“From Ado-Ekiti to China, we are not merely crossing borders, we are building bridges. From language to culture, from culture to understanding, and from understanding to collaboration, ABUAD is preparing a generation of students for a truly global future”
23 ABUAD students head for China for Language Proficiency and Cultural Immersion Programme
By: Tunde Olofintila
The partnership between Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, and China was taken a notch higher yesterday when 23 students from the University departed for Changchun, China, for a 28-day short-term Study Programme at the Changchun College of Electronic Technology.
Their journey came 51 days after another set of the University’s 37 Engineering students arrived in Nigeria on July 11, 2026, upon the completion of their 20-day Advanced Practical Training in Intelligent Manufacturing and Control Technologies under a Student Exchange Partnership with Zhejiang Polytechnic University of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, ZUME, Hangzhou, China.
This is certainly a clear case of one programme deepening technological competence with another strengthening language proficiency and cultural intelligence.
Commenting on the latest visit of ABUAD students to China, the University’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Smaranda Olarinde, said the various partnership programmes in China demonstrate the growing breadth, strength and value of ABUAD’s partnerships with Chinese institutions.
“From engineering laboratories to language classrooms, from technological innovation to cultural immersion, the ABUAD-China relationship is steadily developing into a comprehensive platform for global education”, Olarinde said.
She added: “From Ado-Ekiti to China, we are not merely crossing borders, we are building bridges. From language to culture, from culture to understanding, and from understanding to collaboration, ABUAD is preparing a generation of students for a truly global future.
“Ultimately, this is what our internationalisation agenda is all about. It is about preparing our students not merely to graduate, but to belong in the world. It is about giving them the knowledge to compete, the confidence to collaborate, the cultural intelligence to connect and the courage to explore”.
Olarinde emphasized that the flourishing partnership between ABUAD and China is a clear example of partnerships that come alive in the lives of people rather than those that appear on paper only.
According to her, the trip by the students represents yet another significant chapter in the ABUAD-China partnership because “their journey represents far more than an international academic trip. Rather, it is the practical expression of ABUAD’s deliberate commitment to preparing young Nigerians for a world in which cultures, economies, technologies and people are increasingly interconnected”.
Her words: “At the heart of this programme are two important pillars of global engagement: language and culture. While technology may provide the tools through which nations connect, it is language and cultural understanding that enable people to build meaningful relationships”.
She added: “This is why the ABUAD-China partnership goes beyond conventional student exchange. It is about building bridges of understanding between Nigeria and China. It is about exposing our students to another civilisation and equipping them with the linguistic, cultural and interpersonal competencies required to participate meaningfully in an increasingly global society.
“For the Founder and Chancellor of ABUAD, Aare Afe Emmanuel Babalola, CON, OFR, SAN, education has never been conceived as something confined within the four walls of a classroom.
His vision has always been to provide education that is transformative, globally relevant and capable of producing graduates who can stand confidently anywhere in the world”.
Olarinde, a Professor of Law and Member of the Governing Council of Association of African Universities, recalled her official to China in November 2024, in the company of the Director of International Collaboration and Linkages, Prof. Adeniran Afolalu, during which they explored opportunities for academic collaboration and engaged with institutions and partners who shared ABUAD’s conviction that education must increasingly embrace international engagement.
In her view, those engagements were driven by the clear objective to create opportunities through which ABUAD students could experience the world beyond Nigeria, learn from other societies and acquire competencies that would better prepare them for the future.
She was elated that the partnerships and Memoranda of Understanding that emerged from those engagements are now translating into tangible opportunities for our students, adding that the 28 students who travelled to Changchun “are not going to China merely to observe. They are going to learn, communicate, interact and immerse themselves in a culture significantly different from their own”.
Going into the details of their 28-day engagement by the students, Olarinde pointed out that: “They will learn the Chinese language, engage directly with Chinese students, participate in one-on-one communication sessions, explore Chinese history and traditions, and visit important technological, industrial and cultural landmarks.
“Their itinerary includes visits to the FAW Hongqi Exhibition Hall and Factory, Changchun Film Studio Museum, Jilin Provincial Museum, China Optical Science and Technology Museum, Changchun World Sculpture Park and the Northeast Folk Museum. Through these experiences, our students will encounter China not merely through textbooks or classroom lectures, but through direct human experience.
“Afterall, language is more than a collection of words and grammatical rules. It is a gateway into the worldview of a people. Learning Chinese in China will therefore provide our students with an opportunity to communicate across cultural boundaries while developing confidence, humility, patience, adaptability and respect. This is the kind of education ABUAD seeks to provide.
“We want our students to become not only academically competent but also culturally intelligent, confident and capable of engaging people from different backgrounds with respect and maturity”.
In tandem with the aphorism that every benefit carries an equal measure of responsibility, she added that: “The experience also carries a responsibility. Our students are Ambassadors of ABUAD and Nigeria. Their conduct, interactions and achievements will reflect the values of the University.
“I therefore charge them to uphold ABUAD’s enduring philosophy of excellence, demonstrate discipline and integrity, respect the culture of their host country and make the most of every opportunity to learn.
The Director of International Collaboration and Linkages, Prof. Afolalu Adeniran, equally encouraged the students to approach the programme with open minds and to return to ABUAD better than they left.
ABUAD’s time-tested partnerships with Chinese institutions have been bearing fruits. One of such fruits was the appointment of Oghenetejiri Odjighoro, a 2015 First Class graduate of Electrical and Electronics Engineering of ABUAD, who in 2016 was employed as an Assistant Engineer by the Lagos-based Huawei Technologies Limited, a leading multinational Networking and Telecommunications Equipment and Services company.
In her December 12, 2016 letter of appreciation to the University, Odjighoro was full of effusive and lavish praise for ABUAD Founder, the Management and staff of the University for empowering her with all the skills, including the studying of Chinese language, she needed to succeed and excel in her chosen career of Engineering.
Her words: “I would like to start by thanking the Founder of my Alma Mata, Aare Afe Babalola, the Management and staff of ABUAD for empowering me with the knowledge and skills that have enabled me not only to stand, but also to thrive above my peers in the work force”.
She added: “Today, I am a staff of Huawei Technologies, a leading multinational Networking and Telecommunications company, an appointment which would not have been possible without the practical and noteworthy skills bestowed upon me especially through the Afe Language programme.
“In Huawei, the skill of speaking or understanding Chinese, albeit not necessarily important, proved an added advantage to me. This was made possible through the Afe Language Programme which I undertook in 2012 where I learned Chinese from seasoned lecturers. During my interview, I wowed the panel which consisted of three Chinese men with my knowledge of basic Chinese. One of these three men later became my Supervisor.
“For them, it was not about the depth of understanding or the fluency of speaking, it was simply the availability of the skill and the confidence to deploy it effortlessly. This, I believe swayed the appointment in my favour”.
Odjighoro stressed that with just one year after graduation, she has fully appreciated Babalola’s vision of breeding top tier students who embody numerous and varied skills as well as proficiency that will enable them stand out in all fields of human endeavour.
* Olofintila is ABUAD’s Director of Corporate Affairs
