monday 8^th December, 2025.

Speaking during the visit, the Vice-Chancellor challenged them to aspire beyond operating imported technologies and instead focus on creating original, ABUAD-made innovations. According to her, the University has both the talent and the institutional commitment required to drive home-grown engineering solutions.

“Let us look forward to how we can build our own. And as engineers, it should not be that everything we use is China-made. Why can’t it be ABUAD-made?” she advised

She emphasized that the Founder, Aare Afe Emmanuel Babalola, OFR, CON, SAN, has consistently championed practical, hands-on teaching and is committed to supporting engineering breakthroughs that reflect the University’s philosophy of functional education. 

Prof. Olarinde urged the team to apply the knowledge and experiences gained from the training to strengthen engineering education and research in ABUAD and contribute meaningfully to national development.

She described the training as timely, aligning with the University’s growing focus on robotics, automation, AI-driven technologies, and aviation-related innovations.

Representing the team, Engr. (Dr.) Henry Benjamin expressed gratitude to the Vice-Chancellor for her unflinching support, describing the training as a rare opportunity that has expanded their technical capacity and broadened their global exposure.

“Thank you, Ma’am, for facilitating this and for making this happen. We do not take it for granted. It is truly a great opportunity” he added

ABUAD’s 10-man team, comprising selected staff from Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering and the Computing Department, returned with certificates, commendations, and newly acquired competencies, assuring the Vice-Chancellor of their commitment to put the training to practical use.

They also recommended securing regulatory approvals that would allow ABUAD to fly its drones for teaching, research, and innovation.

The training, which drew participants from institutions including the University of Ibadan, Bayero University Kano, University of Lagos, and Ogun State Institute of Technology, exposed attendees to hands-on full spectrum of UAV industrial applications. 

Meanwhile, the programme was delivered through a partnership involving the Shenzhen University of Information Technology (China), Caverton Helicopters, the China–Nigeria Industrial Education Association, and other technology-driven organisations invested in advancing Nigeria’s drone ecosystem.

With this training, ABUAD continues to reaffirm its standing as a forward-looking institution committed to equipping its staff and students with globally relevant skills.

The returnees assured the Vice-Chancellor that the journey toward building ABUAD-made technological innovations, including her long-envisioned automobile dream, has now taken a strong and promising step forward.